How to read a car shipping bill of lading
A bill of lading is the carrier's receipt for the car. Federal rules require the parties, the origin and destination, a description of the freight, and, on the expense bill, the rate and the total charges. Carriers add the VIN, the condition, and the odometer as practice. Read those fields before you sign. Do not sign a blank condition section. The form below is generic, not a carrier's document.
Key facts
- Required receipt fields
- For a carrier subject to 49 CFR 373.101, the bill of lading names the consignor and consignee, origin and destination, number of packages, a description of the freight, and weight or measurement if that rates the freight.
- Source: 49 CFR 373.101
- Required charge fields
- The expense bill under 49 CFR 373.103 adds the shipment date, the exact rate, total charges, any special-service charges, the route and each carrier, transfer points, and where to pay.
- Source: 49 CFR 373.103
- Liability without the paper
- 49 USC 14706(a) says failure to issue a receipt or bill of lading does not remove the carrier's liability under that section. You still want the paper.
- Source: 49 USC 14706, 2023 edition
- Condition note is not the claim
- A damage note on the delivery receipt, standing alone, is not a claim under 49 CFR 370.3(c). File a written dollar demand too.
- Source: 49 CFR 370.3
The sources are listed on this page.
A bill of lading for car shipping is the receipt the carrier gives when it takes the car, and the paper you sign again when the car comes off the truck. Read it field by field. The sample below is generic. It is not a carrier's form, and it is not a form you should copy onto their letterhead. This is general information, not legal advice.
49 CFR 373.100 says the bill-of-lading subpart applies to motor carriers subject to 49 USC subtitle IV, part B. 49 USC 14706(a), in the 2023 Code edition, says a carrier providing transportation subject to that section shall issue a receipt or bill of lading, and that failing to issue one does not remove the liability the section imposes. Get the paper anyway. A missing form is a bad day, not a victory.
RideShipper is not on this document. We do not issue bills of lading.
Fields the regulation names
49 CFR 373.101 says the receipt or bill of lading for property tendered in interstate or foreign commerce contains:
- Names of the consignor and the consignee. That is who released the car and who receives it.
- Origin and destination points.
- Number of packages. For one car, this is often "1 vehicle." Read it so a second car is not hiding on the page.
- Description of the freight. Year, make, and model belong here in practice. The regulation says "description." Make it specific enough that it cannot be a different car.
- Weight, volume, or measurement, if that is how the freight is rated. Many car contracts price by vehicle class instead. If the field is blank, ask whether the price depends on it.
49 CFR 373.103 says the freight or expense bill, which may be the same paperwork or a second sheet, also includes the date of shipment, the exact rate or rates, the total charges due, the nature and amount of any special-service charge and where that service was performed, the route and the name of each carrier participating, the transfer points, and the address where payment must be sent. The person who owes the charges shall be given that bill. If they hand you a condition form and no charges, ask for the charge copy.
Fields car carriers add in practice
These are not listed in 373.101. They are what you still read, because the condition of a car is the whole dispute.
| Field | What to check | If it is wrong |
|---|---|---|
| VIN | It matches the dash and your title or registration | Stop. Wrong car, or a typo that breaks a claim. |
| Odometer | It matches the dashboard at that moment | Correct it before you sign. Photograph both. |
| Color and plate | They match the car in front of you | Correct them. A claim with the wrong plate is slower. |
| Operable or not | It matches what you told them, including neutral and steering | A surprise "inoperable" fee starts here. |
| Origin condition | Every existing mark is written in words | Add the marks. Photos are the backup. |
| Delivery condition | New marks are written before you sign | Do not sign it blank. |
| Carrier name and USDOT | They match the door and the contract, or the contract allowed this substitute | Call the broker before you release the keys. |
| Price and balance due | They match the contract you already signed | Do not sign a new price to get the keys. See the price-at-delivery page. |
The VIN has to match because it is the identifier for this car, not a similar one. The odometer is a reading to record, not an automatic claim.
Pickup copy and delivery copy
At pickup you are the consignor, or you are signing for the consignor. You are confirming the description and the condition as the car leaves. Pickup day is the sequence. The photo list is what to photograph before the truck leaves.
At delivery you are the consignee, or you are signing for them. You are confirming what came off the truck. Compare the delivery condition with the pickup condition before you sign. How to write a new mark is noting damage on the bill of lading. If someone else must sign because you cannot be there, they need authority and the same instructions. That situation is delivery to someone else and if nobody can meet the driver.
What the signature does not do
It does not file a claim. 49 CFR 370.3(c) says a notation of damage, standing alone, is not a claim. You still send a written demand for a specified amount, within the contract's deadline. The steps are how to file a damage claim.
It does not raise the cargo limit. The limit is in the contract you signed earlier, which how to read a car shipping contract tells you to find before pickup. 49 USC 14706(c) allows a written limit for property other than certain household goods when the value is reasonable under the circumstances. The bill of lading may repeat that limit. If the two documents disagree, do not sign the bill until someone reconciles them in writing.
It does not make RideShipper a party. If our name appears as the carrier, that form is wrong. Contact us and do not treat it as proof that we have the car.
Shipping checklist
Keep the pickup copy, the delivery copy, and the photos on the shipping checklist. An annotated sample, separate from any carrier's copyrighted form, is the bill of lading reader. The short definition is the glossary. What the driver is asking you to sign, when a new price is on the clipboard, is what the driver asks you to sign.
Questions
Is the bill of lading the same as the contract I signed online?
Often no. The online form is the agreement with the broker or the carrier before pickup. The bill of lading is the receipt issued when the carrier takes the car. Read both. If the price or the VIN differs, stop and ask which document controls before you sign the new one.
What if the driver will not leave me a copy?
Do not let that be the end of it. Photograph every page they ask you to sign, including the condition diagram. 49 CFR 373.103 says the shipper or receiver who owes the charges shall be given the freight or expense bill. Ask for it. If they refuse, email the carrier the same day and say you were not given a copy.
The form uses codes instead of words for damage. What do I do?
Ask the driver what each code means and write the plain words next to it. "S" or "CH" means nothing to you next month. "Scratch, driver door, 2 inches" does. Initial the translation.
Does signing mean I accept new damage?
It means you signed the words on the page. If those words say "no exceptions" and you did not look, the carrier will use the signature. Strike language you do not mean, note what you see, then sign. The note still is not the dollar claim.