subject: What Is A Bill Of Lading? [print this page] Nearly any business in the Bay area could find itself in need of a courier service at some point. Whether the business ships products to other business or to end users, or whether they deal only in important documents, the possibility of having a need for a Bay Area courier service is there. If the business ships goods internationally from San Francisco, then the courier service will likely make the pickup for them, and then handle the arrangements to get the shipment either the next boat or the next flight out, depending on its urgency.
When goods do go across national borders, however, there are numerous documents that often need to be filled out and presented at the border crossing or at customs. While some courier services will handle this for you, you should be aware that you will always need to present the commercial invoice at the border. Another item that is less commonly known which is also required at the border is a Bill of Lading, or BOL. This is essentially a document showing the agreement between the business originating the goods and the courier service.
If they don't handle this for you, the Bay Area courier service that you choose will require you to complete a bill of lading before they even load up your shipment. The BOL will state, in explicit terms, the agreement that your company and the courier service has come to for the shipping of the goods. Not only will it list what the goods are, in detail, but it will also list their point of origin, their destination, the date of shipment and expected date of delivery, and the amount that you are paying the Bay Area Courier Service to ship the products for you. Requiring the BOL at the border is a way for countries to keep their borders secure and make sure that all goods coming and going are carefully monitored.
A Bay Area courier service would be remiss in its duties if it did not require you to prepare a BOL. If they were to arrive at the border without one, the entire shipment would likely be turned back, resulting in long delays in delivery. By making certain that you provide this to them, and that it is filled out correctly, they are doing you a service in making certain that your shipment makes it over the border without any hassles.
