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# Free Bill of Lading Generator

Fill in a straight bill of lading in the GS1 US (VICS) layout: shipper, consignee, third-party bill-to, carrier and SCAC, PRO number, freight terms, NMFC class and hazmat lines. Download it as a PDF, or print a blank BOL template.

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored: the PDF is created on your device.

## Bill of lading number and date

Bill of lading number (17 digits)GS1 Company Prefix (optional)

Leave empty to use the "04" format for shippers without a GS1 prefix.Date

Master bill of lading (underlying BOLs attached)

## Ship from (shipper)

Company nameStreet address

CityStateZIP code

ContactPhone

SID# (shipper ID, optional)

## Ship to (consignee)

Company nameStreet address

CityStateZIP code

ContactPhone

Location # (optional)CID# (consignee ID, optional)

## Carrier

Carrier name

SCACThe carrier’s Standard Carrier Alpha Code, assigned by the NMFTA.PRO numberThe carrier’s shipment number (LTL).Trailer numberSeal number(s)

## Freight charge terms

Who pays the freight?

Prepaid (shipper)Collect (consignee)3rd party (bill to)

Special instructions

## Third-party freight charges bill to

Only when a party other than the shipper or consignee pays the freight.

Company nameStreet address

CityStateZIP code

ContactPhone

Email

## Customer order information

One line per customer order or PO. Weight here excludes pallets and slip sheets.

| Customer order # | \# Pkgs | Weight (lb) | Pallet/slip | Additional shipper info | Remove order line |
| ---------------- | ------- | ----------- | ----------- | ----------------------- | ----------------- |
| –YN              | ×       |             |             |                         |                   |
| Grand total      |         |             |             |                         |                   |

## Carrier information (freight lines)

One line per commodity. Weight here includes pallets. Tick HM for hazardous materials and put the DOT description (UN number, proper shipping name, class, packing group, quantity) in the description.

| H.U. qty | H.U. type | Pkg qty | Pkg type | Weight (lb) | HM | Commodity description | NMFC # | Class | Remove freight line |
| -------- | --------- | ------- | -------- | ----------- | -- | --------------------- | ------ | ----- | ------------------- |
| ×        |           |         |          |             |    |                       |        |       |                     |
|          |           |         |          |             |    | Grand total           |        |       |                     |

## Declared value, COD and hazmat contact

Declared value (USD)Per (e.g. shipment, lb)COD amount (USD)COD fee terms

Customer check acceptableEmergency response phone (hazmat)Required on the shipping paper for hazardous materials; the number must be monitored at all times the material is in transit (49 CFR 172.604).

## Legal statement and loading

Legal statement above the shipper signature

Truckload / non-NMFC LTL: individually determined rates or contractsTruckload / non-NMFC LTL: tariffs, classifications or contracts in effectNMFC LTL carriers: NMFC Uniform Straight Bill of Lading termsNo legal statement

The three options are the recommended wording from the GS1 US Bill of Lading Guideline. Referring to the NMFC implies one party is an NMFTA member.

Trailer loaded

Not setBy shipperBy driver

Freight counted

Not setBy shipperBy driver (pallets)By driver (pieces)

## What is a bill of lading?

A bill of lading (BOL) is the document a carrier issues for freight it receives: the receipt for the goods and the record of the terms they move under. For interstate for-hire motor carriers, 49 CFR 373.101 sets the minimum content: the names of the consignor and consignee, the origin and destination points, the number of packages, a description of the freight, and its weight, volume or measurement when that is used to rate the shipment.

## Who issues the bill of lading?

Legally, the carrier: 49 U.S.C. 14706 requires a carrier to issue a receipt or bill of lading for property it receives, and failing to issue one does not affect the carrier’s liability. In practice the shipper usually prepares the BOL on the GS1 US (formerly VICS) form and assigns its number, and the driver signs it at pickup as the carrier’s receipt.

