Driver FAQ: Where to Check Hours, Dispatch Details and Delivery Paperwork

When you accept a load, dispatch instructions tell you where to go and when to arrive. Before leaving, you need another record to check your hours. After delivery, you need to check and return the signed documents the load requires. All three may appear in one application, but a problem with each points to a different record and often a different person.

1. Where do I check the location and appointment?

Start with the instructions confirmed by your carrier. Match the load ID to both pickup and delivery. Get the full address and the correct truck entrance. Check the confirmed date, time, time zone if relevant, and appointment number. An estimated time of arrival (ETA) is an estimate. Verify the appointment the warehouse has accepted separately.

If a group message and the load page show different times, send both to dispatch with the load ID and ask which is final. After dispatch replies, open the updated instructions and confirm that you see the verified arrangement. Carriers store instructions in different places. Ask dispatch to point to the current record if you cannot find it.

2. Does accepting a load mean I have enough hours?

Check your driving and duty records after accepting the load. To determine whether you can finish it, you need to know how much driving time remains, when your driving window ends and whether your cumulative hours permit more driving. For operations covered by federal property-carrier hours-of-service (HOS) rules, 49 CFR § 395.3 sets the driving limits. For pickups and deliveries within California, first check when California intrastate or federal property-carrier rules apply, then work out how much time is available for the trip.

If you use an electronic logging device (ELD), check that your record of duty status (RODS) is accurate and complete. In its official ELD guidance, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) explains the driver’s responsibility to review and certify the records. The device captures driving and vehicle data. Incorrect or missing entries still require action under the applicable procedures.

If the hours available or the rules that apply are unclear, show the carrier the planned trip and ask for help checking it. Even if dispatch changes the appointment, use your actual logs to plan the driving.

3. The load shows “delivered.” What paperwork is still due?

Check the proof of delivery (POD) and attachments required for this load. Some loads accept a signed bill of lading (BOL). Others require additional documents. Use the actual shipping documents and carrier instructions to identify what to send.

Match each document to the load ID and receiving location. Check page count and required receipt details. Open the photos after taking them to make sure the entire page is visible and the text legible. Send them to the designated load or contact, then check whether anything else is needed. Each signed document and attachment still needs to be checked after the status changes to “delivered.”

Tell dispatch about missing pages, incomplete receipt details or notes made at the facility, and ask how to obtain the missing items. Do not add a signature or add, remove or alter an original note yourself. A successful upload does not establish that the documents meet this load’s requirements, have passed review or will be paid.

4. Who handles a discrepancy?

Identify the records affected. If the same load has a disputed appointment and an incorrect log entry, each needs its own follow-up. Correcting the appointment leaves the log entry to be addressed.

Dispatch instructions. If the addresses or times conflict, ask dispatch to verify the final arrangement.

Delivery paperwork. For an unreadable photo or a missing page, check the documents collected on site and the originals. Ask dispatch exactly what is missing and where to send it.

Hours records. If an entry is inaccurate, open the relevant period on your own ELD and follow your carrier’s and the applicable correction procedures.

Log edits have specific requirements. When § 395.30 applies, edits and additions must comply with ELD editing limits and include an annotation. The driver must confirm or reject a carrier-proposed change to a submitted log. Recertify and submit as required for the edit to take effect, and preserve the original hours information. Never invent a duty status to match the dispatch schedule.

Telling the group chat about a log issue is a first step. Complete the required action in the log itself. Updating the load status or sending missing delivery paperwork does not correct a log. For anything still open, record what is missing and who will follow up so the next person can pick it up.

5. Can all three records be checked in one application?

That depends on the carrier’s setup and practices. Using separate records does not require three applications. Association partner VectAxiom’s official VAX Fleet product description, for instance, describes dispatch assignments, driver trip details and returning delivery paperwork. Drivers can use tools like these to check instructions and submit documents.

Ask where the actual hours record appears in your carrier’s setup. The VAX safety and ELD information says that compatibility with existing devices and how the fleet sees log data must be confirmed during configuration. Find out which system supplies your log and where to review it. An hours field on the load page alone does not establish that it displays your own logged hours.

If the carrier still uses its existing ELD, review and handle log issues on that device. Even when several records share one screen, take appointment questions to dispatch, correct log errors through the applicable procedure, and check missing delivery pages against the actual documents. Identify the authoritative record and the person responsible for this load.

A record for one load

Load ID ___ · location of dispatch instructions and confirmed arrangement ___ · location of the driver’s hours record and when it was checked ___ · required delivery documents and where to return them ___ · discrepancies ___ · person contacted, outstanding items and next contact ___. Mark unknowns “awaiting confirmation.” This working note does not complete an actual log or acknowledge delivery.

Disclaimer. This article draws on FMCSA materials, federal hours-of-service and ELD regulations, and public product information checked on October 12, 2026. It provides general information, not legal, contractual, payment or individual compliance advice. Rules, their scope and product functions may change. Use the applicable official rules, actual logs and shipping documents, carrier requirements and current product information. Federal rules apply within their stated scope. This article does not calculate an individual’s available hours or determine an appointment, document validity, gate eligibility or payment outcome. The sample record does not replace a required log or business confirmation. Consult a qualified professional about applicability, contracts or disputed responsibility. The author and publisher accept no liability for losses arising from actions taken on the basis of this article.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. “About ELDs.” FMCSA ELD, Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

United States, Department of Transportation. “49 CFR § 395.30: ELD Record Submissions, Edits, Annotations, and Data Retention.” Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

United States, Department of Transportation. “49 CFR § 395.3: Maximum Driving Time for Property-Carrying Vehicles.” Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

VectAxiom. “Safety & ELD.” VAX Fleet, Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

VectAxiom. “VAX Fleet.” VAX Fleet, Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.