Free Bill of Lading generator
Fill in the standard US straight BOL below and download a print-ready PDF. Nothing is uploaded — the document is built in your browser.
What is a Bill of Lading?
A Bill of Lading (BOL) is the legal shipping document that travels with every truckload and LTL shipment in the United States. It is three things at once: a receipt that the carrier took the freight, the contract of carriage between shipper and carrier, and the document that says who owns the goods. Under federal law (49 U.S.C. § 14706 – the Carmack Amendment) the BOL is also what a claim for loss or damage is based on, which is why every box matters.
Who fills in the BOL and how many copies?
The shipper prepares the BOL and signs it at pickup; the driver signs it when the freight is loaded, and the consignee signs on delivery (the signed copy is the proof of delivery, POD). Print at least three copies: one for the shipper, one for the carrier, one that goes with the freight to the consignee. The generator above produces a Letter-size PDF you can print as many times as you need.
How to fill in a Bill of Lading – box by box
| Box | What goes in |
|---|---|
| Bill of Lading number | Your own reference for the shipment. Many shippers use the order or invoice number. |
| Ship From | Shipper’s name, street address, city/state/ZIP. SID No. = shipper’s internal ID for the load. Tick FOB if the freight is sold FOB origin. |
| Ship To | Consignee’s name and address. CID No. = the consignee’s reference (PO or receiving number); Location No. = store or dock number for chains. |
| Third party freight charges – bill to | Only when someone other than the shipper or consignee pays the freight (a 3PL, broker or parent company). |
| Carrier name, trailer, seal | The trucking company, trailer number and seal number(s) applied at loading. The seal number proves the load was not opened in transit. |
| SCAC | The carrier’s 2–4 letter Standard Carrier Alpha Code (e.g. ODFL, SAIA). Ask the carrier if you do not know it. |
| Pro number | The carrier’s tracking number. Usually added by the driver or dispatcher, leave blank if unknown. |
| Freight charge terms | Prepaid = shipper pays. Collect = consignee pays. 3rd party = the “bill to” party pays. Prepaid unless marked otherwise. |
| Master Bill of Lading | Tick when this BOL summarises several underlying BOLs on one trailer. |
| Special instructions | Appointment required, liftgate, residential delivery, inside delivery, “call before delivery”, temperature requirements. |
| Customer order information | One line per customer order on the trailer: order number, number of packages, weight, whether it ships on a pallet or slip sheet (Y/N). |
| Carrier information | How the freight is physically presented: handling units (pallets, crates) and packages (cartons, drums), weight, HM mark for hazardous material, commodity description, NMFC item number and freight class. |
| NMFC No. and Class | The National Motor Freight Classification item and class (50–500) drive the LTL rate. Class depends on density, stowability, handling and liability – the carrier or 3PL can confirm it. |
| Declared value | Only when the rate depends on value. Stating a value here can raise the carrier’s liability above its standard limit per pound. |
| COD | Amount the carrier collects from the consignee on delivery, who pays the COD fee and whether a customer check is acceptable. |
| Trailer loaded / freight counted | Who loaded the trailer and who counted the freight. “By driver – pallets said to contain” means the driver counted pallets, not the cartons inside. |
| Signatures | Shipper signs to certify the freight is properly classified, packaged and labeled (DOT rules). The driver signs for receipt of the packages and placards, with the pickup date. |
The most common BOL mistakes
- Wrong freight class. The carrier reclassifies the shipment and bills the difference plus an inspection fee.
- Missing or rounded weight. Reweigh fees, and no basis for a claim if freight goes missing.
- No HM mark on hazardous material. A DOT violation for the shipper, and the carrier may refuse the load.
- Unsigned delivery copy. Without a signed, dated POD it is very hard to prove the freight arrived or to file a damage claim.
- Handwritten, illegible BOLs. The generated PDF is legible, identical on every copy and easy to email to the carrier ahead of pickup.
Electronic Bills of Lading (eBOL)
An electronic BOL is the same document exchanged digitally – with the LTL industry’s standard eBOL API (NMFTA), carriers receive the data before the truck arrives, generate the pro number automatically and return the signed POD electronically. Building the BOL in a structured form like this one is the first step: the data is complete, legible and ready to send.
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