subject: Understanding What A Bol Is? [print this page] When you're trying to start shipping your goods further distances, especially internationally, getting an understanding of shipping paperwork is going to be essential to your success. There are many different pieces of paperwork that you need to understand in order to ship internationally, because you have to have them present with all your deliveries in order to have them accepted across international borders. One document in particular which your Bay Area courier service will place emphasis on is the Bill of Lading.
The bill of lading is very important because it succinctly sums up all of the information which is relevant to the arrangement between your company and the company who is moving your goods for you. There is a great deal of information contained on this one simple document. It will show what is being moved, from where and to where, and how much is paid for the shipping. It will also show the date that the goods are supposed to be picked up, and when the goods are supposed to be delivered.
When you're shipping across any international border, they are always going to need to have a valid bill of lading present. When goods are moving into a new country, they need to verify where the goods are coming from, and where the goods are going. They also need to check the value of the goods, as well as making sure that the goods which are actually in the packages are those which are represented on the paperwork. The BOL plays an important part in ensuring that no smuggling is taking place, and that all applicable fees and taxes are being paid.
The bill of lading is something which is the responsibility of your courier company. They are going to prepare one of these for each of your shipments. However, there is some input you can have into the process. Some courier companies will allow you to request a duplicate copy of the bill of lading. That way, you have a copy for your records.
Having a copy of the bill of lading is going to benefit you in several ways. First, you can verify that all of the information which is provided by your company on the BOL is accurate. Next, you will have solid paperwork which verifies the movement of your goods. This can be important to have for your business records, and in case there is ever any future disagreement about what happened during the delivery.
