Every field on a bill of lading, explained

The identifiers everyone downstream searches on. If a pallet goes missing, this is the block that gets read out over the phone.

BOL numberRequired

Your own reference for this shipment. You invent it — there is no central registry — but it has to be unique in your records, because it is what ties the pallet to the invoice when something goes wrong.

Ship dateRequired

The date the carrier takes possession, not the date you printed the form. This is the date the carrier's liability starts.

Carrier nameRequired

The company physically moving the freight. If a broker arranged the load, this is still the trucking company, not the broker.

PRO numberOptional

The carrier's own tracking number. Usually blank when you print — the driver writes it in, or the carrier applies a PRO sticker at pickup.

SCACOptional

The carrier's four-letter Standard Carrier Alpha Code. Ask the carrier; guessing it is worse than leaving it blank.

Trailer / car numberOptional

Which trailer the freight went into. Normally filled in by the driver at the dock, so leave it empty unless you already know it.

Seal number(s)Optional

If the trailer is sealed, the seal number recorded here is what proves nobody opened it in transit. An intact seal that matches this number is your defence against a claim of tampering.

PO / order numbersOptional

Your customer's purchase-order numbers. Receiving clerks match the pallet to the PO before they will sign for it, so an omission here creates a phone call.

Where the freight is picked up, and who to call if the driver cannot find the dock.

CompanyRequired

The legal name of the business handing over the goods — the consignor. Use the registered name, not the trading nickname on the sign outside.

PhoneOptional

A number the driver can actually reach during pickup hours. A switchboard that closes at 4pm is not one.

Street addressRequired

The dock, not the head office. Naming the dock door here is the single cheapest way to avoid a redelivery fee.

CityRequired

Pickup city.

StateRequired

Two-letter state code.

ZIPRequired

The ZIP code drives the freight rate — LTL pricing is built on origin and destination ZIP pairs, so a typo here reprices the whole shipment.

Who receives the goods. Getting this wrong is the most expensive mistake on the form.

CompanyRequired

The party the goods are being delivered to. On a straight bill of lading, the freight is released to this named party and nobody else — that is what makes it 'straight' rather than negotiable.

PhoneOptional

Delivery contact. Carriers charge for a failed delivery attempt, and an unanswered phone is the usual cause.

Street addressRequired

Delivery address, including the receiving entrance if it differs from the main one.

CityRequired

Delivery city.

StateRequired

Two-letter state code.

ZIPRequired

Destination ZIP. Along with the origin ZIP, this is half of what the carrier's rate is calculated from.

Who pays the carrier. Leave this ambiguous and the invoice lands on the wrong desk.

Freight charge termsRequired

Prepaid means the shipper pays. Collect means the consignee pays on delivery. Third party means somebody else entirely is invoiced — and if you pick it, the Bill To block below stops being optional.

Bill to (third party)Optional

The company that gets the freight invoice when neither the shipper nor the consignee is paying — typically a broker or the buyer's logistics arm.

Bill to addressOptional

Where to send that invoice. An accounts-payable address, not a warehouse.

COD amount (USD)Optional

Collect on delivery: the driver will not release the freight until this amount is handed over. Leave it blank unless you have genuinely agreed a COD shipment with the carrier — it is not a payment-terms note.

Declared value (USD)Optional

Only fill this in where the rate depends on the value of the goods. Declaring a value is not the same as insuring the shipment — carrier liability is usually capped per pound by the tariff, and a high declared value can cost you more without covering you.

What is actually on the truck. This block is what the carrier re-weighs, re-measures and re-classes you on.

Handling unitsRequired

How many things the driver physically moves — 2 pallets, not the 48 cartons stacked on them. Get this wrong and the carrier re-bills you for the extra handling.

Handling unit typeOptional

What that unit is. A pallet and a loose carton are handled — and priced — completely differently.

PackagesRequired

How many individual packages are inside the handling units. This is the count the receiving clerk checks against the pallet.

Package typeOptional

The inner packaging. Cartons on a pallet is the normal LTL case.

Weight (lb)Required

Gross weight, pallets included. Carriers put freight over a certified scale, and a re-weigh that disagrees with this number is the most common reason an LTL invoice comes back higher than the quote.

Freight classOptional

The NMFC freight class your carrier rated the shipment at — it runs from 50 (dense, durable, cheap to move) up to 500 (light, bulky, fragile, expensive), driven mostly by density in pounds per cubic foot, plus how the goods stow, handle and survive the trip. Copy the class from your carrier's quote rather than guessing: an optimistic class is what a re-class charge is made of.

NMFC item numberOptional

The item number that maps your specific commodity to its class. It comes from the NMFTA's classification (ClassIT) or from your carrier — it is licensed data, so we do not reproduce the lookup here. Blank is fine on most domestic LTL shipments; the class number is what the carrier rates on.

Hazardous materialsOptional

Tick only if the shipment is regulated under 49 CFR. If it is, this form is not enough on its own — hazmat needs a proper shipping description, packing group, UN number and emergency contact, and the penalties for getting it wrong are severe.

Commodity descriptionRequired

Describe the goods the way the classification does, not the way your catalogue does. 'Steel brackets, packaged' is useful; 'Assorted SKUs' invites the carrier to guess a class, and they will not guess in your favour.

The part that turns a printout into a contract. Nothing above this block binds anyone until it is signed.

Special instructionsOptional

Accessorial services — liftgate, appointment delivery, inside delivery, limited access — cost money and must be agreed with the carrier in advance. Writing one here does not make it free, but omitting one you need guarantees a failed delivery.

Trailer loaded byOptional

Who loaded the trailer. If the shipper loaded and sealed it, the carrier has a much narrower window to dispute what was inside — which cuts both ways in a damage claim.

Freight counted byOptional

Who counted the pieces. 'Driver — pallets said to contain' means the driver never verified the count inside the wrap, so a shortage claim against the carrier gets very hard to win.

Shipper signature (name)Optional

Type the printed name here; the actual signature goes on the paper. Signing certifies the goods are properly described, packaged, marked and labelled — and, for hazmat, that they are in condition to transport.

Carrier signature (name)Optional

Left blank on purpose. The driver signs at pickup, and that signature is the carrier's receipt for the freight — the moment the document becomes a contract of carriage. Keep your signed copy; it is the evidence in any claim.

What you are certifying when you sign

The shipper's signature is not a formality, and it is not an acknowledgement that the driver showed up. It is a certification, and this is its wording:

The goods described above are properly classified, described, packaged, marked and labelled, and are in proper condition for transportation according to the applicable regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Read it once more with the freight in mind. You are stating that the goods areproperly classified — so an optimistic freight class is your problem, not the carrier's — and that they are packaged, marked and labelled fit for transport. On a hazmat shipment, that same sentence is a declaration under federal law. This is why the boxes above are worth the ten minutes.