A bill of lading is a contract and receipt between a shipping company and its customers, describing items being shipped and terms of agreement. A master bill of lading consolidates individual bills for multiple loads, including customer and contact information, cargo details, and liability terms. It also includes special instructions and contact information for brokers and designated recipients. The detailed list of goods transported may not be organized by load.
A bill of lading is a document that serves as both a contract and a receipt between a shipping company and its customers. This document describes the items that the customer is shipping, as well as the terms of the agreement between the two parties. Many times, shipping companies carry multiple loads on the same ship, plane, or truck. To track these various loads, the company creates a master bill of lading, which consolidates the bill of lading for each individual load into a single document. The master bill of lading contains a variety of information, including customer contact information, item descriptions, and contract terms.
Each master bill of lading has a section where the company can list any special instructions related to one or more loads. In this section, the company includes a list of all bill of lading numbers associated with a particular voyage. This allows the shipping company to easily track the loads they are carrying and helps crews determine which loads are being released at each stop. All of these minor bills of lading, also known as domestic or underlying bills, are attached to the back of the main bill of lading for easy reference.
The master bill of lading also includes basic information, including the date the freight company took possession of the shipments and the expected delivery date. This document also outlines the terms regarding who is liable for damage to each cargo. A section can be reserved for shippers to note any damage found while loading the goods. Many of these invoices have a space for a haulage company representative to sign for the loads, indicating they were received in good condition.
The freight industry relies heavily on consolidators, or brokers, who make arrangements on behalf of customers to transport goods with freight companies. The master bill of lading will include contact information for both the broker and underlying customers, as well as contact information for the person designated to receive the goods.
Finally, the master bill of lading includes a detailed list of all goods transported. This list includes items from all loads and may not be organized by load. For example, if the freight company is carrying five pallets of electronics for Customer A and five pallets of electronics for Customer B, the master bill of lading may simply list ten crates of electronics. This document reflects the quantity, dimensions, weight, and packaging information for each item being transported.
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