A truck leaves Nairobi carrying steel for Nakuru, packaging for Eldoret, and machine parts for Malaba. Physically, that is one vehicle and one movement. Commercially, it is three promises to three customers. If the system stores only one cargo description, one rate, and one proof of delivery, at least two customers disappear from the record.
The clean model is simple: the trip owns the vehicle movement, the route owns the ordered stops, and each consignment owns its customer, cargo, rate, pickup, delivery, and proof. Keep those layers separate and a part-load remains understandable from quotation through collection, transit, delivery, and invoice.
The record model
One vehicle movement → ordered stops → separately identified consignments → individual delivery evidence
First decide whether this is truly a part-load
Two delivery stops do not necessarily mean two customers. A single owner may send goods to several branches; other trips consolidate goods belonging to different customers. This guide focuses on the latter, while recognising that part-load is also used more broadly for shipments smaller than a full truckload.
Do not duplicate the trip for every customer. That makes the truck appear to drive the same kilometres several times, duplicates fuel and driver cost, and leaves dispatch with competing versions of the vehicle’s status. Preserve one physical movement and attach several commercial records to it.
Build the route before attaching cargo
Stops need an explicit sequence. “Nairobi → Eldoret” cannot describe a collection in Nakuru and a delivery in Malaba. Add each loading point, border or operational stop, and delivery point in the order the driver will reach it. Then make every consignment point to one pickup stop and one later drop-off stop.
Validate the sequence before dispatch. A consignment cannot be collected and delivered at the same stop, and it cannot be delivered before its pickup. Catching that error in the plan is much cheaper than asking a driver to interpret an impossible manifest.
Give every consignment its own commercial identity
The trip can still carry a broad description such as “consolidated general cargo,” but it must not be the source for customer billing or delivery proof. Each consignment needs enough information to stand on its own.
- The cargo owner and the customer’s own consignment or order reference
- Cargo description, quantity or weight, and handling notes
- The exact pickup stop and exact delivery stop on the route
- The agreed rate and tax or billing terms for that customer
- A live status derived from loading, delivery, refusal, damage, or cancellation events
- Delivery evidence belonging only to that consignment: recipient, time, notes, signature, and photos
The operator may not know every weight or rate at dispatch. Unknown is a valid state; zero is a number. If two of three live consignments have rates, report “2 of 3 rated” and leave trip revenue incomplete. Showing their subtotal as the full revenue gives a confident but false margin. Apply the same rule to cargo weight.
One truck, one route, separate customer records
Kora’s manifest connects cargo owners, ordered pickup and drop-off stops, rates and delivery events to a shared trip. Per-consignment invoicing is not yet an automatic end-to-end workflow; finance must reconcile each customer’s billing separately.
The driver confirms cargo at the stop where it changes hands
A single “departed” button does not prove three loads were collected. At each stop, the field view should show the consignments due there and the permitted action: confirm loaded, confirm delivered, or report an exception. That keeps the manifest honest about what is currently aboard.
Do not overwrite history when cargo is refused, short, or damaged. Append an exception with notes and evidence. A delivery followed by a refusal is not an ordinary completed delivery; the latest valid event determines the current state while the earlier events remain available for investigation.
Keep proof, updates, and invoices inside the customer boundary
Send customer updates through the agreed communication channel, using only that customer’s consignment reference and relevant milestones. Check the recipient before sharing delivery evidence. Do not include another cargo owner’s references, contacts, rates, photos or documents. Kora keeps vehicle visibility with authorised office users; it does not issue public customer vehicle-position links.
At delivery, record the recipient and evidence against the correct consignment. Then create the billing line from the same record. That gives finance a direct chain from the agreed rate to the load event, delivery evidence, and invoice, while vehicle-level distance, fuel, tolls, and driver costs remain attached once to the trip.
Do not allocate shared cost with an invented percentage
Revenue belongs naturally to a consignment; fuel and driver cost belong naturally to the vehicle movement. If management needs consignment margin, choose and disclose an allocation method such as consignment distance, weight-distance, pallet space, or chargeable weight. No method is universally correct. A silent equal split is especially misleading when one load travels 80 kilometres and another travels 800.
A dispatch checklist for the morning of loading
- Create the vehicle movement once, then add every physical stop in driving order
- Add one consignment per cargo owner and connect it to its pickup and drop-off stops
- Reject a pickup/drop-off combination that runs backwards or points to the same stop
- Give the driver a stop manifest that shows only the actions due at the current location
- Confirm each load and delivery separately; never use one final POD to close the whole truck
- Give each customer a separate status update and reconcile their invoice separately; automatic per-consignment invoicing is not currently a Kora feature
Operator records do not replace customs systems
KRA’s notice dated 14 July 2026 announced an Advance Cargo Declaration platform for containerised cargo destined for Kenyan ports, with a stated launch date of 3 August 2026. It is not a requirement for every domestic part-load; verify the current instructions for the actual shipment.
KRA’s electronic cargo tracking framework likewise covers qualifying export and transit movements. Determine whether a particular load falls in that scope and keep customs references alongside—not in place of—the customer consignment record.
Official sources and further reading
Reviewed 14 September 2026. Customs scope and implementation notices can change; confirm the current requirement with KRA or your customs adviser for the exact cargo movement.
- KRA: Advance Cargo Declaration platform for containerised cargo
- KRA: multi-vendor, user-owned electronic cargo tracking seals
Frequently asked questions
What is a part-load trip?
In this guide, multi-customer part-load means consignments for two or more cargo owners on one vehicle movement. The broader term part-load can also mean a shipment that occupies only part of a truck; it does not always imply multiple customers. Keep the operational and commercial distinctions explicit.
Should each customer on a part-load get a separate proof of delivery?
Yes. Record delivery against the individual consignment, including the correct recipient, time, condition, notes, signature, and photos where required. A truck-level completion does not prove which customer’s cargo was accepted or refused.
How should part-load revenue be calculated?
Store the agreed rate on each consignment and add only complete, non-cancelled records. If one live consignment has no rate, label total trip revenue as incomplete rather than treating the missing amount as zero. The same rule applies to total cargo weight.
How should customers receive updates on a part-load trip?
Send each customer an update about their own consignment through the agreed communication channel. Include the relevant reference, loading or delivery milestone and any exception. Keep other customers’ cargo, contacts, rates and documents out of the message; Kora does not provide a public customer vehicle-position link.
Is the fleet’s POD or GPS record a substitute for Kenya customs cargo systems?
No. Operator records support dispatch, customer service, and billing. KRA customs declarations and electronic cargo tracking requirements apply in their own scope. For example, the 2026 ACD notice concerns containerised cargo destined for Kenyan ports, while RECTS applies to qualifying export or transit cargo.