Key facts
| Core job | Trip, lorry receipt, freight bill, GST invoice, party ledger, in one chain |
|---|---|
| Ready-made | Several transport and logistics billing products exist; check each vendor's current features and pricing |
| Custom | A Build; typical ₹1.7L–₹2.5L for trips, billing and ledgers |
| Tax and e-way bill rules | Set by the government and your tax professional; the software follows your settings |
| Ownership | With custom, code, hosting and data belong to you |
What must transport billing software handle?
| Piece | What the software should do |
|---|---|
| LR / consignment note | Create the lorry receipt from the booking, with consignor, consignee, material, weight and freight, in your format and numbering |
| Freight invoice | Bill one or many LRs to a party, by trip, by weight or as a fixed rate, with detention and extra charges as lines |
| GST invoicing | Produce the invoice from your tax settings: rates, place of supply and who pays the tax are your tax professional's call |
| E-way bill linkage | Store the e-way bill number against the LR and trip, and flag trips that have none. Generation happens on the government system or through a provider's API |
| Trip and vehicle costing | Record diesel, toll, driver advance, loading and repairs per trip, so you see profit per trip and per vehicle |
| Party ledgers | Freight billed, payments received, advances and outstanding per consignor, consignee or broker |
The tax rules behind the invoice and the e-way bill, including when each applies, are published by the government and change. This page does not state them. Confirm them with your tax professional and the official portals.
Where do manual billing and spreadsheets go wrong?
- The LR is typed once, then the same details are typed again into the bill.
- A signed proof of delivery is missing, so the bill waits.
- Trip costs are noted on paper, so nobody knows which vehicle earns.
- Party balances are rebuilt from a sheet at month end, and disputes follow.
- The e-way bill number is in a chat, not on the LR.
Each of these is a gap between steps. The software has to keep one record per trip that every document reads from.
Ready-made or custom transport billing software?
If you bill by simple per-trip or per-tonne rates, a ready-made transport or accounts product is the right answer. It is cheaper, it is maintained by its maker and your accountant may already use it. Check that it prints your LR format and exports to your accounts tool.
| Question | Ready-made | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Standard LR and freight bill | Fits well | Not needed |
| Rates by party, route, material and slab | Often limited | Built to your rate rules |
| Driver link with proof of delivery | Sometimes an add-on | Part of the same record |
| Trip profit and vehicle costing | Basic | Built around your cost heads |
| Cost over time | Recurring plans | One build, no per-seat fees |
| Changing the workflow | Request the vendor | You own the code |
When does custom billing pay off?
- Your rates are rule-based: by party, route, material, weight slab or detention.
- Bills are raised from many trips and need approval before release.
- You re-key trip data into LRs and bills every day.
- You want driver updates, expenses and billing in one place instead of three tools.
- You pay per user or per branch and the count keeps growing.
If none of these apply, buy a product. If two or more do, scope a small custom layer. It usually feeds your accounting tool and does not replace it; see GST invoicing and billing software for where each fits.
What does a custom transport billing build cost in INR?
| Scope | What it covers | Price | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build: trips and billing | Bookings, LR, expenses, freight bill, party ledger | ₹1.7L–₹2.5L | 3–4 weeks |
| Build: with client link | Adds a customer status page, WhatsApp updates and approvals | ₹1.5L–3.5L | 3–4 weeks |
| Platform | Several branches, tracker or e-way bill provider integration, accounting export | ₹3.5L–8L | 5–8 weeks, then phases |
Provider and WhatsApp charges are paid to those providers. The cost estimator shows how roles and integrations move the range. The wider picture of trips, drivers and dispatch is in custom software for logistics and transport, and the process is on how we build.
Frequently asked questions
Can it generate lorry receipts in my format?
Yes, with your numbering and layout. Any legal requirement on the document is yours to confirm.
Does it create the e-way bill itself?
It stores and checks the number against each trip. Generation through a provider's API is a separate, priced integration.
Will it replace Tally?
Usually not. It builds the LR, bill and ledger from trips, then exports to your accounting tool.
Can it handle GST invoices?
It produces invoices from tax settings you control. Your tax professional reviews them before use. We do not give tax advice.
Is it worth it for a small fleet?
Only if a ready-made tool fails your rate rules or workflow. We will say so in the scope call.