What is the bill landing? We break it down for you

As a company who is shipping products there are a few terms you probably should be familiar with in order to have your business running legally, smoothly, and proficiently. The first term that you should be familiar with is something known as a "Bill of Lading." Now, you can certainly go on over to Google and search the term yourself...or you can take the easy way and just read on because we have done the hard work for you.

First, let’s take a look at where the Bill of Lading came from...This document can be traced back to the Roman times which are pretty impressive. Cargo that has been exported and imported has been documented and logged for as long as shipping itself, but the actual Bill of Lading document has become more popular as international trade has become more popular.

You might see the term Bill of Lading abbreviated as B/L or BoL at times; they all mean the same thing. The Bill of Lading is defined as a document which is negotiated that is issued by a carrier in order to acknowledge the receipt of the cargo that is to be shipped.

Why on earth do you need a Bill of Lading when shipping things from Australia? Well, the Bill of Lading serves three main purposes.

• A conclusive receipt to show the goods have been loaded on the transportation vessel.
• Proves as evidence for the terms of the contract of carriage.
• It’s a document of title to the cargo.

When exporting cargo from Australia to any other part of the world, the Bill of Lading acts as just one of three crucial documents that are used to protect all parties involved in the transport. The document ensures that the exporters are being paid and the importers are receiving the cargo.

There are two types of Bill of Lading to choose from...

• Clean Bill of Lading – Also known as Onboard bill of lading. This type is used when there are no discrepancies between the description filled out by the shipper and the actual cargo on the vessel.
• Claused Bill of Lading – Used when there are some discrepancies between what is marked as the items by the shipper and the actual cargo.

It might be easier to think of this important document as a burden of proof to show what is being shipped that way all parties involved can be protected from fraud and/or theft.