We already have weighbridge software: do we need waste tracking as well?
A weighbridge ticket proves what a load weighed. A waste transfer note is the duty of care record naming the waste, the carrier and where it went, and since October 2026 a site that takes waste in also has to report each load it receives to Defra, so if your weighbridge software stops at the weight and the invoice, those records are the gap. This page is about how to tell.
What the ticket covers, and what it does not
Weighbridge software exists to weigh a load and bill it. It gives you a net weight, a ticket number and a figure on an invoice, and for the commercial side of the yard that is the right tool.
The records the waste rules want from a permitted site are different, and they have different readers. A waste transfer note is the duty of care paperwork an inspector asks to see, and it has to name the waste, its EWC code, the quantity, the carrier and their registration details, and the destination site. From October 2026, a site that takes waste in also has to report each load it receives to Defra's waste tracking service, on Defra's own spreadsheet, within two working days of receiving it. Your area office still wants the quarter on top of that.
So the question is not which system is better. It is narrower than that:
- Does the system you already own hold the transfer note fields as real fields, rather than free text in a comments box?
- Does it give you the receipt of waste rows in the column order of Defra's template, ready for your yard to upload?
- Can it hand you the quarter in the column layout your area office asks for, without someone in the office retyping a spreadsheet?
If the answer to all three is yes, you do not need a second subscription. If your weighbridge software stops at the weight and the invoice, that is the gap Skiplog is built for. The note is captured on a phone or tablet at the weighbridge in under two minutes with the EA-mandated fields on it, the receipt rows come out ready for Defra's spreadsheet for the date range you pick, and the quarter exports as a CSV in a configurable EA-specified column layout.
What each record is for
| Record | Written for | What it carries |
|---|---|---|
| Weighbridge ticket | The customer and your invoice | Gross, tare and net weight, a ticket number, the account the load is charged to |
| Waste transfer note | Duty of care, and whoever asks to see your records | Waste type, EWC code, quantity, carrier details, destination site |
| Receipt of waste report | Defra's waste tracking service | Every load you take in, on Defra's own spreadsheet, laid out as the upload expects, within two working days |
| Quarterly EA return | Your area office | The quarter's loads as a CSV in a configurable EA-specified column layout |
Questions
Is a weighbridge ticket the same as a waste transfer note?
No. The ticket evidences a weight and the account it is charged to. The transfer note is the duty of care record, and it has to name the waste description, the EWC code, the quantity, the carrier and their registration details, and the destination site. A ticket is useful supporting evidence beside a note, but on its own it does not carry those fields. Skiplog records them as a digital note on a phone or tablet.
We already weigh and invoice every load. What would waste tracking add?
It adds the parts a weighbridge ticket has no reason to hold. On the note: the EWC code, the carrier's registration details, the destination site, and the receipt of waste fields Defra asks for on each load you take in. At the deadline: a receipts export laid out the way Defra's spreadsheet expects, and a quarterly EA return as a one-click CSV ready to submit without manual reformatting. Alongside that, Skiplog tracks carrier, broker and dealer registrations with their expiry dates and flags anything inside 30 days on the registrations screen, so a licence coming up for renewal sits on a screen the office already looks at rather than in a diary. If your current system already holds all of that, stay where you are.
Can our weighbridge software report the loads we take in to Defra?
Ask your supplier directly, because this reporting duty is newer than most weighbridge systems. It means Defra's own spreadsheet, in Defra's template column order, with the receiver's details and the per-load fields, filed within two working days of the load arriving. Skiplog is built for that path: the receipt of waste fields sit on the note itself, the receiver site name, permit or authorisation number and contact details sit on the site screen, and a Receipts screen exports a date range in that layout for your yard to upload. It also checks each row against Defra's upload rules first, exports only the rows that pass, says how many it held back, and links each failing row to the screen where it gets fixed.
How do we keep track of which loads are already in Defra's system?
The dashboard carries a card of the loads not yet reported, grouped as overdue, due today and due tomorrow against the two working day deadline, so the list lives in the product rather than on a pad by the kettle. After a receipts download Skiplog asks whether you uploaded them, and on confirmation stamps each note in the batch as reported. You can store the waste tracking reference Defra gives a load, mark a receipt as rejected by Defra with the date from the notice so a fresh deadline appears, and any correction to a note Defra had already accepted is flagged as a correction to report.
Would Skiplog replace our weighbridge software?
No. It does not weigh, price, book jobs or raise invoices, and it holds no customer accounts. It sits beside the weighbridge as the compliance record, the receipts export and the quarterly return. Keep the weighbridge software for the commercial side of the yard.
Does Skiplog read the weighbridge indicator or connect to our weighbridge system?
No. Skiplog does not read the indicator and does not integrate with your weighbridge hardware or software, so the quantity is typed into the note off the ticket. That is one number per load, which is why a note is built to be completable in under two minutes on mobile or tablet. Each note saves on the device first with a visible queued, syncing or synced status, and syncs once you are back online in the app, which matters at a weighbridge where the signal is usually worse than it is in the office. If you want weighing and compliance in one system, that is a different class of product, and our guide to choosing waste tracking software for a small permitted site sets out the trade-off.
Our weighbridge supplier says the system prints transfer notes. How do we check that is enough?
Put four questions to them. Does it hold the EWC code and the carrier's registration number as proper validated fields, rather than free text in a notes box? Can the destination site go on the note? Can it produce the receipt of waste rows for the loads you take in, in the layout Defra's spreadsheet expects, with the receiver's permit details? And can it hand you the quarter in the layout your area office asks for, without the office rebuilding the file by hand? If the answers are yes, you do not need anything else from us.
Is it sensible to pay for two systems at once?
That is your call, and it comes down to what the second one removes. The comparison is between a subscription and the hours a person spends turning tickets into notes, notes into a Defra upload inside two working days, and the quarter into a return, plus the rework when a row bounces. Our pricing page sets out both plans, the annual and the monthly, and what each includes. Skiplog is not open for sign-up yet, so there is no hands-on trial to run today: join the waitlist and we will come to you when the yard can put its own loads through it.