Copy the whole checklist, then fill in the names and your rules.
The rule
No load is planned until every field below is in the load record.
An incomplete order goes back to intake, and intake tells the customer what is missing the same day. It does not go on the board.
Who and where (owner: [intake or customer service])
1. Customer and contact: name, phone and email for the person who can answer questions about this load.
2. Pickup: full address, dock or door, and the dock hours.
3. Delivery: full address, dock or door, and the dock hours.
4. Appointments: pickup and delivery times, or a note that none is needed. Who booked them.
5. Site rules: check-in steps, PPE, lumper or no lumper, anything the driver must know at the gate.
The freight (owner: [intake], confirmed by the customer)
6. Commodity: what it is, in plain words.
7. Weight: total, in [kg or lb].
8. Dimensions and piece count: pallets, length, width and height, stackable or not.
9. Hazmat: yes or no. If yes, class, UN number and placards.
10. Special handling: temperature, tarps, straps, border papers or [anything your freight needs].
For planning (owner: [dispatcher or planner])
11. Equipment type: [dry van, reefer, flatbed, straight truck, other], and trailer length.
12. Priority: standard, same-day or urgent, set by the rule [your priority rule], not by who shouts loudest.
13. Driver needs: cross-border, hazmat endorsement, two-person, or [other certifications].
For billing (owner: [billing or account manager])
14. References: PO, BOL, pickup number and any customer load number.
15. Rate and billing terms: agreed rate, accessorials, detention terms and payment terms.
16. Proof of delivery: what the customer needs to pay, such as a signed BOL, photos or [other].
Who checks the gate
[Name or role] checks every order before it reaches planning and marks it complete.
[Name or role] reviews the incomplete list at [time] and [time] each day and chases each customer.
Same-day and urgent orders are checked within [15] minutes of arriving.
Record keeping
Log every order that failed the gate, which field was missing, which customer sent it and how long it waited.
Review the log every [week or month]. If one customer or one field fails again and again, fix it at the source.