Beverage distributor DSD software that holds the route, the stop and the proof in one record
Beverage distributor DSD is the direct store delivery model, where the wholesaler owns the truck, the route and the shelf, and product moves from the warehouse to the retailer with nobody in between. That wholesaler holds a basic permit under 27 CFR 1.22, stays clear of the inducement rules at 27 CFR 6.21, runs drivers inside the 11 hour limit at 49 CFR 395.3, and keeps transport records for 12 months under 21 CFR 1.912. Neurobird keeps the route, the stop and the proof in one place.
Neurobird Beverage Distributor DSD in short
- Build the route once and change it live, with the driver seeing the same order the dispatcher does
- Capture proof at the stop: cases, empties, out of code pulls, signature and photo, timestamped
- Keep driver hours visible against the 11 hour and 70 hour limits before the route is dispatched, not after
- 6.21 27 CFR 6.21 makes it unlawful for an industry member to induce a retailer to buy its products to the exclusion, in whole or in part, of products sold by other persons. A giveaway is a compliance question, not a sales question. eCFR, 27 CFR 6.21
- 1.22 27 CFR 1.22 requires a basic permit under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act before anyone may engage in the business of purchasing distilled spirits, wine or malt beverages for resale at wholesale. eCFR, 27 CFR 1.22
- Pricing runs 250 to 900 US dollars per month across 3 tiers. Early access is free.
What beverage distributors running direct store delivery actually deal with
Why it stays broken
Direct store delivery sits between three systems that were never built to speak to each other. The warehouse system counts cases, the accounting system counts invoices, and the truck counts nothing at all until it comes back. Route software written for parcel carriers assumes one drop and one signature, not a driver who rotates stock, pulls out of code product and argues a shelf reset, so the real record stays on paper in the cab.
A driver may drive 11 hours inside a 14 hour window, and the 30 minute break after 8 hours of driving sits on the same log your settlement is built from.
All alcohol beverages containing 0.5 percent or more alcohol by volume must be labeled with the health warning statement required by 27 U.S.C.
Neurobird Beverage Distributor DSD Dispatch Platform
Treat the stop as the unit of work, not the invoice. Every case delivered, every empty returned, every out of code pull and every signature attaches to the stop, so the route reconciles itself instead of being rebuilt from tickets.
- 1Build the route once and change it live, with the driver seeing the same order the dispatcher does
- 2Capture proof at the stop: cases, empties, out of code pulls, signature and photo, timestamped
- 3Keep driver hours visible against the 11 hour and 70 hour limits before the route is dispatched, not after
- 4Hold the trade practice record per account, so what was placed, lent or serviced is written down
What changes with Neurobird Beverage Distributor DSD?
The same work, read left to right: how it runs today, and how it runs once the record is in one place.
| Today | With Neurobird Beverage Distributor DSD |
|---|---|
| The route is built on a spreadsheet the night before, and by the third stop the driver is calling in changes nobody writes down | Build the route once and change it live, with the driver seeing the same order the dispatcher does |
| Proof of delivery is a signed paper ticket that reaches the office two days after the retailer disputes the case count | Capture proof at the stop: cases, empties, out of code pulls, signature and photo, timestamped |
| What a rep may hand a retailer is a federal question, and the answer lives in a manager's memory rather than in the order record | Keep driver hours visible against the 11 hour and 70 hour limits before the route is dispatched, not after |
Who is this for?
Same route record, three different operations.
You hold exclusive territory
Franchise territory, brand rotation and shelf resets. You need per account history that survives a rep leaving, and a trade practice record you can show.
You run high stop counts
Sixty stops a day, small drops, heavy returns. You need the driver's day to reconcile without an office clerk retyping tickets.
You carry a long tail
Thousands of SKUs, allocated product and compliance sensitivity on every placement. You need the order and the placement in the same record.
How does Neurobird Beverage Distributor DSD work?
Every stop is a record
Account, planned cases, delivered cases, returns, credits and the signature that closed it, held together rather than split across three systems.
The route is live
Adds, skips and resequences move from dispatcher to driver and back without a phone call, and the day's plan matches the day that happened.
Settlement is arithmetic
Cases out, empties in, credits raised and cash collected reconcile at the end of the route instead of at the end of the week.
What actually governs beverage distributor DSD
Useful if you are writing route policy or answering an audit. Every figure links to the source.
