LR (bilty) format: every field explained

An LR (lorry receipt), also called a bilty, bilti, GR or consignment note, is the first paper of every trip. It records who handed over the goods, who will receive them, what was loaded, on which truck, and how the freight will be paid. When an LR is filled in properly, the POD, the truck settlement and the freight bill all fall into place. When it is not, the mistakes show up weeks later as short payments and arguments nobody can settle.

This guide walks through a standard LR format field by field, explains why each one matters, and lists the mistakes that cost transporters money. If you want to make one now, use our free LR format tool: fill in the fields, then print it or save it as a PDF.

What a standard LR format looks like

Formats differ from office to office, but almost every LR has four blocks: the transporter’s header, the trip details, the parties, and the goods and freight. Most also have a remarks box and space for signatures at the bottom. Offices usually print several copies of each LR, marked for the consignor, the consignee (the copy that travels with the truck) and the office file, and some add a copy for the driver.

The header: who is carrying the goods

The top of the LR carries your company name, office address and phone number. If you are registered under GST, transporters commonly print their GSTIN here too. A clear header matters more than it looks: the consignee, the driver and anyone checking the truck on the road need to see at a glance whose LR it is and whom to call.

Trip details: LR number, date, from, to and truck

LR number

Every LR needs a unique number. The safest way is one series per branch, with a short branch prefix, so two offices can never issue the same number. Never reuse a cancelled number: mark that LR as cancelled and keep it on file. When two branches issue the same LR number in the same week, nobody can say which bilty a disputed bill refers to.

Date

The booking date. It is the starting point for transit time, POD follow-up and the freight bill, and it is the first thing anyone checks in a dispute.

From and to

The loading and delivery points. Write the town, and the area or industrial estate if the city is large. The billing clerk, the driver and the party should all read the same route from the LR.

Truck number

The registration number of the truck carrying the goods. If the load moves to another truck mid-route after a breakdown, note it on the LR and in your records, so the paperwork follows the goods. Otherwise the second truck’s hire is easy to miss at settlement.

The parties: consignor and consignee

The consignor is the sender who hands the goods to you. The consignee is the receiver who takes delivery and signs the POD. Write the full name and address for both, and the GSTIN if they have one. A vague consignee, such as a company name with no address, is how goods end up at the wrong godown.

Some LR formats also have a box for the party who pays the freight when that is neither the consignor nor the consignee. If you often bill a third party, add that box to your format so the billing clerk does not have to guess.

Goods and freight

• Packages: the count of bags, cartons, drums or pieces. This is the figure checked at unloading, so every shortage is measured against it. Write it in figures, and in words if your parties expect it.
• Description of goods: what the packages contain, as declared by the consignor. Many transporters print “said to contain” above this column because they do not open sealed packages.
• Weight: the actual weight, the charged weight, or both, with the unit. If freight is charged per tonne, make clear which weight the freight is based on.
• Freight: the agreed amount in rupees for this LR. If the rate is per tonne or per package, write the rate as well as the total so the bill can be checked.

Paid, to pay or to be billed

This box decides who pays the freight and when. Paid means the consignor paid at booking. To pay means the consignee pays at delivery, so the driver or the destination office must collect it before handing over the goods. To be billed (often written TBB) means the freight goes on the party’s freight bill later, usually with their other LRs. A missing or wrong tick here can mean freight that nobody collects.

Remarks and signatures

Use remarks for anything the next person must know: fragile goods, the e-way bill number if your office records it on the LR, delivery instructions, an unloading appointment, or that this LR is part of a split load. At the bottom, the consignor signs to confirm the goods handed over, and someone signs for the transporter.

Common LR mistakes that cost money

1. Freight copied wrongly into the bill. The LR says one figure and the bill says another. Billing straight from the LR record, instead of retyping it, removes the copy step where the error happens.
2. Duplicate LR numbers across branches. Fix it with one number series per branch.
3. Packages left blank or written as “1 lot”. Without a count, you can neither prove nor dispute a shortage.
4. No tick in the freight box. A to-pay LR delivered without collection becomes a debt nobody chases.
5. Charges agreed but not written down. Detention or unloading agreed with the party on the phone and never noted is rarely billed.

Paper, Excel or LR software?

A printed bilty book works when you issue a few LRs a day from one office. An Excel sheet adds search, but someone still types each LR twice: once on the LR and again on the bill. LR software keeps one record per LR and uses it for the challan, the POD and the freight bill.

LR software such as LR Manager by AGI Technologies makes each LR from saved consignors, consignees and routes, gives every branch its own number series, and prints the LR in your own format or shares it as a PDF. Its AI document reader can fill the LR from a party’s PDF, photo or Excel file for you to check and save.