Order Number (Auftragsnummer)

Quick answer: An order number is the unique code assigned to a purchase, transport, or service order. You usually find it in the confirmation email, customer account, delivery note, or invoice—for example ORD-2026-01234.

In German, an order number is called an Auftragsnummer. It follows the order through confirmation, fulfilment, delivery, and invoicing, allowing every document and status update to be matched to the same transaction.

What is the order number used for?

• Assignment: Every question, change, or complaint can instantly be matched to the right transaction — in support, the order number alone is enough to pull up the full history.
• Linking documents: The same order number appears on the delivery note, invoice, and shipping confirmation — provably tying the documents together.
• Tracking: The order status can be looked up via the number in the customer account or through support.

Where do I find the order number?

The order number is repeated on every document belonging to the order. The most common places:

• Order confirmation email: Right after booking or ordering — usually prominent in the subject line or header. Searching your inbox for the number is the fastest way back to the transaction.
• Customer account: The order overview shows the number for every transaction; with Maxmove you see your orders with status and live tracking directly in your account.
• Delivery note: In the header next to the delivery note and customer numbers — this is how goods receipt matches the delivery to the order.
• Invoice: As the key for matching in accounting; often repeated per invoice line.
• Booking confirmation for transports: For transport orders, the order number also appears in the booking confirmation and the tracking link.

Fleets and couriers managing their own orders assign order numbers automatically in their TMS — linked to the delivery note and proof of delivery.

Order number vs. reference number vs. tracking number

Number	Assigned by	Purpose
Order number	Provider	Uniquely identify the order
Reference number	Customer / third-party system	Link transactions across systems
Tracking number	Carrier	Track the individual shipment

• Order number: assigned by the provider for the whole order — the leading number in its system.
• Reference number: a freely chosen extra identifier, often the customer's internal PO number. It bridges the customer's system and the provider's.
• Tracking number: identifies the individual physical shipment at the carrier and is used for tracking.

One order can span several shipments (partial deliveries) — then one order number maps to several tracking numbers. Conversely, a collective invoice can contain several order numbers. In practice, all three numbers often sit on the same document: the order number answers "which order?", the reference number "which customer transaction does it belong to?", the tracking number "where are the goods right now?".

Example: a transport booking from start to finish

A trading company books a direct run for two pallets. The provider creates the order and assigns order number "ORD-2026-01234"; the company enters its PO number "PO-88412" as the reference. The driver picks up the goods, and the delivery note carries both numbers. At the destination, goods receipt signs against the delivery note, the proof of delivery is filed against the order, and the invoice states both numbers again — the customer's accounting matches it to the purchase order without a single query. That unbroken chain is exactly what the order number is for. For how such an order is placed in writing, see our free transport order template.