Question 1

What is a freight invoice and what must it include?

Accepted Answer

A freight invoice is the bill a carrier, forwarder or broker sends for transport services rendered. It should reference the shipment (BOL, AWB, CMR or PRO number), state origin and destination, weight and pieces, and itemize charges — linehaul, fuel surcharge, accessorials, detention, demurrage — as separate lines, plus the usual invoice basics (invoice number, date, payment terms).

Question 2

Freight invoice vs bill of lading — what's the difference?

Accepted Answer

A bill of lading (BOL) is a legal shipping document and receipt for the goods, issued at pickup — it proves the carrier received the cargo and states the shipping terms. A freight invoice is the bill for payment, issued after (or as) the service is performed, and references the BOL number rather than replacing it.

Question 3

Freight invoice vs commercial invoice — which one does customs need?

Accepted Answer

A commercial invoice is a customs document that values the goods being shipped (HS codes, Incoterms, country of origin) — it's what customs authorities use to assess duty. A freight invoice only bills for the transport service and is not accepted as a customs valuation document. If you need to invoice the goods themselves for customs clearance, use a dedicated commercial invoice generator instead of this tool.

Question 4

Is this the same as a trucking or owner-operator invoice?

Accepted Answer

No. This freight invoice is built for forwarders, brokers, carriers and logistics companies billing for shipments — often international, multimodal, or third-party billed. A trucking invoice (used by US/CA owner-operators and motor carriers) is structured differently, around per-mile rates, individual loads, lumper fees and factoring. If you're an owner-operator billing per load, a dedicated trucking invoice generator will fit your workflow better than this one.

Question 5

Do I charge VAT or GST on freight?

Accepted Answer

International transport of goods is zero-rated or GST-free in almost every regime — the EU (Art. 146(1)(e)/144 of the VAT Directive), UK (VAT Notice 744B), Australia (GST-free), Canada (zero-rated, including qualifying interlined domestic legs) and others. Domestic transport is generally taxed at the standard local rate. The US has no general sales tax on interstate freight, though domestic air cargo can carry a 6.25% federal excise tax.

Question 6

What is a fuel surcharge (FSC) and how do I show it on the invoice?

Accepted Answer

A fuel surcharge offsets fluctuating fuel costs and is usually billed as a percentage of the linehaul charge (commonly quoted around 15–20%) — list it as its own line rather than folding it into the linehaul rate. In France, the fuel share of the price must legally track official gasoil price indices (CNR indices, Code des transports art. L3222-1/L3222-2) and should be shown in a footer mention even without a specific contract clause.

Question 7

What are accessorial charges?

Accepted Answer

Accessorials are charges for services beyond standard pickup-and-delivery: liftgate service, residential delivery, limited-access delivery, inside delivery, appointment scheduling, detention (driver waiting time) and demurrage/storage (cargo held past free time). List each as its own line so the payer can see what drove the extra cost. Detention applies to the truck/driver waiting; demurrage typically applies to cargo or containers held at a port, terminal or warehouse.

Question 8

What is a PRO number or BOL number, and where do they go on the invoice?

Accepted Answer

A PRO number is a carrier-assigned tracking number (common in US LTL freight); a BOL number identifies the bill of lading for the shipment; an AWB number is the air-cargo equivalent; a CMR number is the EU road-transport consignment note reference. Put whichever reference applies in the "BOL / AWB No." header field so the payer can match this invoice to the shipment record and proof of delivery.

Question 9

How do freight brokers and forwarders invoice — who is the bill-to party?

Accepted Answer

Freight is often billed "collect" to a broker, consignee or other third party rather than the shipper who tendered the load — that's why this template labels the customer field "Bill To (Payer)". If you're a forwarder subcontracting part of an international move, check your local rule before treating the subcontracted leg as zero-rated: several VAT exemptions apply only when billing the shipper or consignee directly, not another carrier.

Question 10

What payment terms are standard in freight?

Accepted Answer

Net 30 is the industry standard, sometimes with a quick-pay discount for early payment (e.g. 2% for payment within 15 days). Some carriers factor their invoices for faster cash flow — this tool doesn't handle factoring directly, but you can note a factoring company as the remit-to party in your business details.

Question 11

Does Mexico require anything beyond this invoice?

Accepted Answer

Yes — moving goods within Mexico legally requires a CFDI with the Carta Porte complement, which this PDF is not and does not replace. If your customer is a corporate payer (persona moral) receiving land freight transport, they are generally required to withhold 4% IVA from the payment and remit it themselves — reflect this as a negative line rather than lowering your tax rate.

Question 12

Why is Brazil different?

Accepted Answer

In Brazil, cargo transport is fiscally documented by the CT-e (Conhecimento de Transporte Eletrônico), which carries the ICMS tax detail and is mandatory for interstate or intermunicipal transport. This tool's PDF works as the commercial collection document (fatura de cobrança) that accompanies your CT-e records — it is not a substitute for issuing the CT-e itself.

Descripción	Cantidad	Precio unitario	Importe
Freight charges — linehaul (origin → destination)	1	MX$0.00	MX$0.00
Fuel surcharge (FSC) — % of linehaul	1	MX$0.00	MX$0.00
Liftgate service (accessorial)	1	MX$0.00	MX$0.00
Residential delivery (accessorial)	1	MX$0.00	MX$0.00
Detention — driver waiting time	2	MX$0.00	MX$0.00
Demurrage / storage — per day	1	MX$0.00	MX$0.00
Customs clearance & documentation fee	1	MX$0.00	MX$0.00
Cargo insurance / declared-value charge	1	MX$0.00	MX$0.00

Subtotal	MX$0.00
16% IVA (domestic) — international transport 0%; 4% IVA withholding may apply, see FAQ (16%)	MX$0.00

Total	MX$0.00

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Free freight invoice generator & template

What should a freight invoice include?

Do I charge VAT or GST on freight?

Freight, forwarder and broker billing

FAQs about freight invoices