## What has to be on a bill of lading?

Beyond the federal minimum, the GS1 US Standard Bill of Lading marks these fields as mandatory:

* Ship-from name, address and ZIP code
* Ship-to name, address and ZIP code
* The 17-digit bill of lading number
* Carrier name and SCAC
* Freight charge terms: prepaid, collect or third party
* Number of packages and weight
* Pallets or slip sheets (Y/N)
* Handling unit quantity and type
* Commodity description
* Who loaded the trailer and who counted the freight
* Shipper and carrier signatures

Fields that apply only in some cases: a third-party bill-to (when someone else pays), the PRO number and the NMFC item and class (LTL), trailer and seal numbers (truckload), customer order numbers, and the HM column (hazardous materials).

## How the 17-digit BOL number works

A GS1 US bill of lading number is your GS1 Company Prefix plus a serial number and one check digit: 17 digits in total. Without a company prefix you start with 04, add 14 digits of your own and the check digit; GS1 US warns such a number isn’t guaranteed to be unique. To get the check digit, add the digits in the even positions and multiply by 3, add the digits in the odd positions, and take whatever rounds the total up to the next multiple of 10\. The number must not repeat the PRO number, the order number or the date, and GS1 US recommends keeping it unique for 24 months. The generator builds and checks it for you.

## Bill of lading vs proof of delivery

The BOL is signed at pickup: it’s the carrier’s receipt and the terms of carriage. The proof of delivery (POD) is the consignee’s signature at delivery, often on a copy of the same BOL, with any shortage or damage noted. Carriers and factoring companies usually need the signed POD before they can invoice. There is no federal definition of a POD; it’s industry practice.

[Read more about proof of delivery](/en-us/glossary/proof-of-delivery)

## Straight vs order bill of lading

A straight bill of lading says the goods are to be delivered to a named consignee. It is not negotiable, and a carrier issuing one must mark it “nonnegotiable” or “not negotiable” (49 U.S.C. 80103). An order bill of lading makes the goods deliverable to the order of a consignee and is negotiable: it can be endorsed to someone else, which is why it’s used when goods are sold or financed while in transit. This generator creates a straight bill of lading.

## Bill of lading FAQ

### Who fills out the bill of lading, the shipper or the carrier?

The law puts the duty on the carrier: it must issue a receipt or bill of lading for freight it receives (49 U.S.C. 14706). On the GS1 US standard form, though, the shipper assigns the BOL number and normally fills in the document, and the driver checks the count and signs it as the carrier’s receipt.

### What information is legally required on a bill of lading?

For interstate for-hire motor carriers, 49 CFR 373.101 requires the names of the consignor and consignee, the origin and destination points, the number of packages, a description of the freight, and its weight, volume or measurement if that is used to rate the shipment. Everything else on a standard BOL (SCAC, PRO number, freight terms, NMFC class) comes from the GS1 US standard or the carrier’s tariff.

### Do I need an NMFC number and freight class on a BOL?

For LTL shipments, yes: the GS1 US form lists the NMFC number and class as fields that apply to LTL, because LTL carriers rate freight by class. For truckload they are usually left blank. Since July 19, 2025 the NMFC standard density scale runs from class 400 (under 1 lb per cubic foot) to class 50 (50 lb per cubic foot or more).

### How do I list hazardous materials on a bill of lading?

Mark the line with an X in the HM column (49 CFR 172.201) and describe it in the order 49 CFR 172.202 sets: identification number, proper shipping name, hazard class, packing group and total quantity with its unit. Add an emergency response phone number that is monitored at all times the material is in transit (49 CFR 172.604) and the shipper’s certification (49 CFR 172.204), which this generator prints automatically when a line is marked HM.

### What do prepaid, collect and third party mean on a BOL?

The freight charge terms say who is invoiced for the freight. Prepaid: the shipper pays the freight from origin to the consignee’s dock. Collect: the consignee pays. Third party: someone other than the shipper or consignee pays, such as a broker or the buyer’s logistics provider, and that party goes in the third-party bill-to box.

### How long do I have to keep a bill of lading?

Motor carriers must keep copies of bills of lading for 1 year (49 CFR part 379, Appendix A). Separately, GS1 US recommends that a BOL number stays unique for 24 months, so don’t reuse numbers within two years.

[Rate Confirmation Generator](/en-us/tools/rate-confirmation-generator) · [See how Transportial creates transport documents](/en-us/product/documents)

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