Prepare a compliant bill of lading for an interstate HHG shipment
domain: ecfr.gov · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
Sampled — shipped under file-level sampling, not individually fact-checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Steps
Before taking possession of an individual shipper's household goods, prepare and issue a bill of lading as required by 49 CFR 375.505
Include all required elements: your legal/trade name as registered with FMCSA and physical address, names/addresses/USDOT numbers of any participating carriers, the shipper's contact information, accepted forms of payment at delivery, and a valuation statement letting the shipper choose Full Value Protection or waive it under the released-rates option
Disclose any third-party insurance sold or procured for the shipper, including the premium charged
Provide the bill of lading to the shipper for signature generally several days before the scheduled load date, and give the shipper a window afterward to rescind without penalty
Keep a copy of the bill of lading with the shipment at all times while in your possession, including in the driver's possession
Known gotchas
A bill of lading missing required disclosures (especially the valuation/liability election) is a frequent basis for consumer complaints and can affect your liability position in a claim
Signing the shipper up too close to the load date, without the required advance/rescission window, is a compliance gap even if the shipper doesn't object
The bill of lading and the estimate/Order for Service are distinct documents serving different purposes — don't conflate them or skip one because the other was issued
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