Actual bills needed?

[dad2andrew]

Do drivers actually need physical bills of lading, or are electronic copies acceptable if they get pulled over and asked to show paperwork for the load?

We do interoffice moves that don't require any signatures at all, they just accompany the goods transferring from building to building. We can eliminate multiple people handling the piece of paper if we just send the paperwork electronically via PDF. The drivers can pull up a copy of the goods on their phone if required for verification. Just looking at additional ways to reduce any cross-contamination.

Really there shouldn't be any issue with other outside shipments either if all parties electronically sign the paperwork.

I can't seem to find if actual bills are needed or not.

Kevin.

 

[lowmiler88]

Kevin call a weigh scale in your area and ask them, tell them who you are, they love these calls because you are showing them that you care enough to do things right.

 

[dad2andrew]

i just didn't know if anyone is currently getting rid of the excessive amounts of paperwork, and going into a more paperless transition.

I'll do some more digging...

 

[Jim L]

Courier companies like FedEx and Purolator do not seem to have documents - mind you, all packages have a label which an argument could be made that constitutes as shipping instructions.

 

[Michael Ludwig]

Technically, all commercial shipments require a bill of lading, not just shipping instructions, however, since the advent of courier services that requirement seems to have gone by the wayside.
No doubt some a$$hat at an MTO scale will decide that he knows better than the rest of the real world and start laying fines for no B/L a.k.a. Failure to Produce Documents.

PS ... is it painfully obvious I have very little respect for MTO officers ??? ... LOL

 

[dad2andrew]

Someone from Putnam finally called me back. So long as the driver has access to either email the BOL/paperwork or Print them, an electronic copy on a phone/tablet is acceptable. Similar to what is needed with logs. The only papers that actually need to be a physical copy are any hazmat paperwork.

 

[Igor Galanter]

Someone from Putnam finally called me back. So long as the driver has access to either email the BOL/paperwork or Print them, an electronic copy on a phone/tablet is acceptable. Similar to what is needed with logs. The only papers that actually need to be a physical copy are any hazmat paperwork.

Just to make it clear, it's still have to be a regular BOL with all attributes as addresses, load description, weight and signatures of the shipper and the carrier, right?

Heard before that some trying to pull a confirmation instead, eh...

 

[loaders]

A Bill of Lading is a contract, a contract of carriage, between a shipper, a receiver and a carrier. You are correct Igor, it must contain all of those items you mentioned. I am always amazed at how many carriers allow their drivers to pick up a shipment with only a packing slip, or customs docs as paperwork. When there is a problem, such as a freight claim or a non payment issue, a complete and properly filled out Bill of Lading can be either your best defense or your best offence.

 

[Michael Ludwig]

@loaders The Bill of Lading is only a contract between the shipper and the carrier. The receiver is not party to the contract.
I am actually amazed, astounded, and shocked even, that any shipper would release their goods without a properly executed bill of lading, yet it happens every day.
Without a properly executed bill of lading the carrier bears no responsibility for the cargo whatsoever, and the shipper has absolutely no recourse on the carrier for any delivery failures, whether that is time, volume, or condition. And the cherry on top, the shipper, if he is the one that hired the carrier, still has to pay the carrier for carriage services rendered.

 

[loaders]

True to an extent. However when it comes to payment, if the shipment was "Collect", then, at some point, would not the receiver be a party to the contract? I understand what you are saying, the shipper offers the freight and the carrier accepts it, simple. If you as the carrier, were not paid by the receiver as stipulated on the Bill of Lading, wouldn't you use the B/L in your attempts at collection? As well, if there was a "third party billing", indicated on the B/L, would they as well not be a party to the contract , especially if they too refused payment to a carrier? Just curious on a Wednesday late afternoon.

 

[Michael Ludwig]

In order for the receiver to be party to the contract they would have to be a signatory on the contract at the execution of the contract.
If the shipper so signifies that the receiver is the payor of the contract it is incumbent upon the carrier to not release the goods to the receiver until the carrier is paid by the receiver. The carrier extends credit to the receiver at his/her own peril. In the case of third party billing, again the carrier extends credit at his/her own peril.
To take your questions even further, suppose you do move a load for a shipper that has said the receiver is the payor of the move. You, as the carrier, make delivery, and extend credit to the receiver. Several months pass by and you still have not been paid. Without the properly executed bill of lading, you, the carrier, have no recourse to make a collection. There is no contract signifying who is responsible for making payment.
It is a very poor practise indeed for a carrier to move any freight whatsoever without the benefit of a properly executed bill of lading.
Additionally, simply writing "Bill of Lading" at the top of any document (i.e. packing slip, cargo manifest) does not constitute a bill of lading. A bill of lading is a structured document which must contain specific wording, as per the rule of law, which typically denotes the terms and conditions of carriage.
I have been witness to a number of shippers (both big and small) that will neither print the terms and conditions on the back of the bill of lading, nor denote that the "bill of lading" is subject to the laws of the land i.e. 49 U.S.C. 14706 (c). Frankly as a bill of lading they are not worth the paper they are written on.
Insurance companies are absolutely ecstatic when cargo claims cross their desks that are not supported by a properly executed bill of lading as they are under no obligation to pay out the claim, and many will opt for that position.

 

[loaders]

So the long and short of it, to avoid problems before they occur......ensure your driver does not leave the shipper without a Bill of Lading. I remember not that long ago, that all carriers made sure their drivers were equipped with a pad of blank Bills Of Lading. In the event the shipper hadn’t prepared one or was unwilling to offer one, the driver could at least endeavour to complete one on site thereby protecting his employers interests. Is that still a common practice in this “paperless” society?

 

[Michael Ludwig]

Bingo ... you got it

Yes, my drivers carry Bills of Lading with them, and just in case they "forget" we have an electronic copy that is identical in every way to the preprinted document that can be printed on any laser printer.