How to read a bill of lading (BOL)

The bill of lading is the most important document in your shipment. It’s three things at once — a contract of carriage, a receipt for your freight, and the carrier’s instructions — and the carrier bills from what’s on it. Here’s every field that matters.

The key fields

• Shipper (origin) & consignee (destination) — the from/to addresses. Wrong info here leads to reconsignment or redelivery fees.
• Third-party / bill-to — who pays, if it’s not the shipper or consignee.
• Carrier & PRO number — the carrier and the tracking number they assign the shipment.
• Commodity description — what’s being shipped, in plain terms.
• NMFC item & freight class — the classification used to price the freight. See what is freight class?
• Weight — total and, ideally, per-piece. This is what a carrier reweighs against.
• Pieces & packaging — pallet/piece count and how it’s packaged (pallets, crates, cartons).
• Dimensions — L × W × H. Increasingly required, and used to verify density.
• Accessorials — liftgate, residential, inside delivery, and the like. See the accessorial list.
• Declared value — the value you’re declaring for liability purposes.
• Special instructions — appointment requirements, notes, references, PO numbers.
• Freight terms — prepaid (shipper pays) or collect (consignee pays).

Why accuracy matters

Carriers bill from the BOL and verify it on the dock. If the weight, class, or dimensions on the BOL don’t match the freight, the carrier can reweigh and reclass and bill the difference. If accessorials aren’t noted but are needed at pickup or delivery, they’re added with a fee. An accurate BOL is the single best way to keep your quote and your invoice aligned.

Before you hand it to the driver

• Confirm the class and NMFC match how you quoted the freight.
• Verify weight and dimensions to the extreme points, pallet included.
• List every accessorial the pickup or delivery site requires.
• Double-check addresses, contacts, and any appointment requirements.