Catch the rows Defra's upload would reject before the yard exports
Skiplog checks every receipt row against Defra's upload rules on the receipts screen, before the yard exports anything. This article shows you where that check lives, how to read a failing row, and how to clear it so the spreadsheet you upload is not sent back.
Skiplog is not open yet, so anything on this page about what it does is what it is being built to do.
When you need this
You need this on the morning you are putting loads into Defra's waste tracking service and you do not want the file handed back to you. A bounced spreadsheet costs you the time to work out which row is wrong, and the clock on reporting a load keeps running while you do it.
Skiplog runs its receipt rows through the same checks on the server before they reach a file. On the receipts screen each row is either ready or held back with the reason named, so the sorting out happens in the yard's own records rather than in Defra's upload.
Clearing the rows before you export
- Open the receipts screen and set the dates
Go to the receipts export beside the quarterly return and pick the date range of the loads you are reporting. Skiplog builds the rows for that range in the column order Defra's template expects.
- Read the ready count and the held-back count
Every row is checked against Defra's upload rules as the screen loads. Skiplog tells you how many rows are ready to go and how many are held back, so you know before you touch the export button whether there is work to do.
- Follow each failing row to its fix
A held-back row names what is wrong with it and links straight to the place that field is entered, either on the note itself or on your site details. There is no hunting through the register to find the load.
- Correct the field and save
Fix the field where it lives and save. The note form runs the same validator on save, including the receipt fields, so a note that would fail the upload is flagged at the weighbridge rather than weeks later on export day.
- Export, then say whether it went in
The export carries the rows that pass and tells you how many it held back. After the download Skiplog asks whether you have uploaded the batch to Defra; confirming it stamps those notes as reported, so the dashboard stops counting them as waiting.
If a row will not clear, or Defra sends one back
Skiplog dates each unreported note against the two working days the receipt rules allow and groups them on the dashboard as overdue, due today or due tomorrow. Work that card down and nothing slips past you quietly.
If Defra rejects a load after you have reported it, record the rejection on the receipt: the date on the notice and the reason. Skiplog sets the correction deadline from that date and keeps the Defra reference the load went in under, so a later correction can be shown with it.
These checks are built to help your yard meet the reporting requirement. They cannot promise a particular outcome from Defra, because what goes into a row is your own record of the load and the service's rules can change. If a row names something you cannot place, send us the note reference at support@getskiplog.com.
Related articles
- Writing a transfer note, for the fields the note itself carries
- Working offline, for notes recorded in a black spot that have not reached the office yet
Questions
What happens to the rows that did not pass?
They stay on the receipts screen with the reason named and a link to the field that needs changing. The export leaves them out by default, so the file you upload holds only rows that passed the check.
Does a clean check mean Defra will accept the file?
No. Skiplog checks each row against Defra's upload rules to help you meet the reporting requirement, but what the row says about a load is your own record, and the service's own rules sit outside Skiplog's control.
Where do I correct a field, on the export screen or the note?
On the note, or on the site details if it is a receiver field like your permit number. The failing row links you there, and the note form runs the same check when you save.
Can the check stop a bad row being written in the first place?
That is what the note form check is for. Saving a note runs the same validator over its receipt fields, so an operator is warned at the weighbridge rather than on export day.
A load I already reported was rejected. What now?
Mark the receipt as rejected by Defra with the date on the notice and the reason. Skiplog works the correction deadline from that date and keeps the reference the load was accepted under, so the fix and the reference stay together.
How do I know which loads are still waiting to be reported?
The dashboard card lists notes not yet reported, grouped as overdue, due today and due tomorrow. Once you confirm a batch was uploaded, those notes come off it.