Bills of Lading 101 (8 MIN)

Introduction to Bills of Lading

Bills of Lading are one of the most crucial shipping documents used in global trade. Learn about their history and function in the supply chain industry.

Michael Baekboel

Michael Baekboel, Flexport’s Head of CaaS (Compliance as a Service), has nearly 40 years of experience in freight forwarding. Noting its high potential, he dove into the developing world of digital freight at Flexport in 2014. Michael is also the Federal Maritime Commission Qualifying Individual and officer of the NVOCC arm of Flexport International LLC. He provides sage advice whether enabling our operations teams to work compliantly or leading weekly meditation classes.

Michael Baekboel
Michael Baekboel, Flexport’s Head of CaaS (Compliance as a Service), has nearly 40 years of experience in freight forwarding. Noting its high potential, he dove into the developing world of digital freight at Flexport in 2014. Michael is also the Federal Maritime Commission Qualifying Individual and officer of the NVOCC arm of Flexport International LLC. He provides sage advice whether enabling our operations teams to work compliantly or leading weekly meditation classes.

Your Key Takeaways

Learn what a Bill of Lading is and the various functions it serves throughout the shipment cycle.

How Bills of Lading have hardly evolved since the Middle Ages and how this translates to the use of these documents now.

Read more about the different types of BoLs

How Bills of Lading are used to identify legal ownership and payment for cargo.

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