How do you fill out a bill of lading, field by field?

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BOL layouts differ by carrier, TMS and shipper, so your labels may not match these exactly. The job is the same: identify the parties, identify the shipment, describe the freight accurately and record what is needed to move and receive it. Whoever tenders the freight usually prepares the BOL, sometimes from a broker's or carrier's template.

For U.S. for-hire motor carriers covered by 49 CFR 373.100, section 373.101 requires a receipt or bill of lading showing the consignor and consignee, origin and destination, number of packages, a description of the freight, and its weight, volume or measurement where that affects rating. That is the regulatory minimum, not a complete template for every shipment.

1. BOL number

The number that identifies the document or shipment record. It may come from your shipping system, a TMS, a broker, a carrier or your own numbering. It is usually near the top, labelled BOL #, Bill of Lading #, Shipment #, Document # or Reference #. If your customer, broker or TMS issued the BOL, use the number already assigned rather than inventing another. Do not confuse it with the PRO, PO, broker load or pickup number: see PRO vs BOL vs PO numbers.

2. Ship date or pickup date

Use the date of the actual movement. If the pickup is rescheduled, make the final BOL and the shipment record agree. Dates are what someone later uses to match the pickup, tracking, carrier invoice, receiving record and any claim.

3. Shipper or consignor

The party and location tendering the freight: company or facility name, street address, city, state, ZIP and a contact where the form or operation needs one. Do not use a head-office billing address when the truck is picking up at a warehouse across town.

4. Consignee or ship-to

The receiving party: facility name, full address, receiving contact, receiving hours and any appointment or reference the receiver requires. The BOL should point the freight at the location that is actually receiving it.

5. Bill-to or third-party billing

Some BOLs have a separate billing block. It is not automatically the shipper or the consignee. If a broker, third-party payer or another account pays the transportation charges, follow the booking instructions. Do not guess at carrier account details.

6. Carrier

If the carrier is known when the BOL is prepared, record what your process requires. Depending on the shipment, that can include the SCAC, trailer number, seal number, pickup number or a carrier reference. Not every shipment uses all of them.

7. Purchase order and customer references

Receivers often care more about their own reference than the carrier's tracking number: PO, sales order, release, delivery or appointment number, or a broker load number. Put the one the receiver requires where it can be found. A truck can reach the right building and still be turned away if the warehouse cannot identify the order.

8. Handling-unit count

Be clear about what is being counted. Five pallets, 80 cartons and 80 pieces are not the same count. If the form separates handling units from pieces, use the form's definitions, and make the count match the freight being released.

9. Commodity description

Describe what is actually shipping. "Parts", "goods" and "misc freight" are too vague when a real description is available and required. For LTL, classification depends on the applicable NMFC provisions, not a casual product name, and regulated commodities such as food, chemicals and hazardous materials carry their own description rules.

10. Weight

Use the best available actual shipping weight, including the pallet, crate and packaging that are part of the tendered shipment. Weight drives rating, equipment planning, LTL billing, payload, overweight and permit review, and any later dispute. Do not copy a net product weight when the carrier is receiving a heavier packaged shipment. See how to weigh freight correctly.

11. Dimensions or cube

Where the form or carrier asks, measure the freight as tendered, including overhang and packaging. Dimensions affect density, class, linear-foot rules, trailer fit, oversize planning and whether a carrier inspection leads to a rebill. See how to measure freight correctly.

12. Freight class and NMFC information

Mostly for LTL. Do not assume density alone always sets the final class, that an old NMFC item is still current, or that an item number and a class are the same thing. The 2025 NMFC changes are in effect, so verify the current item, sub and class through NMFTA's ClassIT+ or your carrier's or 3PL's rating process. See finding the NMFC number and freight class.

13. Special instructions

Instructions that must travel with the shipment: appointment or receiving references, temperature setpoint, multi-stop details, a handling note, the seal reference, a site contact. The instructions box does not replace hazmat shipping papers, permits, carrier agreements or other required paperwork.

14. Hazardous-material information

Hazmat transportation is regulated. The proper shipping description, classification, packaging, marks and labels, emergency-response information and shipping papers have to be prepared under the applicable rules by people trained for that work. This guide is not a hazmat shipping-paper generator. If you are unsure whether a product is regulated, confirm before tendering it.

15. Declared value and liability fields

Some forms and tariffs include declared-value or released-value fields. Do not fill them from guesswork: what they do depends on the carrier's tariff or contract and the shipment terms, and writing a number in the box does not by itself buy coverage. See freight insurance vs carrier liability.

16. COD and payment fields

Use them only when the shipment really moves under those terms and the carrier supports them. Freight charges, invoice payment, COD collection and product value are four different things.

17. Signatures and pickup acknowledgement

The signature block documents the handoff. Before signing, compare the BOL with the staged freight, confirm the count and visible condition, confirm the freight being loaded is the freight described, and keep the shipper's copy.

A simple example

Eight pallets of boxed metal parts, each 48 × 40 × 50 in and about 900 lb, 7,200 lb in total, Chicago, IL to Nashville, TN, against PO 48521. A BOL that says only "8 pallets, parts" does not make that shipment recognisable. A useful one ties the count, commodity, weight, both addresses and the PO together, and for LTL adds the verified class and NMFC information.

The most common BOL mistakes

• Copying an old BOL — the address, reference or weight belongs to the last shipment.
• Product weight instead of shipping weight — pallets and packaging left out.
• Pallet count and piece count mixed up — the warehouse and the carrier are counting different things.
• Wrong delivery address — a billing address or headquarters instead of the receiving site.
• Missing receiver reference — the freight arrives and cannot be checked in.
• Old class or NMFC information — reused without checking it still applies.
• Vague commodity description — the document does not say what was tendered.

What should I do after filling it out?

Run the bill of lading checklist before the truck leaves. The two pages are deliberately separate: this one is how to complete the document, the checklist is the final check before release.