Contracts and bills of lading: questions and answers

A bill of lading is the carrier's receipt for the car, and the paper you sign again at delivery. It is also the contract record liability follows. For a carrier subject to 49 CFR 373.101, it names the consignor and consignee, the origin and destination, the number of packages, a description of the freight, and weight or measurement if that rates the freight. Carriers add the VIN, the condition, and the odometer as practice. Read those before you sign. The form your driver brings is theirs, not a generic sample.

For a carrier covered by 49 CFR 373.101, look for the consignor, the consignee, origin, destination, and a description of the freight. If the rate depends on weight or measurement, that figure belongs there too. In practice, also find the VIN, the odometer, and the condition notes. The expense bill under 49 CFR 373.103 is a further paper: shipment date, the exact rate, total charges, special-service charges, the route and each carrier, transfer points, and where to pay. If a field is blank, ask before you sign.

Match the VIN to the car. Read the origin and destination. Read every mark already drawn on the condition section, and add the ones you see. Photograph the same panels. Do not sign a blank damage section. The person signing can be you or an adult you named, with the keys and authority to release the car. Federal rules require a receipt. They do not require the registered owner to be the one holding the pen. Keep a copy that does not stay only on the driver's clipboard.

Write every new mark in plain words before you sign, on the copy you keep. If there is a diagram, mark that too. Do not sign a statement that the car arrived undamaged if you have not walked around it. If the light was poor or you could not see the roof, write that limit. You may strike a pre-printed "received in good condition" line and replace it. The note is evidence. Under 49 CFR 370.3 it is not, by itself, the written claim for a dollar amount.

No. 49 USC 14706 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, because condition notes, names, and charges live on it. Ask for the receipt at pickup and do not treat a text message as a substitute unless the contract says that record is the receipt. This is general information, not a prediction of how a dispute ends. Keep your photos either way.

Find the sentence that says whether the price can move after a carrier is assigned, or only before. That sentence decides whether the number on page one is a price. A headline without it is not a contract you understand yet. Compare any new total at the curb with that sentence before you pay. A balance due at delivery can be legitimate. A surprise total is not automatic.

Find the sentence that says when you can cancel and what happens to a deposit. It should say whether the money returns to the same card, and whether that changes after a carrier is assigned. A deposit is not proof of a truck. The Better Business Bureau's 21 July 2023 alert says to pay by credit card, not by wire or a prepaid debit card. If the refund sentence is blank, do not send the money. This page cannot read a PDF you have not been sent.

Find the dollar limit for damage to your car, and match it to the certificate. 49 USC 14706(c) allows a written limit on the carrier's liability for property other than certain household goods, when the value is reasonable under the circumstances. Read the number you are accepting. The $750,000 public-liability figure many haulers file is for injury and for damage from operating the truck. It is not the cargo limit. An extra plan sold at booking is a third contract. Read the one that names a limit for your car.

Find the sentence that says whether items may stay, where they may sit, and any weight cap. The carrier's contract sets that limit. There is no single federal pound figure to quote. If the sentence is missing, treat items as not allowed until the company writes a number. Personal items are often excluded from cargo cover in the same contract. If anything stays, list it on the bill of lading. An unlisted box is an argument later. Documents and the title should travel with you, not in the trunk.

Find the printed deadline for a written claim, and write it on your copy at delivery. A note on the bill of lading is not that claim by itself. If 49 USC 14706 applies, the carrier may not set a claim period under 9 months, or a lawsuit period under 2 years from a written disallowance. Whether your shipment is in that section is a legal question. If the contract is shorter, ask a lawyer. This page points at the clause. It does not tell you how a court would rule.

Read the legal name on the contract and whether it says broker or carrier. A broker may not present its operations as those of a carrier. Advertising has to show broker status, in the registered name, under 49 CFR 371.7. You can pay a broker and still meet a different company at the curb. The bill of lading should name the carrier that takes the car. A broker must keep that carrier's name and registration number, and you can ask to see the record. Match it before you share a gate code.

The bill of lading is the receipt for the car. The expense bill, for a carrier subject to 49 CFR 373.103, adds the shipment date, the exact rate or rates, total charges, any special-service charges, the route and each carrier, transfer points, and where the charges are payable. Read the total against the contract before you pay the driver. A special-service line you never agreed to is a question, not an automatic balance. Keep both papers. This is a reading aid, not a legal review of your form.