How to Fill Out a Bill of Lading Line by Line
Fill out an LTL bill of lading accurately by reconciling parties, locations, packages, commodity details, weight, services, billing, and required certifications.
To fill out a bill of lading (BOL), start with the form supplied or accepted by the booked carrier. Enter the shipper and consignee, origin and destination, package count, precise freight description, and weight or other rating measurement. Then complete the carrier-specific reference, billing, service, value, hazardous-material, and signature fields that apply. Before pickup, compare the finished BOL with both the booking confirmation and the freight on the dock.
That order matters. A BOL records what was tendered to the carrier and can provide evidence of the contract of carriage. Depending on the type and transaction, it may have other legal functions. It is not interchangeable with a quote, packing list, commercial invoice, or delivery receipt.
This guide is for ordinary U.S. commercial freight, especially LTL. Carrier forms and tariffs differ, and specialized shipments can trigger additional rules. If the freight is hazardous, international, government-controlled, or otherwise regulated, use the applicable instructions and qualified compliance support.
First, know which fields are the baseline
For a for-hire, non-exempt motor carrier covered by 49 CFR Part 373, the carrier’s receipt or BOL for property tendered in interstate or foreign commerce must contain five categories of information:
- Names of the consignor and consignee
- Origin and destination points
- Number of packages
- Description of the freight
- Weight, volume, or measurement when it applies to rating the freight
That is a regulatory baseline, not a complete universal template. A working LTL BOL commonly contains more information because the carrier’s form, tariff, NMFC provisions, service instructions, or the shipment itself calls for it. Do not add a field merely because it appears on a different carrier’s form, and do not omit a field that the booked carrier requires.
Gather the source information before typing
Use the booking record, not memory, as your starting point. Have these details in front of you:
- Booked carrier and service
- Pickup date and origin address
- Delivery address and consignee contact
- Billing party and freight-charge terms
- Quote, booking, purchase-order, or customer reference numbers that need to travel with the shipment
- Handling-unit count and package type
- Actual packaged dimensions and weight
- Specific commodity description
- NMFC item, subprovision, and freight class when applicable and confirmed
- Requested accessorial or handling services
- Hazardous-material details, if applicable
Then inspect the freight as it will be tendered. The pallet count, packaging, labels, dimensions, weight, and commodity on the dock should agree with the document. If the shipment changed after quoting, correct the booking and BOL through the proper workflow rather than making the paperwork match an outdated quote.
Fill out the BOL line by line
Field names and positions vary. Follow the labels on the carrier-approved form while using this sequence as a cross-check.
1. BOL number and shipment date
Enter the document’s unique BOL number if the form or booking workflow assigns one. Keep it distinct from the carrier’s PRO number, a purchase-order number, and a quote number; those identifiers serve different purposes even when a system displays them together.
Enter the actual pickup or shipment date requested by the form. Do not backdate the document or substitute the date the quote was created.
2. Shipper or consignor
Enter the legal or operating name and the physical pickup address of the party tendering the freight. Include the city, state, ZIP code, and any contact detail requested on the form. If the billing office is somewhere else, do not replace the pickup location with the billing address.
3. Consignee
Enter the receiving party’s name and the complete delivery address. Confirm the ZIP code, suite or unit, and receiving contact where the form requests them. The consignee is the named recipient; it is not automatically the party paying the freight charges.
4. Origin and destination
Some forms derive these points from the address blocks; others show separate origin and destination fields. Make sure the locations match the booked lane. A third-party billing address belongs in its own section and should not replace either freight location.
5. Carrier and routing information
Use the booked carrier name and any service or routing instruction supplied with the booking. Leave carrier-assigned fields, such as a PRO number not yet issued, for the carrier or system unless the booking record already provides the value. Do not invent a terminal, route, or carrier identifier.
6. Reference numbers
Add only the references needed to identify or receive this shipment, such as a purchase-order number, customer reference, or booking number. Put each value under the matching label. A reference field is not a substitute for a commodity description, package count, or billing instruction.
7. Handling units and package type
State how many handling units are being tendered and how they are packaged: for example, pallets, crates, cartons, or drums. Keep handling units distinct from the number of individual pieces inside them when the form asks for both.
Count the freight in its final tendered condition. If cartons have been consolidated onto a pallet, the form may need both the pallet count and the piece count in their respective columns. Follow the carrier’s form instructions rather than combining unlike counts into one number.
8. Commodity description
Describe the goods specifically enough to identify what the carrier is receiving. Avoid a trade name or vague entry such as “parts,” “equipment,” or “miscellaneous.” Include the article, package, special markings, exceptions, NMFC item and subprovision, and class when those details apply under the governing tariff or NMFC provision.
Current NMFTA guidance for Item 250100 emphasizes that the BOL commodity description should match the applicable tariff description. Copying an unverified description or NMFC number from an old shipment can create a mismatch even when the goods look similar.
9. NMFC item and freight class
Enter the confirmed NMFC item, subprovision, and class in their designated fields when the shipment is rated that way. Do not select a class from density alone unless the applicable classification provision actually makes density controlling. Packaging, handling, stowability, liability, commodity-specific rules, and current NMFC changes can matter.
