03: Bill of Lading Management

BOL Workflow

Q: What is the complete BOL workflow from shipper to final approval?

A: The documented workflow is:

1. Shipper/FF enters draft BOL as shipping instructions
2. Carrier Company/Operator/Agent checks against Mates Receipts and makes corrections
3. Carrier finalizes B/L quantity and sends invoice
4. Carrier advises Shipper/FF that BOLs are ready for review
5. Shipper/FF makes corrections and sets status to "Draft approved by Shipper/FF"
6. Shipper/FF notifies Carrier via email that BOLs are ready for signing
7. Carrier collects payment and applies electronic signature
8. BOL status changes to "Issued"
9. Shipper receives email about BOLs ready to print

BOL Status Management

Q: What are the different BOL Statuses and what do they mean?

A: The system uses the following statuses:

• Pending (P): Initial state when BOL is first created
• Ready to Invoice (V): BOL quantity has been finalized by carrier and invoice can be generated
• Draft approved by Shipper/FF (A): Shipper has reviewed and approved the BOL content
• Issued (I): BOL has been electronically signed by carrier and is ready for printing
• No Status: BOL is in an intermediate state or being processed

Document Creation and Modification

Q: How do I create a new BOL?

A: Within the B/L tab, there are several methods:

1. Copy a current bill using the [copy a bill] link next to the booking number
2. Create a new bill from scratch using the [create a bill] option
3. Copy a current bill within the same booking using 'Copy Current B/L' link

Q: How do I use the multi-mod tool to modify multiple BOLs at once?

A: Follow these steps:

1. Select the bills to be modified in the B/L view
2. Choose the Multi-mod tool from the ---Select--- menu
3. Choose the fields to be modified and click NEXT
4. Change values in the top row only
5. Use the green cascade arrow to apply changes to other bills
6. Click SAVE Note: Only available before port manifest finalization

Printing and Distribution

Q: How do I handle Original Bill of Lading (OBL) printing?

A: For OBLs:

• You only get one chance to print
• For printing with Clauses: Print double sided
• For printing without clauses:
  • You can photocopy the clause page onto the back
  • You can print with a clause page loaded in your printer

Q: How do I email BOLs from the system?

A: To email BOLs:

1. Go to the Manage tab
2. Select bills to include
3. Click "SEND PDF" button
4. Enter recipients or choose from People list
5. Click SEND
6. Email logs can be viewed via the "E-mail log" link on the Manage tab

Tracking and Changes

Q: How can I track changes made to a bill?

A: Click the "view change log" link at the top of the B/L web view screen to see:

• All revision dates
• Users who made changes

Q: How do I subscribe to receive BOL Issue Notifications?

A: To subscribe:

1. Click on Preferences link
2. Click modify link next to Subscriptions
3. Choose "Receive Carrier B/L Issue Notifications"

Electronic Signatures

Q: How are bitmap signatures handled?

A: For bitmap signatures:

For single bills:

• An administrator must upload initials and signature
• Choose signature in bottom right corner of bill in edit mode

For multiple bills:

1. Choose bills to apply signature to in B/L tab
2. Select multi-sign under select menu
3. Choose signature from list
4. Click green arrow to apply to all selected bills