Transportation invoices depend on shipment details, rates, and accessorial charges. Everhour turns approved billable work into invoices.
Fill in your details, add line items, hit Print when ready.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Tax | Amount |
|---|
The calculator gives you the number — Everhour takes it from there.
One click and you're timing. Start a timer, add an entry, edit the details. This is exactly how it feels in Everhour.
Set a budget, assign rates, and get alerted before you're over.
Measurement
Track your budget through time or costs
Every report you need — configured your way, always up to date.
Tracked hours flow straight into a polished invoice — no copy-paste, no manual math.
Transportation billing starts with a document the shipper, broker, carrier, or customer can match to the job. Include the invoice number, invoice date, customer name, remittance address, shipment date, origin, destination, bill of lading or load reference, and payment terms. For freight work, the invoice should connect each charge to the movement of goods, not just show a lump-sum service total.
Covered for-hire motor carriers subject to 49 CFR Part 373 have specific bill of lading fields for property tendered in interstate or foreign commerce, including consignor and consignee names, route endpoints, package count, freight description, and weight, volume, or measurement when used for rating. Private contracts can require more detail, such as purchase order numbers, trailer numbers, detention notes, proof-of-delivery references, or fuel surcharge support.
A transportation invoice line usually starts with the base freight charge. Add the rate basis clearly, such as per mile, per hundredweight, flat load, pallet, hour, day, or another agreed unit. A simple line can read: `Line haul, Chicago, IL to Columbus, OH, 412 miles at $2.75 per mile`. The customer can then verify the route, quantity, rate, and extended amount.
Accessorial charges need their own lines when they affect the bill. Covered for-hire property carrier freight or expense bills must include exact rates assessed, total charges due, and special-service charge details. If the invoice includes detention, liftgate, inside delivery, storage, reconsignment, or other special services, state the nature, amount, and service points for each charge. Fuel surcharges are privately negotiated business terms, not a single regulated formula.
Freight billing disputes often start with missing identifiers. A customer can delay payment when the invoice lacks the bill of lading number, load number, purchase order, delivery date, or destination reference used in their receiving system. LTL shipments also need careful class and rating support because NMFTA freight classes range from 50 to 500, and misclassification can create reclassification charges or billing surprises.
Payment timing deserves the same precision. For covered for-hire property carriers and household-goods freight forwarders, the standard credit period starts the day after the freight bill is presented and is 15 days unless a different tariff period applies. A tariff credit period cannot exceed 30 calendar days. Covered motor-carrier prepaid shipments must be billed within 7 days after receipt, and collect shipments within 7 days after destination delivery, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays.
A free one-off invoice works for a single load, a small transportation job, or a customer that only needs a clean PDF with shipment references, rates, accessorial charges, and payment instructions. It also works when you calculate charges elsewhere and only need a finished document for approval, collection, or records.
A managed workflow matters when time, expenses, and billable status feed the invoice. Everhour Billing & Invoicing converts tracked billable time and expenses into invoices, calculates amounts from rates while excluding non-billable tasks, and supports client settings, taxes, discounts, payment terms, and invoice customization. Invoices can export to QuickBooks Online, Xero, or FreshBooks, with status, number, issue date, and amount syncing back to Everhour.
This content is for general information only, may not be fully up to date, and is provided without any warranty or liability.
High Performer
G2
Summer 2026
Best Ease Of Use
Capterra
Summer 2026
Rated in the top time trackers across G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius — with consistent praise for ease of use, integrations, and support.
A transportation invoice should identify the customer, carrier or vendor, invoice number, invoice date, shipment date, origin, destination, remittance address, payment terms, shipment reference, rate basis, exact charges, and total due. Freight invoices commonly include bill of lading or load numbers, package or freight descriptions, accessorial charges, and proof-of-delivery references when the customer uses them for approval.
Accessorial charges should appear as separate invoice lines with the service name, amount, and job context. Covered for-hire property carrier freight bills that include special services must state the nature and amount of each special-service charge and the points where the service was rendered. Clear lines reduce disputes over detention, liftgate, storage, reconsignment, and similar charges.
The United States does not use a national VAT or GST invoice regime. Sales and use tax obligations are imposed by states and local jurisdictions. Tax treatment depends on nexus, the product or service, the place of sale, and state or local rules. Sellers that make taxable sales may need state-level sales-tax registration rather than a United States VAT or GST number.
Missing shipment references delay payment because the customer cannot match the invoice to the load, bill of lading, purchase order, delivery record, or receiving entry. A clean invoice should connect every charge to the shipment and show the agreed rate basis. Accessorial charges also need enough detail to show the service, amount, and location or service point.
Freight payment terms are not always 15 days. For covered for-hire property carriers and household-goods freight forwarders, the standard credit period is 15 days unless a different tariff period applies. Carriers can publish tariff rules with different credit periods, but those periods cannot exceed 30 calendar days. Contract and bill-of-lading terms can also affect collection charges and discounts.
Everhour Billing & Invoicing converts tracked billable time and expenses into client invoices, calculates amounts from rates, and excludes non-billable tasks. Client records can store projects, contacts, tax rates, discounts, and payment terms, then invoices can export to QuickBooks Online, Xero, or FreshBooks with invoice status syncing back to Everhour.
Track billable transportation work, expenses, rates, and client terms in Everhour, then generate invoices that carry the billing record into accounting with less manual re-entry.
14-day free trial · No credit card · Cancel anytime
