Bill of Lading
What this does
A Bill of Lading (BOL) is the freight document that travels with a shipment. Teamship builds the BOL for a bulk shipping order automatically from the order's data, lets warehouse users adjust it, and produces a PDF to print or download.
The BOL system has three parts:
- BOL editor — the document itself, opened from the order. Fields can be edited, line items added and signatures captured.
- BOL Configurator — where you decide what goes into each BOL field, at warehouse level and optionally per customer.
- Field mappings — the rules in the configurator that pull order, warehouse, ship-to, customer and EDI data into each field.
A summary of BOLs also appears on the Bulk Shipping page.
When to use
Create a BOL when a bulk shipping order is going out by freight (LTL / FTL) and the carrier needs a Bill of Lading — for example, palletized wholesale shipments or freight pickups.
Set up the BOL Configurator once per warehouse so every BOL is filled in consistently, and add customer-level overrides only for customers whose BOLs need something different (a special trailer type, a reference number from their EDI data, a different company name).
BOL settings
Warehouse-level configuration
The warehouse configuration is the default for every BOL created for orders shipping from that warehouse.
- Open the warehouse profile.
- In the BOL Configuration section, select Configure BOL Field Mappings. The configurator opens in a new tab.
- Select a field from the BOL Document Mappings list. Fields that already have a mapping are highlighted.
- Enter a Primary Template — fixed text, variables, or both (see below).
- Optionally enter a Default Value, used when the template comes out empty (for example, TBD for the carrier).
- Check the Live Preview, which shows the field filled with sample data.
The configuration includes a Company Name field. The company name is also included in the full address blocks on the BOL.
Customer-level configuration
A customer can have its own mappings that replace the warehouse mapping for individual fields. Fields the customer hasn't configured still use the warehouse mapping.
- Open the customer profile and go to the Templates tab.
- In the BOL Configuration section, check the status:
- Using Defaults — the customer has no overrides and uses the warehouse configuration.
- Configured — the customer has at least one field mapping of its own.
- Select Configure Customer BOL to open the configurator, and set up fields the same way as at warehouse level.
For example, if the warehouse maps Equipment to the order's equipment value, a customer can set Equipment to the fixed text Flatbed. That customer's BOLs then always show Flatbed, while other customers' BOLs keep using the warehouse mapping.
The customer configuration also includes Company Name.
Resetting a customer to warehouse defaults
In the customer configurator, select Reset to Warehouse Defaults and confirm. All of the customer's mappings are deleted, the status returns to Using Defaults, and new BOLs for that customer use the warehouse configuration.
Template variables
Templates use variables written in double curly braces, such as {{ship.carrier}}. In the configurator's variables panel, click a variable to insert it at the cursor. Variables are grouped into:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Ship (the shipping order) | Order number, carrier, PRO number, PO number, shipment ID, ship date, pickup ETA |
| Warehouse (shipper) | Name, address, city, state, ZIP, contact name and phone, full address, full address with contact |
| Ship To (consignee) | Name, address, city, state, ZIP, phone, full address, full address with contact |
| Customer | Name, contact name, email, phone, full address |
| EDI | The customer's EDI fields (see below) |
| Line Items | Package count, commodity, dimensions, freight class, total packages, total weight |
Templates can mix text and variables — for example, PS# {{edi.ship.PackSlipNumber}}.
Which value wins
For each field, Teamship uses the first of these that applies:
- A manual override made in the BOL editor
- The customer-level mapping
- The warehouse-level mapping
- The mapping's Default Value, if the template comes out empty
- Blank, if nothing is configured
EDI fields on the BOL
Customer EDI values (for example, a pack slip number sent by a trading partner) can be printed on the BOL.
- Make sure the EDI field is marked as visible on the BOL. Only visible EDI fields appear in the configurator.
- Open the warehouse or customer BOL Configurator and select a field — for example, Third Party Billing.
- In the variables panel, open the EDI section and insert the field. The variable uses the field's key, for example
{{edi.ship.PackSlipNumber}}. - Check the preview, which shows a sample EDI value.
BOLs for that customer's orders now show the order's EDI value in the field (for example, PS# PS-123). If the order has no value for that EDI field, the field is blank or shows the default value.
See EDI Configuration for setting up EDI fields.
Creating a BOL
- Open the bulk shipping order.
- Select BOL.
