Popular Bill of Lading Forms & When to Use Them

At times, a shipper will hand a driver a Bill of Lading Form. That is a receipt which includes a description of what is being shipped and to which location it’s being shipped to. This is intended so the shipper is confident that the items will be shipped. In the event anything gets lost, the shipper will then have proof that the transportation company received their items. Even more so, after the shipment is delivered, the same applies: the bill of lading will serve as proof of delivery (POD), just in case the receiver is requesting a signature.

Straight Bill of Lading: is typically issued when shipping merchandise to a customer that has already been paid for. Straight Bill of Lading: is typically issued when shipping merchandise to a customer that has already been paid for.

Direct Bill of Lading: Use a Direct Bill of Lading when the same vessel that picked up the lading will convey it to its final destination.

Claused Bill of Lading: If the goods is damaged or there are missing quantities a Claused Bill of Lading is issued. Also called foul or dirty bill of lading.

Received for Shipment Bill of Lading: Confirms that the carrier has received” the containers at the port facility and is loading it on, this does not necessary mean that it has been loaded.

Shipped On Board Bill of Lading: A Shipped On board Bill of Lading is issued when the cargo arrives at the port in good, expected condition from the shipping carrier and is then loaded onto the cargo ship for transport overseas. This is proof that the container(s) has been loaded.

Inland VS. Ocean Bill of Lading:  An ocean bill of lading allows the shipper to transport the cargo overseas, nationally or internationally. Inland Bill of Lading allows the shipping carrier to ship by road or rail, across domestic land, but not overseas. They both serve as the carrier's receipt and the shipper and as a collection document. The BOL specifies the details of the goods being transported, such as quantity, type and destination.

Through Bill of Lading: Through Bills of Lading are a little more complex than most BOLs. It allows for the shipping carrier to pass the cargo through several different modes of transportation and/or several different distribution centers. This Bill of Landing needs to include an Inland Bill of Landing and/or an Ocean Bill of Landing depending on its final destination.

Clean Bill of Lading:  A Clean BOL confirms that the cargo has been received by the shipping carrier when the packages were loaded they were in good condition. If the packages are spoiled or the cargo is marred in some way, they will need issue a "Soiled Bill of Lading" or a "Foul Bill of Lading."

Stale Bill of Lading: Occasionally in cases of short-over-seas cargo transportation, the cargo arrives to port before the Bill of Landing. When that happens, the Bill of Landing is then "stale."

Multimodal/Combined Transport Bill of Lading: This is a type of Through Bill of Lading that involves a minimum of two different modes of transport, land or ocean. The modes of transportation can be anything from freight boat to air.

Quality Forms.com specializes in printing those aforementioned forms. We have a large selection of standard bill of ladings for every industry including freight forwarders, automobile transportation etc. Custom bill of ladings and delivery forms are our specialty.