Downloading Signed Contracts

Downloading Signed Contracts

Every signed contract in TrailerBase is preserved as a tamper-evident PDF. Grabbing a copy — for your records, for your accountant, for an insurance claim, or for a subpoena — takes seconds.

Single-contract download

Open any contract that is in Signed status. In the top right of the contract detail page is a Download PDF button. Click it and the file downloads immediately.

What is in the PDF

The downloaded PDF is not just the contract text. It includes:

• The full contract body — every clause, exactly as presented to the signatory, with merge tags filled in.
• The signature block — the typed or drawn signature, initials on each page, and the signatory's name and email.
• The audit trail — a final page listing every event in the signing: when it was sent, when it was first viewed, when each page was initialed, when it was signed, and when any reminders went out. Each event has a timestamp (UTC and local), IP address, and browser user agent.
• Metadata — the contract ID, reservation ID, template version used, and a SHA-256 hash of the contract body. The hash lets anyone independently verify that the PDF has not been altered since signing.

The file is named with the renter's last name and contract date (e.g., "Rodriguez-rental-2026-04-17.pdf") so it sorts well in a filesystem.

Bulk export from the Contracts list

Go to Contracts > List for an account-wide view of every contract, filterable by status, template, date range, and renter.

Select any set of contracts using the checkboxes, then choose Actions > Export. You get two options:

• Combined PDF — a single PDF with every selected contract concatenated. Useful for handing a stack of signed agreements to an auditor.
• ZIP archive — each contract as its own PDF, zipped together. Useful for long-term archiving or uploading into your own document management system.

Both formats include the full audit trail for every contract. The export runs in the background if you selected a lot of contracts; you will get a notification when the file is ready to download.

Retention and access

Signed contracts are stored indefinitely on your TrailerBase account. Even if you retire or delete the associated trailer, the contract stays — history around legal documents should never be lost to fleet churn.

Access to signed contracts is controlled by staff role:

• Owner and Admin — full access, including download and export.
• Manager — can view and download contracts on reservations they are assigned to.
• Staff — can view contracts but not download or export.

You can change these defaults in Settings > Team.

Keeping the renter's copy

When a contract is signed, the signing page turns into a permanent read-only summary and the renter gets an automatic email with their own copy of the signed PDF attached. They do not need to ask you for a copy later — they already have one in their inbox. If they lose it, you can forward the email from the contract detail page in one click.

Using downloads in disputes

If a dispute arises later, download the PDF (which includes the audit trail and the tamper-evident hash) and send it to your legal counsel or insurance adjuster. The audit trail stands up as evidence of the signing process under the E-SIGN Act and UETA.