The first time, Teamship creates the BOL and fills every field from the field mappings. The BOL editor then opens.
The BOL snapshot
When a BOL is first created, Teamship saves a snapshot of all its field values. This keeps the BOL consistent as a shipping document:
- Changing the warehouse or customer mappings later does not change existing BOLs. Only BOLs created afterwards use the new mappings.
- After creation, a field changes only when you override it, or when you use Refresh from Shipment or Reset BOL to Shipment Data.
Editing a BOL
Overriding a field
- Click any field on the BOL to edit it.
- Click away from the field. A Saving… then Saved indicator appears.
The field is marked Overridden. To undo an override, select Clear on that field; it returns to its mapped value.
Line items (Description of goods)
- Select + to add a row and the trash icon to remove one.
- Each row has Packages, Commodity, Dimensions, HS Code, Class and Stackable.
- Total Packages and Total Weight recalculate automatically as rows are added, changed or removed.
Signatures
The BOL has three signature fields: Shipper, Consignee and Carrier. Draw a signature with a mouse or touchscreen. Signatures can be cleared and signed again, and they appear on the printed PDF.
Refreshing and resetting a BOL
Use these when the shipping order has changed since the BOL was created (for example, the carrier, weights or ship-to address).
| Action | Fields from the order | Your overrides | Signatures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refresh from Shipment | Updated with the latest order data | Kept | Kept |
| Reset BOL to Shipment Data | Updated with the latest order data | Cleared | Cleared |
Both actions ask you to confirm first. Reset BOL to Shipment Data shows a warning because it can't be undone — every field returns to its mapped value.
For example, if you overrode Carrier to Manual Entry and the order's carrier then changed, Refresh from Shipment updates the other fields but leaves Carrier as Manual Entry. Reset BOL to Shipment Data replaces it with the order's new carrier.
After an order is modified, resetting the BOL also picks up updated catch weights. See Catch Weight Orders.
Printing and downloading
From the BOL editor:
- Download PDF — generates and downloads the BOL as a PDF.
- Print — sends the BOL to a connected printer. Choose the printer, the number of copies (1–10), and single- or double-sided.
The PDF includes every field, all line items with their totals, and any signatures. Grand totals are included whether you print directly or download first.
Multi-page BOLs
When a BOL has too many line items for one page, the PDF continues onto additional pages:
- The first page shows the first set of line items and a Continued on page 2 note.
- The last page shows the remaining line items, the totals and the signature blocks.
BOLs on completed orders
Warehouse users can still open, edit, refresh, reset, print and download a BOL after the order is completed. The only action not available is voiding the BOL.
Roles and permissions
Warehouse users
- Create, edit, refresh, reset, print and download BOLs for orders in their own warehouses only. BOLs for other warehouses are not accessible.
- Open the warehouse BOL Configurator for their own warehouses only.
- Void a BOL while the order is still open.
Administrators
- Set up warehouse-level and customer-level BOL configurations
- Reset a customer to warehouse defaults
Customers
- Can view and download the BOL for their own orders once it has been generated.
- If no BOL has been generated, the BOL button is disabled and shows Not generated.
- Can't open the BOL Configurator or change BOL mappings.
Common issues
| Issue | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| A BOL field is blank | No mapping at warehouse or customer level and no default value, or the order has no data for the variable used |
| A customer's BOL ignores a warehouse mapping change | The customer has its own mapping for that field. Check the customer's BOL Configuration status, or reset the customer to warehouse defaults. |
| An existing BOL doesn't reflect a mapping change | BOLs keep the snapshot taken when they were created. Only new BOLs use the new mapping. |
| The BOL shows old order data (carrier, weights, address) | The order changed after the BOL was created. Use Refresh from Shipment, or Reset BOL to Shipment Data if overrides should go too. |
| A manual change was kept after refreshing | Refresh from Shipment keeps overrides. Use Clear on the field, or Reset BOL to Shipment Data. |
| Signatures disappeared | Reset BOL to Shipment Data was used; it clears all signatures |
| An EDI field isn't in the configurator's variables | The EDI field isn't marked as visible on the BOL |
| Void isn't available | The order is completed. BOLs can't be voided on completed orders. |
| A customer sees Not generated | No BOL has been created for that order yet |
| A warehouse user can't open a BOL or the configurator | The order or configurator belongs to a warehouse they don't have access to |