Bill of lading explained (and how to fill one out)

The bill of lading (BOL) is the most important paper in a truck. It goes with the freight from pickup to delivery and is what everyone relies on if something goes wrong.

Bill of ladingStraight BOL for truck freight. Free, private, nothing uploaded.
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The three jobs of a BOL

  • Receipt: the carrier confirms it picked up the listed freight in good condition.
  • Contract: it sets out the terms the freight moves under.
  • Document of title: it shows who the goods are consigned to. A "straight" BOL names the consignee and is not negotiable — the usual type for domestic truck freight.

The boxes, explained

  • Shipper / Ship from: who is sending the freight, with address and contact.
  • Consignee / Ship to: who receives it.
  • Third-party bill to: who pays the freight bill if it’s neither shipper nor consignee (often a broker or 3PL).
  • Carrier, SCAC: the trucking company and its Standard Carrier Alpha Code.
  • Trailer and seal numbers: proof the load wasn’t opened in transit.
  • PRO number: the carrier’s tracking number for the shipment.
  • Freight terms: Prepaid (shipper pays), Collect (consignee pays) or Third party.
  • Handling units, packages and weight: what is on the trailer.
  • HM: marks hazardous materials, which need proper shipping names and emergency information.
  • NMFC number and freight class: used to rate LTL shipments.

At pickup and delivery

At pickup, the driver checks counts and condition, notes anything wrong ("2 pallets shrink-wrap torn") and signs. At delivery, the consignee signs for what arrived and notes any shortage or damage before the driver leaves. Those notes are what claims are decided on — a clean signed BOL makes a damage claim very hard to win later.

Fill out a BOL online

  1. Open the PDFCop bill of lading maker.
  2. Enter shipper, consignee and carrier details, including SCAC, trailer and seal numbers.
  3. Add each freight line with units, weight and, for LTL, NMFC and class.
  4. Download and print enough copies for shipper, driver and consignee.

Questions

Who fills out the bill of lading?

Usually the shipper prepares it, and the carrier’s driver checks and signs it at pickup.

Is a BOL the same as a proof of delivery?

A signed delivery copy of the BOL is commonly used as the proof of delivery (POD) that carriers send with their invoice.

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