BOL Formatting

There is no standard format for a bill of lading number. The BOL number is typically assigned by the carrier or freight forwarder responsible for the shipment, and can be any combination of letters and numbers. Some companies may use a specific format for their BOL numbers, such as using a certain number of digits or including the date or other information in the number. A check digit may also be utilized to further randomize and authenticate a bill of lading number. However, there is no universal standard for the format of a BOL number.

One example of a standardized fill of lading number format is the VICS BOL number. A Vics bill of lading, or VICS BOL, is a type of bill of lading that is used in the United States for domestic shipments. It is named after the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions (VICS) organization, which developed the VICS BOL as a standard format for electronic bills of lading.

BOL Pro Tools

BOL Pro has has you covered with flexible BOL number automation tools to save time, ensure accuracy and avoid duplicating numbers.

From your BOL Pro account, select "BOL No Settings" from the My Data dropdown to configure the following settings:

Auto-Generate Increment BOl Number:

Checking this option will require you to enter a start value, which must consit of only digits. From here, BOL Pro will auto-populate your next BOL form with this value. And the bill of lading number will be auto-incremented by one digit for all new forms from that point on.

The BOL number format can be customized with a static prefix or suffix, which can containg numbers and digitis, and optional dashes between them. Only the middle "start value" can be incremented.

Lastly, the Check Digit option can be selected to auto-generate a formulated 17th digit if certain criteria are met. This is a common option for the VICS BOL number referenced above.

The addition of the barcode can be controlled from the bill of lading template defaults and individually on each form.

Use the toggle buttons in the "Barcode Area" to turn the barcode on or off for the bill of lading number or pro number fields.

If the barcode is enabled, you will see a barcode representing the characters typed into the bol number or pro number fields. The barcode will update as characters are typed or changed.

Saving and downloading a form will also embed the barcode image into the resulting bill of lading PDF.

We are excited to announce our most-requested feature, particularly at a time when it may be most useful and help promote safer interactions along the supply chain. This feature will immediately be available to all plans. Later, but no earlier than July 1, 2020, this feature will only be available to Team Plan users.

If you have the need to allow for editing of an individual bol form by anyone else, such as adding a bill of lading signature, you can open access with a shared public link.

This can be done with any existing form. Use the link available for each form in the bill of lading history on your account dashboard.

A public link will be displayed, which can be shared with anyone. The public link allows for full editing of the bol form, with some limitations.

Forms edited through the public link cannot add, remove or adjust logos. Saved account data, such as saved locations, carriers and products are not available for quick selection through the public forms.

Signatures can be removed and added. Unlike the private forms, new signatures can be added directly through the form. Signatures added through a public form are saved and retained within the individual form only. As with adding signatures for quick selection within private forms, signatures are best added using a touchscreen, tablet or smartphone.

Saved changes to the form are permanent. Forms cannot be edited by multiple people at the same time.

Access to the form using the public link will remain until the form is deleted or sharing is stopped. Return to the form's public link from the dashboard to revoke the public link to prevent further editing outside of your account.

A new public link can be generated at any time using the same method as before.

If you have the need to allow employees or coworkers to have full account and form-editing capabilities, the Team Plan currently allows for three total team members to share and manage a single account.