You have a choice of bills of lading for LTL shipments

By Ray Bohman -- Logistics Management, 3/1/2005

If you're shipping via any of the more than 1,200 less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers that are parties to the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC), you'll notice at the end of the NMFC's Rules Section that there are two pro-forma copies of bills of lading. They are:

• Uniform Straight Bill of Lading
• Straight Bill of Lading – Short Form

These two B/Ls were designed primarily for member carriers to have on hand should a shipper require a bill of lading when it makes a shipment.

I have observed that the majority of shippers have opted for the Short Form because they aren't required to print the terms and conditions on the back, as they would if they were using the Uniform Straight Bill of Lading. This lowers shippers' printing costs.

But those aren't the only choices you have. Many carriers have developed their own bills of lading, which you usually can find on their websites. These documents are based on the NMFC's pro-forma bills of lading, but many of them include minor changes or additions. Roadway Express, for example, has changed the section where shippers specify whether a shipment is to be prepaid or collect. The NMFC's bills of lading provide that a shipment will be considered prepaid unless the shipper checks a very small box to indicate that it wants the shipment to be collect. Roadway's B/L, on the other hand, gives you a choice: You can check either a box that reads "prepaid" or one that reads "collect."

Rather than use bills of lading provided by their carriers, many shippers over the years have printed up their own B/Ls, which are virtually identical to those in the NMFC. As far as I can tell, these customized bills of lading seem to be by far the most widely used by shippers.

If you want to create your own customized bills of lading, you are allowed to do so under the provisions of NMFC Item (Rule) 360 – Bills of Lading, Freight Bills and Statements of Charges, Sec. 1 (h), Note 2. This rule also sets forth what information must be shown on such bills of lading and the order in which it must be shown.

Even though shippers are not required to print the terms and conditions shown on the back of the Uniform Straight Bill of Lading on their own customized B/Ls, the rules state that those bills of lading "shall be deemed to be an acceptance of such terms and conditions as provided in the Uniform Straight Bill of Lading."

If any of your customers require you to use the VICS (Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards) Standard Bill of Lading, that shouldn't be a problem as just about every LTL carrier is allowing shippers to use it these days. It was first adopted in 1999 by a group of large manufacturers, motor carriers, and retailers, including Wal-Mart and Target. (For more information on the VICS bill of lading or to find a pro-forma copy, visit www.vics.org). In addition, leading carriers such as ABF and Roadway show a copy of it on their websites.

One other alternative to using the NMFC's B/Ls is the Shipper's Domestic Bill of Lading, developed by the Transportation Consumers Protection Council for shippers to use as a basis for developing their own bills of lading. Because many motor carriers are opposed to this version, we strongly advise you get your carriers' approval before using it.