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DockBOL.com

Create a bill of lading online — free, print-ready, no signup

DockBOL’s standard Straight and VICS BOL generator is not for interstate household-goods moves for individual shippers. It does not provide the separate household-goods carrier workflow required by 49 CFR Part 375.

Company logo (optional)

Printed at the top-left of page 1, aspect ratio preserved. PNG or JPEG up to 500 KB — stored locally in this draft only.

Select who pays the freight charges: Prepaid, Collect, or 3rd Party.

COD & declared value (optional)

NMFC item numbers and freight classes — including demo data and saved presets — are convenience data, not official classification. Verify against the current NMFC tariff.

1

At least one commodity line needs a description.

Keyboard: press Enter in a line's fields to jump to the next line — on the last line it adds one.

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Handling units
0
Packages
0
Gross weight (lb)

Section 7 — non-recourse delivery

Sign only to direct the carrier not to deliver without payment of freight and other lawful charges. Leave it blank for an ordinary delivery.

Consignor — Section 7 non-recourse
Shipper
Carrier / driver
Consignee

Signatures are optional and stay on this device — they are stored only in the local draft on this browser, never uploaded.

What is a bill of lading?

A bill of lading (BOL) is the legal document that rides with a freight shipment from pickup to delivery. It does three jobs at once: it is the carrier's receipt for the goods, the contract of carriage between shipper and carrier, and — as a straight BOL — a non-negotiable instruction naming exactly who may receive the freight.

For LTL shipments the BOL doubles as the rating document. Carriers bill from what's written on it: piece counts, weights, commodity descriptions, NMFC item numbers, and freight classes. Errors there turn into reclass and reweigh fees, invoice disputes, and claims you can't prove.

The driver signs at pickup, the receiver signs at delivery, and those signatures are the paper trail for everything in between. Loss-and-damage liability on interstate shipments is governed by the Carmack Amendment (49 U.S.C. §14706) — which is why the fine print on a BOL matters.

  • Shipper & consignee
  • Carrier & SCAC
  • Date & PRO number
  • Pieces & weight
  • Commodity, NMFC & class
  • Freight terms
  • Signatures

New to freight paperwork? Read the full guide — who signs a BOL, what goes on it, and a worked example →

How to create a BOL with DockBOL

  1. 1

    Add the parties

    Ship From and Ship To names, addresses, and contacts — then save each to the local address book so the next BOL autofills them in one click. Set freight terms (prepaid, collect, or third party) and the Bill To block when someone other than the shipper pays.

  2. 2

    Identify the shipment

    Your BOL reference, shipment date, carrier name and SCAC, trailer and seal numbers, and the carrier's PRO number. The PRO prints as its own scannable barcode on the document.

  3. 3

    Build the commodity table

    One line per commodity: handling units, pieces, gross weight, and description. Add dimensions to calculate density, NMFC item and class for LTL rating, and flag anything hazmat. Reorder lines as the load requires; totals calculate as you type.

  4. 4

    Watch the document checks

    DockBOL validates as you type. Errors block a broken PDF from exporting; warnings and suggestions never do. Click any issue to jump straight to the field that needs attention.

  5. 5

    Download and hand it off

    One click exports an exact US Letter PDF with vector text and barcodes — print it and hand it to the driver. Your draft auto-saves locally, so a refresh never costs you a BOL.

Straight BOL vs. VICS/GS1 mode

Most freight moves on a straight bill of lading. Retail inbound freight often doesn't. DockBOL runs both modes — switch between them at the top of the generator and the rest of the document stays the same.

Standard — straight BOL

The everyday non-negotiable contract for LTL and truckload freight headed to warehouses, job sites, and businesses. Your own BOL reference with a Code 128 barcode, commodity lines with NMFC classes and weights, the standard carrier receipt clause, and the shipper, carrier, and consignee signature blocks that make it a legal receipt.

Straight BOL generator — what it is & when to use one →

VICS/GS1 mode — retail inbound

Built for retail distribution centers that expect the VICS standard on inbound paperwork. DockBOL builds the 17-digit shipment ID from your GS1 company prefix and serial reference, computes the Mod-10 check digit, and encodes it as GS1-128 with AI (402) — alongside SID/CID location identifiers so receivers can scan freight straight off the trailer.

VICS/GS1 generator — the 17-digit ID & AI (402) explained →

Not sure which one your receiver expects? Straight vs. VICS — how to decide, with the 17-digit math worked →

Just need a printable form fast? Bill of lading template PDF — start blank or load a sample →

BOL and PRO barcodes that scan at the dock

Dock paperwork gets scanned, not read. DockBOL prints your BOL reference and the carrier's PRO number as true Code 128 barcodes; in VICS/GS1 mode the 17-digit shipment ID encodes as GS1-128 with Application Identifier (402) — the symbology retail distribution centers expect. A receiving clerk scans the page instead of keying numbers by hand, which speeds up check-in and kills transposition errors.

Every barcode is drawn as resolution-independent vector geometry with the quiet zones scanners require and the human-readable number printed beneath — never a barcode font and never a stretched image. Print at 100% scale on any office or dock printer and it scans like the carrier printed it.

Code 128

BOL references & PRO numbers

GS1-128 · AI (402)

17-digit VICS shipment ID

Vector output

Sharp at any print resolution

Deep dive: Code 128 vs. GS1-128, AI (402), and printing tips that scan →

LTL freight class and NMFC — an honest note

LTL pricing runs on freight class. The National Motor Freight Classification assigns every commodity an item number and a class from 50 (dense, durable freight like steel fittings) up to 500 (light, bulky, or fragile goods). The class on your BOL is what the carrier bills against — and what their inspection team checks first when the numbers look wrong.

