The Bill of Lading and Your Moving Paperwork

The paperwork, in the order you get it

• The written estimate, signed by both of you, with the two federal booklets ("Ready to Move?" and "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move") as copies or links.
• Before you sign the bill of lading: the estimate, a notice that the mover's tariff is available to you, a summary of its arbitration program, and a summary of its complaint procedure, including its main phone number and who pays for calls.
• The bill of lading itself.
• An itemized inventory, prepared at or before loading.
• At delivery: weight tickets with the freight bill (on weight-based moves) and a delivery receipt.

The 3-day rule

The mover must give you the bill of lading, and have it signed and dated, at least 3 days before your shipment is scheduled to be loaded. You may then rescind it without any penalty for 3 days after signing.

Day-of-move changes that produce a new estimate don't restart the 3-day period. That's why it pays to get the inventory right during the survey, not on moving day.

What the bill of lading must contain

Federal rules list what goes on it. The items that matter most to you:

• The mover's name as registered with the FMCSA and its physical address — plus the names, addresses, phones and USDOT numbers of other carriers involved, when known.
• The form of payment, which must be the same one written on the estimate.
• The agreed pickup and delivery dates or periods; for guaranteed service, the dates and any penalty or per-day amount owed to you if they're missed.
• For moves paid at delivery, the maximum amount the mover will demand to give you your goods, and a person to notify about charges.
• Your valuation choice: Full Value Protection or your written waiver.
• Evidence of any insurance you bought and its cost.
• Special or accessorial services, and any minimum weight or volume charges.
• A statement that it incorporates all services in the estimate. Attachments are part of the contract, and the estimate and inventory must be attached if you weren't given them separately.

Signing

You and the mover sign before loading, and again at origin and at destination; you get a dated copy each time. The driver must have it before leaving with your goods.

You must never be asked to sign a blank document. An incomplete bill of lading can be signed only when the missing pieces are the actual weight and the charges that can't be known until the shipment is weighed. If the mover believes a service is necessary (for example, a shuttle) and you refuse it, the mover must refuse the shipment and note the refusal in writing — it can't leave the line blank and bill you later.

The inventory

The mover must prepare a written, itemized inventory identifying every carton and every uncartoned item, each with an identification number. You may watch and verify it, and you get a copy signed by both of you, together with the bill of lading, before or at loading.

At delivery you can check items and their condition against the inventory and note missing or damaged items in writing; you get copies of those notes. Those notes are the backbone of any later claim.

Keep everything

The mover has to keep estimates, the inventory and the bill of lading for at least a year. Keep your own copies at least as long, and until any claim is settled. Photograph anything signed at the truck.

Common questions