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Bill of Lading Generator

Fill in the shipper, the consignee and what is on the pallet, and get a straight bill of lading you can hand to the driver. Freight class and NMFC item sit on every line, where the carrier expects to find them. Nothing is uploaded — the PDF is built on your device.

  • Free · no sign-up
  • Freight class column
  • Prepaid · collect · third party
  • COD & declared value
  • Sign on screen
  • PDF or print

Figures are indicative. Confirm classification with your carrier before booking.

Bill of lading generator

1. Ship from (shipper)

The address the carrier collects from.

2. Ship to (consignee)

The address the carrier delivers to.

3. Shipment details
4. Freight charge terms

The shipper pays the freight charges. Most common for outbound shipments to a customer.

5. Commodities

Not sure of the class? Work it out from dimensions and weight and come back.

6. Special instructions & charges
7. Signatures

Sign with a finger on a touchscreen, a stylus, or a mouse or trackpad. The ink is drawn straight onto the document and never leaves this device. Leave a pad blank if you would rather sign the printed copy by hand.

Shipper signature

Not signed

Used when nothing is drawn — handy on a keyboard, or if drawing is awkward.

Carrier signature

Not signed

Used when nothing is drawn — handy on a keyboard, or if drawing is awkward.

Document preview

0 pcs · 0 lb · Class —

Straight Bill of Lading

Short form — original — not negotiable

BOL No.
Ship date
PO No.
PRO No.

Ship from

Ship to

Carrier

SCAC

Trailer

Seal

Freight charge terms

Commodity description
Qty Type HM Weight Description of articles, special marks and exceptions NMFC Class
0 Total pieces 0 lb Total weight

Terms

RECEIVED, subject to individually determined rates or contracts that have been agreed upon in writing between the carrier and shipper, if applicable, otherwise to the rates, classifications and rules that have been established by the carrier and are available to the shipper on request, and to all applicable state and federal regulations.

The carrier shall not make delivery of this shipment without payment of freight and all other lawful charges. Where the rate is dependent on value, shippers are required to state specifically in writing the agreed or declared value of the property. The property described above is received in apparent good order except as noted.

Shipper signature

Date

Carrier signature & pickup date

Carrier acknowledges receipt of packages and required placards.

Generated with vendordesk.tools. This is a template, not legal advice — your carrier may require its own form.

Readiness check

0 lb · Class —

What goes on a bill of lading

A bill of lading is the document the driver signs when they take your freight, and the one a claims adjuster reads if anything goes wrong. It names the shipper and the consignee, describes what is being moved, states who pays, and records the condition the goods were in when the carrier accepted them.

Four things account for almost every corrected invoice and denied claim. The freight class, because a carrier that has to classify your freight for you will inspect it and rate it their way. The weight, because carriers reweigh and bill the difference. The freight charge terms, because a shipment marked prepaid when it should have been collect ends up on the wrong account. And the declared value, because carrier liability is capped by tariff at a figure that is often a fraction of what the goods are worth.

Get the class right before the driver arrives

Freight class is the field people guess at, and guessing is expensive. The class comes from density for most commodities: measure the outside of the packaging including the pallet, work out pounds per cubic foot, and read the class off the NMFC density scale — which the NMFTA restructured in July 2025, so older charts disagree with it below 15 pounds per cubic foot.

The freight class calculator does that arithmetic and hands the result straight to this generator, so the class on the document is the class you calculated. If your goods carry a fixed NMFC listing rather than rating on density, check the NMFC code lookup first. If none of this is familiar yet, what freight class is covers the background in plain English.

Bills of lading are for freight, not parcels

If your shipment moves on a pallet with an LTL carrier, it needs a bill of lading. If it goes in a box through UPS, FedEx or USPS, it does not — the label and tracking number do that job, and what you care about instead is billable weight. The dimensional weight calculator covers that side.

Figures are indicative. Confirm classification with your carrier before booking. Carriers may require their own bill of lading form or their own tariff terms, and this document is a template rather than legal advice.

FAQ

Bill of lading questions

What is a bill of lading?
A bill of lading, or BOL, is the contract between you and the carrier moving your freight. It does three jobs at once: it is a receipt for the goods handed over, a document of title, and the contract of carriage that sets the terms the shipment moves under. No LTL carrier will collect freight without one.
What is a straight bill of lading?
A straight bill of lading is non-negotiable: the freight is consigned to one named party and only that party can take delivery. It is the standard form for ordinary domestic LTL and truckload shipments. An order bill of lading, by contrast, is negotiable and can transfer title while the goods are in transit.
Do I need the freight class on the bill of lading?
You should always put it there. If you leave the class blank the carrier assigns one, and an inspection-driven reclassification almost always costs more than getting it right up front. Work the class out with the freight class calculator and copy it onto the line.
What do prepaid, collect and third party mean?
They say who pays the carrier. Prepaid means the shipper pays, and is the norm for shipments going out to a customer. Collect means the consignee pays on delivery, which is common when a buyer routes freight on their own carrier account. Third party means somebody else pays, and that party has to be named on the document.
What is a declared value and should I use one?
Carrier liability is limited by the released value in the applicable tariff, which is often far below what the goods are worth. Declaring a higher value raises the carrier’s liability and the rate with it. If your freight is worth materially more than the tariff limit, declare it — and expect to pay for the cover.
Can I sign the bill of lading online?
Yes. There is a signature pad for the shipper and one for the carrier, and either can be signed with a finger on a touchscreen, a stylus, or a mouse or trackpad. The ink is drawn straight onto the document and goes into the PDF with it. Nothing is uploaded — the signature is produced in your browser, the same as the rest of the document. If you would rather sign the printed copy by hand, leave the pads blank and the ruled lines print empty.
Is this bill of lading legally valid?
The document produced here follows the standard straight bill of lading format and carries the usual terms and shipper certification. It is a template, not legal advice, and carriers can require their own form or their own tariff terms. Check with your carrier before relying on it for a first shipment.

Work out the class first.

Enter dimensions and weight, get the NMFC class, then carry it straight onto the bill of lading.

Open the freight class calculator