Consignee

On a bill of lading the consignee is whoever signs for the freight at the end of the move: a distribution center, a job site, a store, a customer’s dock. The shipper is the party at the other end. A broker’s customer can be either one, or neither: a manufacturer that sells “delivered” pays the freight to its customer’s warehouse, while a retailer that buys “FOB origin” arranges and pays for the pickup from its supplier.

Why the distinction matters in practice:

• The delivery appointment is made with the consignee, not the customer. A broker who books a load for a shipper still has to call the receiving dock to schedule, and it is the consignee’s rules on appointments, detention and lumpers that apply at delivery.
• The proof of delivery is the consignee’s signature. Notes the consignee writes on it are the first evidence in a claim.
• A change of consignee after the truck has been dispatched is a reconsignment, which carriers charge for.

Freight paid “collect” is billed to the consignee; “prepaid” freight is billed to the shipper. Third-party billing, where a broker or a logistics provider pays, is the norm for brokered freight and is written on the BOL as “bill to”.