What is a signed BOL? Your proof of delivery

A signed BOL is the bill of lading after the receiver signs it at delivery. That signed copy is your proof of delivery, or POD.

If we pay you directly, the signed BOL is the paperwork that starts your pay. So it's worth a few extra minutes at the dock to get it right.

What a bill of lading is

The bill of lading is the shipping paper that travels with the load. For most interstate freight, federal rules say it has to show:

• who's shipping it and who's receiving it
• where it's coming from and where it's going
• how many pieces there are
• what the freight is
• the weight or size, when the rate depends on it

It's also a contract between the shipper and the carrier, so read it before you sign at pickup. The receiver signs it when the freight comes off.

Why the receiver's signature makes it proof of delivery

When the receiver signs, they're accepting the freight from you. Without their signature, the BOL only shows you picked the load up.

What they write next to the signature counts too. If a shortage or damage isn't on the BOL when they sign, the signed copy shows that everything arrived in good condition.

What to check before you leave the dock

Fix any problem before you pull out. Once you've left, you may not get much help getting the paperwork changed.

At pickup

• Count the freight against the BOL if they let you watch it load.
• Make sure the seal number is on every copy of the BOL. If the seal number or the count is wrong, have the shipper fix it and initial it before you pull out.
• Trailer already loaded and sealed? Ask for "shipper load and count," or SLC, on the BOL. Not every shipper allows it. But if the count is short at delivery, SLC means the shipper has to show the loss happened during the haul.

At delivery

• Before the seal is cut, check it's intact and matches the BOL. Ask the receiver to write "seal intact" and the number on it.
• Count it off with the receiver if they let you on the dock.
• Get any shortage or damage written on the BOL before anyone signs. Say how many pieces and what's wrong with them, something like "2 cases crushed."
• Ask for a readable signature and the date. If it's a scribble, have them print their name next to it.
• Leave with your own signed copy. If they keep the paper, take a clear photo of it before you pull out.

When the BOL is missing or wrong

• No receiver signature. Nothing shows they took the load. Ask for one before you leave.
• A shortage nobody wrote down. The signed copy says it all arrived, and fixing that later is hard.
• A count or seal number that doesn't match. Don't make the paper match. Have the receiver write what they found next to their signature, like the seal number on the doors. Then call the broker on the load before you leave. Don't change a signed BOL yourself.
• A receiver who won't sign, or won't let you add a note. Call the broker on the load before you leave. For a Bainbridge load, our number is on carrier support.

Getting paid with us

If we pay you directly, you're paid the next business day once you approve your load for invoicing, with no fee for getting paid early. When your factoring company holds a notice of assignment, we pay it the next business day too.

Already running with us? Upload the signed BOL in your app or admin portal. You can track your pay in your admin portal.

Carrier payments explains who we pay. It also has what to send, and where, to get paid directly.

New to us? Booking to delivery walks through a week, from booking your days to the signed BOL.

We're Bainbridge Brokerage, MC 1390499 and USDOT 3832071. Verify us on FMCSA's records before you haul, then apply. It takes about two minutes.