diff --git a/apps/edr-freight-api/src/modules/warehouses/warehouse-inventory.service.ts b/apps/edr-freight-api/src/modules/warehouses/warehouse-inventory.service.ts
index 19b1c0159..3630aa9de 100644
--- a/apps/edr-freight-api/src/modules/warehouses/warehouse-inventory.service.ts
+++ b/apps/edr-freight-api/src/modules/warehouses/warehouse-inventory.service.ts
@@ -1032,6 +1032,8 @@ export class WarehouseInventoryService {
           result.results.push({ bookingId: booking.id, status: 'FAILED', reason: 'No warehouse/yard/zone configured' });
           continue;
         }
+        // Goods reaching the warehouse always get a GRN, whichever path brought
+        // them in — nothing loads onto a train without one.
         const saved = await this.inventoryRepository.create({
           warehouseId: location.warehouseId,
           yardId: location.yardId,
@@ -1041,6 +1043,11 @@ export class WarehouseInventoryService {
           weight: Number(booking.weight) || 0,
           status: 'RECEIVED',
           arrivedAt: new Date(),
+          grnNumber: this.generateGrnNumber(
+            booking.tradeDirection ?? 'WH',
+            booking.id,
+            new Date(),
+          ),
           notes: allocated?.rule ? `Auto-unloaded → ${allocated.path}` : 'Auto-unloaded from arrival queue',
         });
         result.processedCount += 1;
@@ -1061,6 +1068,14 @@ export class WarehouseInventoryService {
   /** Unload a single arrived booking into a chosen (or default) location. */
   async unloadBooking(bookingId: string, dto: UnloadBookingDto): Promise<WarehouseInventory> {
     const existing = await this.inventoryRepository.findAll({ where: { bookingId } });
+    // Goods reaching the warehouse always get a GRN, whichever path brought them
+    // in — nothing loads onto a train without one.
+    const [bookingRow]: Array<{ tradeDirection: string | null }> = await this.dataSource.query(
+      `SELECT trade_direction AS "tradeDirection"
+         FROM freight.bookings WHERE id = $1 AND deleted_at IS NULL`,
+      [bookingId],
+    );
+    const grnDirection = bookingRow?.tradeDirection ?? 'WH';
 
     let location: DefaultLocation | null =
       dto.warehouseId && dto.yardId && dto.zoneId
@@ -1081,6 +1096,10 @@ export class WarehouseInventoryService {
         zoneId: location.zoneId,
         status: 'RECEIVED',
         arrivedAt,
+        // Keep an already-issued GRN; only raise one if this row never got it.
+        ...(existing[0].grnNumber
+          ? {}
+          : { grnNumber: this.generateGrnNumber(grnDirection, bookingId, arrivedAt) }),
         notes: dto.notes ?? existing[0].notes ?? 'Unloaded',
       });
       return this.findById(existing[0].id);
@@ -1095,6 +1114,7 @@ export class WarehouseInventoryService {
       weight: 0,
       status: 'RECEIVED',
       arrivedAt,
+      grnNumber: this.generateGrnNumber(grnDirection, bookingId, arrivedAt),
       notes: dto.notes ?? 'Unloaded',
     });
     return this.findById(saved.id);