COD
COD means the balance is collected on delivery. The contract lists the forms of payment the driver may accept. A cashier's check written to a person's name, instead of the company on the contract, is not the same instruction.
COD is collect on delivery. You pay the remaining charges when the car is handed back, not weeks before. The contract should list the forms: company card, certified check, money order, or cash. On 10 November 2026, RoadRunner's public answer said a balance due at delivery could be paid to the carrier in cash, a bank or certified check, or a postal money order. That is one company's sentence. Yours may differ.
The check that is not COD
A certified check is still a problem if the payee is a person you cannot match to the carrier's legal name. Write the check to the business on the bill of lading. Get a receipt. Keep a photo of the check and of the driver's paperwork. FMCSA also tells people who pay by card to watch the account afterward, because the amount taken should match the amount authorized.
How it differs from paying the broker early
Paying the broker in full at booking means the driver may be owed nothing at the curb. COD means the driver or the carrier is the payee at delivery. Ask which one you signed. RideShipper is not the payee.