Load form for FMCG distributors: what it is, and a free format
Every morning a distributor's van is loaded for one route. The load form (also called a loading sheet or load sheet) is the list of what goes on that van: each product, and how many cartons, boxes and loose pieces. When it is right, the driver delivers every bill without coming back. When it is wrong, shops wait, stock goes missing and nobody knows where.
What a load form is
A load form adds up all the bills (or booked orders) for one route and one day, product by product. Instead of reading 40 bills one by one, the store keeper reads one sheet: "Tapal Danedar 950g: 6 cartons and 4 pieces". The van is loaded with exactly that, the driver signs it, and in the evening the van's return is checked against the same sheet.
It is usually made the evening before, or early in the morning, after the order bookers have sent their orders.
The columns a load form needs
- Date, route / area and van or driver name at the top, so the sheet belongs to one trip only.
- Product name (and code if you use codes), grouped by brand or company. Store keepers find stock faster when the sheet follows the godown's shelves.
- Cartons, boxes and pieces as separate columns, never only a total in pieces.
- Total pieces, to check the split is right.
- Value (optional), for the cash the driver must bring back.
- Sub-total per brand and a grand total at the bottom.
- Signatures: loaded by, checked by, driver.
Cartons, boxes and loose pieces
Most mistakes happen here. Bills are made in pieces (or a mix), but the godown counts in cartons. Write the split clearly. Say one carton has 12 boxes and one box has 12 pieces (144 pieces in a carton):
| Bill total | Cartons | Boxes | Pieces |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 pieces | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 150 pieces | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 60 pieces | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Keep each product's carton and box size written down once (in your software, or at the top of your register) so nobody has to remember it.
Free load form format
You can copy this layout into Excel or print it as it is.
| # | Brand | Product | Ctn | Box | Pcs | Total pcs | Value (Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tapal | Danedar 950g | 6 | 0 | 4 | 76 | 1,07,920 |
| 2 | Tapal | Family Mixture 430g | 2 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 31,680 |
| Tapal total | 8 | 0 | 4 | 124 | 1,39,600 | ||
| 3 | Olpers | Milk 1L | 10 | 0 | 6 | 126 | 40,950 |
| Olpers total | 10 | 0 | 6 | 126 | 40,950 | ||
Download the load form format (CSV, opens in Excel)
Common mistakes
- Making it by hand from the bills. One missed bill and the van is short. Add up from a list, not from memory.
- Totals only in pieces. The store keeper then has to divide in their head, under time pressure.
- Not including booked orders that are not billed yet, so the van leaves without them.
- No sign-off. Without a signature nobody owns a missing carton.
- Old sheets reused. Every sheet needs a date and a route.
Making it with software
Good distributor software makes the load form from the day's bills by itself. In SundarVahi you pick the day, the area or sales officer, and it lists every product grouped by brand with cartons, boxes and loose pieces, brand sub-totals and the grand total. It can also count orders the order bookers have booked but you have not billed yet. Print it, or download it to Excel with one click.
Because the load form comes from the same bills, the evening check is simple: what went out, minus what was delivered, must come back.
Questions
What is the difference between a load form and a gate pass?
A load form lists what is loaded for one route, product by product. A gate pass is the permission for goods to leave the godown. Many distributors use the signed load form as the gate pass.
Should the load form show prices?
It is optional. A value column helps when the driver collects cash on delivery; the store keeper only needs the quantities.
Can I make a load form in Excel?
Yes. Use the format above. The risk is typing mistakes; software that builds it from the bills avoids them.
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