Lorry Receipt (LR)

A lorry receipt is the consignment note a transporter issues to a consignor at the moment goods are accepted for carriage. It records who is sending what, to whom, by which vehicle, and on what commercial terms. In Indian road freight it is the single most important document on the movement: it proves the goods were handed over, it establishes the contract of carriage, and it is what the consignee signs against on delivery.

An LR is not a title document — it does not transfer ownership the way a bill of lading can in shipping. It is an acknowledgement of receipt plus a contract to carry. That distinction matters when goods are damaged or short-delivered, because liability follows the terms printed on the LR rather than the invoice.

Most operators issue lorry receipts in triplicate: consignor copy, consignee copy, and the transporter's own copy that travels with the driver. The number printed on it — the LR number — becomes the reference used for tracking, billing, POD matching and dispute resolution for the life of that shipment. In North India the same document is called a bilty (or builty); in many offices it is a goods receipt. The legal instrument is identical.

Printed formats vary by operator, but the fields do not. A usable LR carries a unique number, date, consignor, consignee, vehicle number, a description of the goods, quantity or packages, and the freight term — To Pay or Paid. Digital lorry receipts generate that number from a branch-controlled series so two offices cannot issue the same reference, and they keep the bilty label on the print so the document is recognised in a booking office that has never said 'LR'.