The Evolution of Proof of Delivery – From Physical to Digital - By Renilton Krupp Prauchner

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Image Credit: Image generated by Artificial Intelligence (Gemini)


Technical Note: This article was developed based on market research and regulations currently applicable in Brazil and does not extend beyond Brazilian territory.

Introduction

For decades, the paper proof of delivery — that small receipt signed by the consignee and later returned to the company — has been one of the cornerstones of logistics operations in Brazil. The process was simple: the driver delivered the goods, the customer signed the document, and the paper returned to the company as proof of delivery.

💡 Spoiler alert: many companies still do exactly that.

However, the scenario is changing. With new technological options, the growing pressure for operational efficiency, and the ongoing digitalization of supply chains, this traditional model has begun to show its limitations. The need for faster, more secure, and legally valid proof of delivery has opened the door to an essential transformation in the sector: the digital proof of delivery.

About this article: this publication is the first of a two-part series.

In this first part, the focus is to provide a clear and practical overview of the limitations of the manual process and the opportunities that the digital model brings. In the second part, I will address the technical aspects that ensure legal validity and mitigate the security risks associated with digital proof of delivery.

1. Why Paper Is Falling Behind

Imagine that after completing a delivery, the driver goes to the post office, mails the proof of delivery (and sends you the posting confirmation on WhatsApp), the postal service (or a similar provider) delivers this document to the company’s front desk, the reception staff forwards the envelope to the logistics department, which then checks each one, scans it, uploads it to the system, and finally sends it to the general archive for someone to file physically.

Despite its long tradition, the physical model presents challenges that have become increasingly difficult to ignore. Among them:

  • High operational costs: printing, storage, transportation, and scanning of delivery receipts generate ongoing expenses.
  • Risk of loss or damage: a wet, torn, or misplaced receipt can compromise payment collection and lead to contractual disputes.
  • Delay in confirmation: often, the document takes days to return to the base and be uploaded to the system (and sometimes it’s never uploaded), delaying billing and audit processes.
  • Environmental impact: in a world increasingly focused on sustainability, maintaining a paper-based workflow no longer makes sense.

These problems scale exponentially as delivery volume increases. A company that performs 100 freights per day, with 3 deliveries each, for example, handles more than 6,000 proofs of delivery per month — all requiring manual handling, scanning, and physical storage.

2. The Digital Shift: How Electronic Proof of Delivery Works

The digital proof of delivery replaces paper with electronic evidence of delivery, which may include — depending on the system and the technology layers adopted:

  • Digitized recipient signature.

  • Date, time, and geolocation record.

  • Digital integrity (hash or blockchain).

  • Photos of the location or delivered product.

  • Cloud storage, high availability, and easy for searches.

  • Integration with the systems.

With this setup, confirmation becomes immediate, secure, and fully traceable. Furthermore, integration with ERPs and TMSs allows for automation of steps such as invoicing, auditing, and driver payment release.

3. The Financial Impact

Infinitely more cost-effective, the digital proof of delivery drastically reduces operational expenses.

And that’s without counting the indirect savings — fewer errors, higher productivity, faster billing cycles, and the elimination of physical storage space for documents.

4. If It’s So Advantageous, Why Is There Still Resistance?

Even with so many benefits, many companies still cling to the physical model — and there are both cultural and legal reasons behind that.

  • Operational habit: operators are still used to the physical receipt as “tangible” proof.

  • Legal considerations: managers remain unsure about the legal validity of digital proofs.

  • Lack of standardization: despite progress, the sector still lacks broad dissemination of technical standards to make the topic widely known and adopted.

  • Technological integration: smaller companies or those with legacy systems face barriers to adopting integrated digital solutions.

5. The Future of Delivery Is Digital

The digitalization of proof of delivery is not a distant trend — it’s a current reality already implemented by hundreds of companies and transforming logistics operations.
Companies are adopting electronic solutions that ensure speed, transparency, and full traceability.

Early adopters gain a competitive advantage: reducing costs, accelerating financial cycles, and providing greater visibility to the end customer.

Those that continue relying solely on physical documentation may soon find themselves with obsolete, slow, and expensive processes — a risk no modern operation can afford to take.

Coming Next: Technical and Legal Standards to Reduce Transition Risks

In this first part, we explored the reasons behind the digital transformation of proof of delivery and the financial and operational benefits it brings.

In the next article, we’ll dive deeper into the technical and legal frameworks that ensure full compliance during the transition from paper to digital.

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