27 CFR 6.21 makes it unlawful for an industry member to induce a retailer to buy its products to the exclusion, in whole or in part, of products sold by other persons. A giveaway is a compliance question, not a sales question.
eCFR, 27 CFR 6.2127 CFR 1.22 requires a basic permit under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act before anyone may engage in the business of purchasing distilled spirits, wine or malt beverages for resale at wholesale.
eCFR, 27 CFR 1.22A driver may drive 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty, may not drive after a 14 consecutive hour window has passed, and may not drive once 8 hours of driving time have passed without a 30 minute interruption.
eCFR, 49 CFR 395.3The same section caps a driver at 60 hours on duty in any 7 consecutive days, or 70 hours in any 8 consecutive days where the carrier runs every day of the week.
eCFR, 49 CFR 395.3Under the sanitary transportation rule, shippers must keep the specifications and operating temperatures given to carriers for 12 months beyond the end of the agreement, and carriers and receivers carry their own 12 month retention.
eCFR, 21 CFR 1.912That rule defines a non covered business as a shipper, loader, receiver or carrier with less than $500,000 in average annual revenue across the preceding 3 year period. Most distributors are a long way past that line.
eCFR, 21 CFR 1.904The route, stop by stop
A working preview. Tick a stop to move it through the day.
Drag a job onto a driver to assign it.
Beverage distributor dsd software questions, answered
Key terms
- What is beverage distributor DSD?
- Direct store delivery is the model where the distributor owns the truck and the relationship with the retail account, so ordering, delivery, merchandising and credit all happen at the store rather than through a retailer's warehouse. In alcohol it also means operating inside the three tier system, under a basic permit and the trade practice rules at 27 CFR Part 6.
- What are the trade practice rules?
- They are the federal restrictions on what a supplier or wholesaler may do to win shelf space. 27 CFR Part 6 covers unlawful inducements, and the test at 6.21 is whether the industry member induced a retailer to buy to the exclusion, in whole or in part, of competing products. Equipment, service and signage all have to be judged against it.
Does this replace our warehouse or accounting system?
No. Inventory stays where it is counted and invoices stay where they are raised. What lives here is the route and the stop: what was planned, what was delivered, what came back and who signed for it, in a form the office can reconcile the same day.
How does it handle driver hours?
It shows the plan against the limits before the route goes out. 49 CFR 395.3 sets 11 hours of driving, a 14 hour window, a 30 minute break after 8 hours of driving and the 60 or 70 hour duty caps, and a route that cannot be run legally is worth knowing about at the dispatch board rather than at the roadside.
Can it hold the state permit layer?
Yes. Territory, permit numbers, renewal dates and per account restrictions attach to the account and to the route, because the state licence is usually the thing that actually stops a delivery.
What happens to the paper delivery ticket?
It stops being the record. Cases, empties, out of code pulls, credits, signature and photo are captured at the stop and are already reconciled when the driver returns, so the ticket becomes a receipt rather than the only evidence.
Why we are building this
A direct store delivery business is a warehouse, a fleet and a sales force wearing one coat. Very little software treats all 3 of those as the same day's work.
So the order lives in the ERP, the route lives in a spreadsheet, and the only complete account of what happened is a stack of tickets in the cab, which is exactly the part that has to survive a credit dispute or an audit.
We would rather build this with people who run the routes than with people who read the regulation. Tell us how your day reconciles, and where we have got it wrong.
Where the requirement comes from
The federal and state rules a direct store delivery operation runs inside.
- 27 CFR Part 6, unlawful inducements The tied house rules. What an industry member may and may not give a retailer, and what counts as inducing exclusion.
- 27 CFR Part 1, basic permit requirements Section 1.22 requires a basic permit before anyone buys distilled spirits, wine or malt beverages for resale at wholesale.
- 49 CFR Part 395, hours of service Driving limits, the 14 hour window and the record of duty status that every route plan has to fit inside.
- 21 CFR Part 1 Subpart O, sanitary transportation Vehicle condition, temperature control, training and the records that prove food and beverage moved safely by road.
- TTB, alcohol FAQs The federal regulator answering its own questions on permits, labelling and what a wholesaler may do.
- Texas TABC, licence and permit types A worked example of the state layer every distributor also carries, with its own permits, territory and reporting.
How much does Neurobird Beverage Distributor DSD cost?
Priced per depot because routes, trucks and permits are depot level things. Stops, drivers and accounts are unlimited on every tier.
- Route and stop records
- Driver app
- Proof of delivery capture
- Daily reconciliation
- Email support
- Everything in Single depot
- Live route changes
- Returns and credit handling
- Hours of service view
- Named contact
- Everything in Route operation
- Multi depot dispatch
- Trade practice records
- Account history exports
- Onboarding included
Get free early access
If you run direct store delivery, tell us where the paper still sits between the truck and the office.
Straight answer on where this is: In development. Early access gets the working preview, a say in what ships first, and early access pricing. It does not get you a login today.
Prefer email? Write to office@neurobird.com and a person will reply. No autoresponder.