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What is a Chain of Custody

January 21, 2023

What is a chain of custody

A chain of custody, especially when a delivery is sensitive and critical, can ensure its safe and speedy delivery. A chain of custody (COC) is a detailed tracking sheet kept by couriers in a manifest to maintain a record of your delivery at all times. In legal terms, according to ThoughtCo, a COC refers to “the order and manner in which physical or electronic evidence in criminal and civil investigations has been handled” this is no different from how carefully Reliable couriers handle every shipment. All Deliveries must be handled according to all protocols (legal, HIPAA, OSHA, etc.) and maintain an unbroken chain of custody. Without this, the integrity of a sensitive delivery can be compromised.

Who performs a chain of custody

Reliable couriers delivery drivers do the due diligence of recording the location of every item we ship at all times from the point of pick up to its final destination. Our GPS tracking systems maintain the coordinates of your package at all times, ensuring the chain of custody is never broken, keeping the integrity and security of your package. Your package remains with our courier drivers, who keep a detailed record of everything, including the pickup and drop-off signatures for verification.

How is a chain of custody performed

With Reliable couriers, we follow exact protocols on all deliveries and always maintain a detailed record of the chain of custody. Our delivery drivers ensure that at the time of pickup, our GPS tracking system begins recording coordinates, and a physical and digital manifest of pick-up time is input into the system with a signature if required. From the time of pickup, until the package is delivered, our drivers maintain a record of any delays, incidents, or transfers of the package that may occur, such as from a sedan or cargo van, onto a flight and back to a sedan or cargo van. In addition, our couriers maintain HIPAA, OSHA, and other important compliances and requirements throughout this process. All of this is paramount when attempting to establish a working relationship with a courier service provider, and this is why Reliable couriers are one of the best.

Why Should chain of custody matter

 

Utilizing a chain of custody can ensure many things to give you peace of mind. One of the main reasons why people and companies use courier services that provide a chain of custody is because it proves their reliability. Having a chain of custody provided to you by them gives keeps accountability, thus building trust between you and your courier. A chain of custody also ensures that your privacy and security are maintained throughout the shipping process and proves the delivery was always in the custody of the delivery driver’s care. One of the last reasons why a chain of custody provides you with peace of mind is for the accountability for a lost, stolen, or damaged shipment, as there is a detailed record of who the shipment was with at the time of any of these occurrences.