BOL
What is a bill of lading (BOL)?
A bill of lading is the document that goes with freight and does three jobs at once: it receipts the carrier for the goods it received, it records the terms under which they are being carried, and in its negotiable form it represents ownership of the goods. The shipper and the driver sign it at pickup, the receiver signs for the freight at delivery (that signed copy becomes the proof of delivery), and the signed copies are what a dispute is argued from.
The types you will meet
- Straight bill: consigned to one named receiver, not transferable.
- Order bill: transferable by endorsement, common where payment is still open.
- House versus master: a forwarder's document sitting under the carrier's document on an international move.
What has to be right on it
Descriptions, piece counts, weights and dimensions, the freight class where LTL is involved, special handling marks, and the accessorials agreed at booking. An exception written at pickup (short count, wet carton) is worth more than the clean version of the form: it is the moment the loss was recorded, while everyone was still standing next to it.
The signed delivery copy releases the billing: in many flows the invoice waits until it comes back signed.