Courier Agreement

Courier is an independent contractor. Courier is not an employee, agent, partner, or joint venturer of Pasture, the producer, or the processor. Courier controls Courier's own equipment, route timing within the delivery window, hours of service, and methods of performance, subject only to the cold-chain, proof-of-delivery, and customer-experience standards in this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement creates a right to employee benefits, workers compensation (except as Courier independently maintains), or unemployment coverage from Pasture.

Courier will accept assigned routes through the Pasture courier dashboard, take custody of finished, packaged beef at the processor dock, transport the product under a logged cold chain, and tender delivery to the customer at the address on the order during the confirmed delivery window. Courier will use the Pasture courier mobile application to record temperature checks, GPS waypoints, customer signature, and photographic proof of placement.

Courier represents and warrants on a continuing basis that Courier:

• Is at least 21 years of age and legally authorized to perform delivery work in the United States.
• Holds a valid driver's license appropriate to the vehicle class operated and a clean MVR (no more than two minor moving violations in the trailing three years, no DUI/DWI in the trailing seven years).
• Has consented to and passed a Pasture-procured criminal background check covering felony convictions in the trailing seven years, with recheck annually.
• Will notify Pasture within 48 hours of any moving violation, license suspension, or arrest occurring during the term.

Courier will provide, at Courier's expense, a vehicle suitable for cold-chain transport (refrigerated cargo, insulated cooler with adequate dry ice, or equivalent), a smartphone capable of running the Pasture courier application, and a calibrated probe thermometer. Courier will maintain product temperature at or below 28°F for frozen product and 41°F for fresh product at all times from custody handoff through delivery. Any break of cold chain must be reported immediately through the application.

Custody transfers from the processor to Courier when Courier signs the cold-chain handoff log at the processor dock. From that moment and continuing until customer signature, Courier is solely responsible for product temperature, security, and condition. Courier will log probe temperature at pickup, at any mid-route stop longer than 30 minutes, and at delivery. All temperature logs are retained by Pasture for not less than three years and are auditable by the producer, processor, customer, and Pasture.

Delivery requires a customer signature captured through the Pasture courier application. Courier will also capture a photograph of the delivered packaging at the placement location. Signature plus photo plus delivery-time temperature reading together constitute proof of delivery (POD). POD closes the order, transfers title and risk of loss to the customer, and triggers Net 10 settlement to the producer, processor, and courier. Courier may not leave product unattended without signature; if no eligible recipient is present, Courier must initiate the re-route flow in Section 8.

From custody handoff at the processor dock through tender of delivery to the customer, risk of loss for the product rests with Courier. Courier is liable for loss or damage caused by cold-chain break, mishandling, theft, vehicle incident, or failure to follow delivery protocols, except to the extent caused by a defect existing at handoff and documented at handoff (e.g., temperature out of spec at pickup), in which case liability remains with the processor or producer as applicable. Pasture's chargeback procedures (Section 10) determine the financial allocation of any in-transit loss.

If no eligible recipient is present at the delivery address during the confirmed window, Courier will: (a) attempt contact via the in-app SMS to the customer; (b) wait up to ten minutes; (c) if no response, initiate the in-app re-route flow which schedules a second attempt within 24 hours; and (d) return the product to a Pasture-approved cold-storage location, retaining temperature logging throughout. A redelivery fee disclosed at scheduling may be charged to the customer on the second attempt and shared with Courier per the courier pay schedule. After a second failed attempt, the order is escalated to Shepherd review.

Courier will maintain, at Courier's expense and at all times during the term: (a) commercial auto liability insurance with limits of not less than $1,000,000 combined single limit, with delivery/hire coverage applicable to the Courier's actual use (no personal-use exclusion); (b) cargo insurance with limits of not less than $25,000 per occurrence covering perishable food in transit; (c) general liability with limits of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence; and (d) workers compensation as required by law. Pasture will be named as an additional insured on the auto liability and cargo policies. Courier will provide a certificate of insurance before the first route and on each renewal.

Courier pay for each completed route is calculated per the published courier pay schedule and itemized in the courier dashboard. Payouts are processed through Stripe and initiated Net 10 days after delivery is confirmed. Pasture reserves the right to offset against future Courier settlements any (i) verified cold-chain violation, (ii) lost, damaged, or spoiled product attributable to Courier, (iii) refund or replacement issued under the Refund and Cancellation Policy that is allocable to Courier, or (iv) erroneous overpayment. Pasture will provide notice and itemization. If outstanding clawback exceeds 30 days of expected settlements, Pasture may invoice Courier directly.

As an independent contractor, Courier is solely responsible for all federal, state, and local income tax, self-employment tax, and any other tax arising from Courier's compensation. Pasture will not withhold tax. Courier will provide a current Form W 9 and Pasture will issue an IRS Form 1099 NEC or 1099 K (as applicable) per applicable thresholds.

Pasture shares with Courier only the customer information necessary to perform delivery, including the customer name, contact information, delivery address, special instructions, and order identifier. Courier may use this information only to perform the assigned delivery. Courier may not contact the customer outside the delivery, may not solicit the customer for any other business, and may not retain customer information after delivery is complete or re-routed. Courier will keep all customer information confidential.

• Courier has full authority to enter into this Agreement.
• Courier will operate at all times in compliance with all applicable motor vehicle, food transport, and labor laws.
• Courier will not deliver while impaired or fatigued, and will not exceed any applicable hours-of-service limits.
• Courier will not engage in deceptive, abusive, or harassing conduct toward customers, processors, producers, or Pasture staff.

Courier agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Pasture, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claim, demand, loss, liability, or expense, including reasonable attorney fees, arising out of (a) any act or omission of Courier in performing deliveries, (b) any motor vehicle incident involving Courier's vehicle, (c) any cold-chain failure or product damage in Courier's custody, (d) Courier's breach of this Agreement or any applicable law, or (e) any claim that Courier is or was an employee of Pasture.

Pasture is not liable for Courier's vehicle, fuel, equipment, maintenance, traffic violations, or any cost of doing business as an independent contractor. Pasture's aggregate liability under this Agreement is limited to the courier fees actually paid to Courier in the trailing twelve months. Pasture is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages.

This Agreement begins when Courier is approved on the platform and continues until terminated. Either party may terminate for convenience on fifteen days written notice. Pasture may suspend or terminate immediately for cause, including any breach, any cold-chain or safety incident, any failure to maintain required insurance or background-check eligibility, any motor vehicle incident occurring while on a Pasture route, or any conduct that creates risk for customers or the platform. Insurance, indemnity, confidentiality, and settlement reconciliation obligations survive termination.

This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Oklahoma without regard to its conflict of laws provisions. The exclusive venue for any court proceeding permitted by the dispute resolution section of the Terms of Use is the state and federal courts located in McClain County, Oklahoma. Disputes are resolved as set forth in the dispute resolution section of the Terms of Use, which is incorporated here by reference.

Courier questions can be sent to couriers@pasturepayments.com.