One document
runs the whole
shipment.

Three jobs, one document

Legally, the BOL does three things at once:

• Receipt. The driver's signature at pickup is the carrier acknowledging it took possession of the listed freight in apparent good order — your starting evidence in any claim.
• Contract of carriage. The BOL incorporates the carrier's tariff — the rules, liability limits, and fees your freight moves under, whether or not anyone reads them.
• Billing basis. The carrier prices the shipment from what the BOL says. Wrong weight, wrong class, missing services — the invoice inherits every error.

Field by field

Field	What it does — and where it bites
Shipper / Consignee	Full names and street addresses at both ends. A vague address invites misdelivery and redelivery fees.
Third-party bill-to	Directs charges to your broker so negotiated pricing applies. This is the field that connects your shipment to your rates.
PRO / reference numbers	The carrier's PRO tracks the freight; your PO and reference numbers keep the shipment matchable to your paperwork.
Description & NMFC / class	Specific commodity, NMFC item, and freight class. "General freight" invites inspection; accuracy prevents it. See the freight class guide.
Handling units, weight, dims	What the carrier's scales and dimensioners will verify. Include pallet weight; measure the extremes.
Special services	Liftgate, residential, limited access, appointment — declared here, they're priced in; discovered later, they're penalty-priced.
Declared value	Where liability beyond the carrier's default per-pound limit must be arranged — before pickup, not after a loss.
Hazmat certification	Regulated commodities need proper shipping names, UN numbers, and a certified signature. No shortcuts here — fines are federal.
Shipper load & count	Notation shifting count risk to whoever sealed the trailer. Standard on truckload; understand it before you sign.
Signatures	Shipper certifies accuracy; driver acknowledges receipt. Unsigned BOLs protect no one.

The habits that keep you protected

• Use the BOL your broker generates. When freight moves on a carrier's counter BOL instead, your negotiated pricing can fall off the shipment entirely. FoxTMS produces the correct BOL automatically on every booking.
• Never sign a blank or incomplete BOL — you're certifying whatever gets filled in later.
• Get the driver's signature and keep your copy. Phone photo is fine. It's the document your claim stands on.
• Match the BOL to reality before the truck arrives — count, weight, class, services. Two minutes at the dock beats two weeks of dispute.
• At delivery, the same document works in reverse — the consignee's notations on the delivery receipt decide claims. See the claims guide.

Where the Fox fits

Every shipment booked through FoxTMS generates a complete, correct BOL — right billing party, right class, right services — and FoxIQ keeps the signed copies, PODs, and weight certificates attached to the shipment record. When an invoice disagrees with the BOL, FoxIQ Audit catches it. The paperwork protects you, automatically.