The road waybill (road consignment note) or rail waybill (rail consignment note)serves as a receipt for goods and an evidence of the contract of carriage, but it is not a document of title to the goods. The consignee can obtain the goods from the carrier at the destination point without presentation of the road waybill or the rail waybill, as the case may be.

The road waybill or rail waybill must be signed or authenticated and/or bear a reception stamp or other indication of receipt by the carrier or the named agent for or on behalf of the carrier. The signature, authentication, reception stamp, or other indication of receipt by the carrier must be identified on the face of waybill as that of the carrier, and in the case of agent signing or authenticating, the name and capacity of the carrier on whose behalf such agent signs or authenticates must be indicated.

The original road waybill or rail waybill may or may not be marked as "original", as such the waybill(s) presented to the bank are accepted as the original.

If the road waybill or rail waybill does not indicate on its face the number issued or unless otherwise stipulated in the letter of credit (L/C), the number of waybills required for presentation to the negotiating bank would depend on the number issued by the carrier as forming a full set.

Unlike in an ocean (marine) bill of lading or air waybill, a road waybill or rail waybill usually is not distinguished as either clean or foul, because the road carrier or the rail carrier normally will not accept cargo that is damaged, shows signs of irregularities, or is short shipped.

Post Receipt

The post receipt---postal receipt, parcel post receipt, or certificate of posting---is issued by the Post Office for goods sent by parcel post. The date stamped on the face of a post receipt is deemed to be the date of shipment or dispatch. It must be dated in the place from which the letter of credit (L/C) stipulates the goods are to be shipped or dispatched.

Parcel Post Shipments

In practice, most export shipments by parcel post belong to air parcel and do not have a letter of credit (L/C). The payment is often by cheque. The importer may use parcel post to avoid expenses in opening an L/C and in processing of goods on arrival. The consignment most often is a small order and the goods are consigned directly to the importer. Hence, unless the cheque is cashed or the integrity of the importer is unquestionable, the exporter must not dispatch the goods. Please refer to the Fly-By-Night Importers for related information.

The importer may request to dispatch the goods on different dates. For example if the order is 10 cartons, the importer may request to dispatch 2 cartons every 2 days.

The maximum weight and measurement requirements of a parcel may vary from country to country. Generally, the weight limit is 10-20 kilograms.

Courier's Receipt

The courier's receipt is issued by a courier (or expedited delivery service). The courier's receipt must indicate the name of the courier (or expedited delivery service) and be stamped, signed or otherwise authenticated on its face and indicate a date of pick-up or of receipt or wording to this effect, the date is deemed to be the date of shipment or dispatch.

Unless the letter of credit (L/C) specifically calls for a document issued by a named courier (or expedited delivery service), a document issued by any courier (or expedited delivery service) is acceptable.

Courier Shipments

The delivery charge by courier is higher than by parcel post. However, the courier shipment is faster and generally offers better security against theft and pilferage. The nature of a courier shipment is similar to a parcel post shipment. Since the goods are consigned directly to the importer, the exporter must not dispatch the goods unless the cheque is cashed or the integrity of the importer is unquestionable.