DockBOL helps with the math, not the ruling. Enter a line's dimensions and weight and it calculates density in lb/ft³ — the starting point for density-based classes. But DockBOL never picks an NMFC item or class for you, and your saved presets are your own convenience data, not official classification. Confirm classes against the current NMFC (NMFTA's ClassIT) or with your carrier before you tender the freight — a guessed class is how reweigh-and-reclass invoices happen.

Full guide: the four classification factors, density math, and reclass risk →

Why DockBOL

Free means free

No account, no watermark, no trial clock. The generator above is the product — type a shipment and download the PDF.

Your data stays on the dock

Drafts, address book, and presets live in your browser's local storage. Export or import a JSON backup anytime; nothing is uploaded in guest mode.

Print-first PDF

Exact 8.5×11 US Letter, black-and-white, vector text and barcodes. Long commodity tables paginate with repeated headers and the BOL number on every page.

Standards-aware identifiers

VICS/GS1 mode with real GS1 Mod-10 check-digit math and GS1-128 (AI 402) encoding; Code 128 for standard BOL references and PRO numbers.

Built for dock speed

Keyboard-friendly form, tabular numerals, one-click autofill from your address book, and a live preview that updates with every keystroke.

Honest about limits

DockBOL is document-preparation software — not legal, tariff, or classification advice. You stay in control of what prints.

Bill of lading FAQ

Is DockBOL really free? What's the catch?

There's no catch. The generator, live preview, PDF export, address book, and commodity presets are free with no account and no watermark. A paid Pro Dispatcher plan is in development for operations that want cloud history, templates, branding, batch generation, and team features — the free generator stays free.

Do I need to sign up to download a PDF?

No. Fill in the form and click Download PDF — that's the whole flow. There's no email gate and no trial clock. Your draft auto-saves to this browser's local storage, so you can close the tab and pick up where you left off.

What's the difference between a straight BOL and a VICS BOL?

A straight bill of lading is the standard non-negotiable form used for most LTL and truckload shipments — it names a specific consignee and cannot be traded. The VICS bill of lading is the retail-industry standard: it adds a 17-digit shipment identification number built from your GS1 company prefix, a serial reference, and a Mod-10 check digit, encoded as a GS1-128 barcode with AI (402), plus SID/CID location identifiers. Retail distribution centers widely expect it on inbound freight.

How is the 17-digit VICS BOL number calculated?

Concatenate your GS1 company prefix (6–12 digits) and a shipper-assigned serial reference so the two total exactly 16 digits — DockBOL shows how many reference digits your prefix leaves room for as you type. The 17th digit is a Mod-10 (GS1) check digit: starting from the rightmost digit of the 16-digit base, multiply digits alternately by 3 and 1, sum the products, and subtract the sum from the next multiple of 10. DockBOL computes it automatically and encodes the result as GS1-128 with Application Identifier (402).

Can DockBOL tell me my freight class?

No — and be wary of any tool that claims it can from a description alone. DockBOL calculates density (lb/ft³) from a line's dimensions and weight, which is the starting point for density-based classes, but NMFC item numbers and freight classes are yours to confirm against the current NMFC (NMFTA ClassIT) or with your carrier. Saved presets are your own convenience data, not official classification.

Will the printed barcodes actually scan?

Yes — DockBOL renders true Code 128 and GS1-128 barcodes as vector graphics with the quiet zones scanners require and the human-readable number printed beneath. Print the PDF at 100% scale (actual size, not fit-to-page) and test once with your scanner and printer combination, the same as you would with any new paperwork.

Where does my shipment data go?

Nowhere. In guest mode everything runs in your browser: the draft, address book, and presets live in local storage on your device, and the PDF is generated locally. You can export a JSON backup and clear everything from Settings → Local data. Nothing is transmitted or uploaded unless you choose cloud features later.

Is a DockBOL document DOT-approved or VICS-certified?

No document software can honestly claim that. DockBOL is standards-aware document-preparation software — it follows the common straight BOL layout and VICS/GS1 identifier rules — but the shipper remains responsible for the accuracy of the document and for carrier, customer, and regulatory requirements, especially hazmat shipping-paper rules.

Can I use DockBOL for an interstate household-goods move?

No. DockBOL’s standard Straight and VICS BOL generator is not for interstate household-goods moves for individual shippers. It does not provide the separate household-goods carrier workflow required by 49 CFR Part 375.

Pro Dispatcher — for docks that run freight all day

The free generator isn't going anywhere. Pro Dispatcher adds the cloud layer for operations that repeat the same lanes every week:

  • Searchable cloud BOL history — find, duplicate, and archive any document
  • Reusable templates for repeat lanes and regular customers
  • Your logo on the document, with aspect ratio preserved
  • Batch generation: CSV in, validated PDFs out
  • Multi-stop manifests with continuation pages
  • Shared team address book with owner, admin, and member roles

Pro Dispatcher

$9/month·$49/year

See the current plan details.

Create a BOL now — free

The generator above is fully functional today — no account needed.

DockBOL is document-preparation software — not legal, regulatory, tariff, or freight-classification advice. You are responsible for the accuracy of every document you tender to a carrier.

DockBOL’s standard Straight and VICS BOL generator is not for interstate household-goods moves for individual shippers. It does not provide the separate household-goods carrier workflow required by 49 CFR Part 375.

Pricing · Guides · Privacy · Terms · Disclaimer · Free bill of lading generator · Straight & VICS/GS1 modes · Code 128 / GS1-128 barcodes · Runs entirely in your browser

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