If the classification is unknown, resolve it before tender instead of guessing. The carrier may verify the freight’s description, weight, dimensions, or classification under applicable rules and terms.
10. Weight and dimensions
Use the actual packaged weight, not a catalog weight for the unpackaged product. Allocate weight by commodity or line when the form requires separate lines, and make sure the total is internally consistent.
Record final outside dimensions where requested, including pallet, crate, wrap, or other packaging. A last-minute packaging change can alter both the dimensions and the rating inputs, so remeasure after repacking.
11. Special handling and delivery services
Carry over the services that were actually requested and booked, using the carrier’s terminology. These may include liftgate service, an appointment, inside service, residential service, limited-access service, temperature protection, or a non-stackable instruction.
Operational notes do not create a service agreement by themselves. If a service was not included in the booking, update the shipment through the proper channel rather than relying only on handwritten special instructions.
12. Freight-charge terms and bill-to party
Mark prepaid, collect, or third-party billing only as directed by the booking and carrier form. These labels identify who is billed under the applicable terms; they do not necessarily describe when payment occurs.
For third-party billing, enter the complete bill-to party in the designated block. If the form includes COD, released-value, declared-value, or liability-related language, do not assume those fields mean the same thing as cargo insurance. Complete them only from the booked instructions and applicable carrier terms. Obtain legal or risk advice when the value or liability consequences are material.
13. Hazardous-material shipping information
A BOL may also serve as the hazardous-material shipping paper, but only when it satisfies the applicable Hazardous Materials Regulations. The ordinary commodity block is not enough by itself.
Subject to the detailed exceptions and additional-description rules in 49 CFR Part 172, the basic description generally uses this sequence:
- Identification number
- Proper shipping name
- Hazard class or division number
- Packing group, when assigned
The shipping paper also may need the total quantity, number and type of packages, technical name, reportable-quantity notation, emergency-response telephone number, and other material-specific entries. Required hazardous entries must be distinguishable from nonhazardous entries. The emergency number must meet the monitoring and knowledge requirements in 49 CFR 172.604, not merely be an office number copied from a contact card.
The offeror’s certification is a separate compliance step when required; it is not satisfied by a generic shipper signature placed anywhere on the form. People who classify, describe, package, mark, label, prepare paperwork for, or offer hazardous materials must follow the training and function-specific rules that apply to their work.
Do not use this general guide as the final authority for a hazardous shipment. Verify the current 49 CFR requirements, carrier acceptance rules, emergency-response arrangement, and any material-specific provisions before tender.
14. Signatures and pickup acknowledgment
Complete the shipper certification or signature blocks that apply to the specific form and shipment. Do not sign a hazardous-material certification unless the shipment and paperwork have been reviewed by a qualified person authorized to certify them.
The driver or carrier completes the carrier-receipt area according to its process. Before the freight leaves, retain the shipper’s copy or electronic record showing the document that accompanied the actual tender. A signature is useful evidence of the handoff, but its legal effect depends on the document, the shipment, and the governing terms; 49 CFR 373.101’s five-item baseline does not itself impose one universal signature format.
Who should complete each part?
| BOL section | Best source of the information | Final check |
|---|---|---|
| Shipper, consignee, origin, destination | Booking record and confirmed addresses | Locations match the booked lane |
| References | Purchase order, customer record, and booking confirmation | Each identifier is in the correct field |
| Package count and type | Physical freight and packing record | Tendered units match the document |
| Description, NMFC item, and class | Current commodity data and applicable classification source | No vague trade name or copied old classification |
| Weight and dimensions | Final packaged freight | Totals and line items reconcile |
| Services and special handling | Confirmed booking | Wording matches the carrier’s service names |
| Billing and value fields | Booking and applicable carrier terms | No guessed payer, value, or liability selection |
| Hazmat entries and certification | Trained, authorized hazmat personnel | Current Part 172 requirements are satisfied |
| Carrier receipt or PRO entry | Carrier or approved system | Shipper does not invent carrier-assigned data |
The three-way check before pickup
Review the booking, the physical freight, and the BOL side by side. A clean handoff requires all three to agree.
- Booking versus BOL: carrier, lane, service, billing terms, requested accessorials, commodity, class, weight, dimensions, and references agree.
- Freight versus BOL: handling-unit count, package type, markings, commodity, packaged dimensions, and actual weight agree.
- Pickup document versus retained copy: no field was changed without the change appearing on the copy kept by the shipper.
If something does not match, pause and correct it before tender. Strike-throughs, handwritten additions, and version changes should follow the carrier’s accepted process so every party relies on the same document.
Final BOL checklist
- Correct carrier-approved form
- Unique BOL number and accurate shipment date where required
- Complete shipper, consignee, origin, and destination details
- Correct handling-unit and package counts
- Specific freight description
- Confirmed NMFC item, subprovision, and class when applicable
- Final packaged weight and requested dimensions
- Booked services and special instructions
- Correct prepaid, collect, or third-party billing selection
- Applicable value or COD instructions copied from the booking and terms
- Complete hazmat shipping-paper information and certification, if applicable
- Required shipper fields completed
- Carrier-receipt fields left for the carrier unless already assigned
- Retained copy matches the document tendered with the freight
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When the shipment details are verified, book the shipment and prepare its paperwork.
