Bill of lading (BOL)
Also: BOL · B/L · Straight bill of lading
A bill of lading is the document issued at pickup that lists what was loaded, who shipped it and who receives it; it serves as the receipt for the goods, the contract of carriage, and, once signed at delivery, the proof that the freight arrived.
Three things ride on a bill of lading, which is why it is the one document every party keeps.
A receipt. The BOL lists the freight: pieces, pallets, weight, description, and often a purchase order or reference number. When the driver signs it at the dock, the carrier is acknowledging receipt of exactly that, in the condition described. Anything wrong at delivery is measured against this list.
A contract of carriage. The BOL names the shipper, the consignee, the carrier, and the terms: who pays the freight (prepaid or collect), whether the goods are hazardous, any declared value. The rate itself is not on the BOL; that lives on the rate confirmation between the broker and the carrier.
Evidence. Signed by the receiver, with the time in and out, the BOL is the proof of delivery. Notes written on it at delivery (“2 cartons crushed”, “short 1 pallet”) are the first record in any claim, which is why a clean signature with no exceptions is worth insisting on when the freight really was fine.
What a broker checks on a BOL, in order: the consignee and address match the rate confirmation, the piece count and weight match the tender, the seal number is written down, the driver’s signature and the shipper’s stamp are present, and any special instructions (temperature, “do not stack”) made it onto the page. Most of the fields a broker later keys into a TMS by hand come from this document, which is why it is the first one worth reading automatically.
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Updated September 11, 2026 · All terms