Reading a Bill of Lading
Lesson 2 of 13 in Shipping & Receiving · 25 minutes
Walk through a real sample Bill of Lading field by field, match it to a purchase order, and learn exactly what to check — and what to write — before you sign.
What you'll learn
- Read and understand every field on a Bill of Lading
- Match a BOL to a purchase order before signing
- Write exceptions on the BOL when the count is wrong or freight is damaged
From the lesson
Reading a Bill of Lading
The Bill of Lading — everyone calls it the BOL — is the most important paper in shipping and receiving. It is a legal contract between the shipper, the carrier, and the receiver. When you sign it, you are saying: "I received exactly this freight, in this condition." So never sign first and check later.
Here is a sample BOL. Learn where every field lives:
======================================== BILL OF LADING BOL #: 88412 Date: March 3 PRO #: 7755-9921 ---------------------------------------- SHIP FROM (Shipper): Maple Foods Ltd., 21 Industrial Rd, Brampton, ON SHIP TO (Consignee): Northgate Distribution, 400 Dock Street, Calgary, AB CARRIER: TransWest Freight PO…