A Bill of Lading and Freight Bill are required for every shipment in transport and every mover has to prepare them. The bill of lading serves as the receipt for the goods and the contract with the mover for their transportation. The customer executes and signs it on the day of the move after the shipment has been loaded and before the moving truck leaves the residence. So, when moving your household goods, don’t forget to prepare a bill of lading that is very important document.
It is possible to use a bill of lading as a traded object. The standard short form bill of lading is evidence of the contract of carriage of goods and it serves a number of purposes:
1) It may incorporate the full terms of the contract between the consignor and the carrier by reference (i.e. the short form simply refers to the main contract as an existing document, whereas the long form of a bill of lading issued by the carrier sets out all the terms of the contract of carriage);
2) It is a receipt signed by the carrier confirming whether goods matching the contract description have been received in good condition (a bill will be described as clean if the goods have been received on board in apparent good condition and stowed ready for transport);
3) Moreover, it is also a document of transfer, being freely transferable but not a negotiable instrument in the legal sense. A bill of lading governs all the legal aspects of physical carriage, and, like a cheque or other negotiable instrument, it may be endorsed affecting ownership of the goods actually being carried.
The following information must be included in this document: the name of the consignor; the name of the consignee, the name of the master of the vessel; the name of the vessel; the place of departure and destination; the price of the freight; and in the margin, the marks and numbers of the things shipped.
You will have to make this document in three originals, or parts. It is needed to send one of them to the consignee on board with the goods. Another one must be sent to him by mail or some other conveyance; and the third is retained by the merchant or shipper. You, as a master, should have another part for your own use.
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