When it comes to shipping documents, we know that they differ from the type of shipment; sea, air, and land. In our previous blogs, we looked at the types of Bill of Lading. You can read about them in our blogs, The Types of Bill of Lading, and An Air Waybill and how it Differs from a Bill of Lading. In this blog, we look at land transportation documents.

Land Transportation Waybill

A Land Transportation Waybill is used with land-based shipments, whereby it acts as a concise form of contract of carriage with not much detail or conditions related to the tariffs that the carrier must pay. By finding out what the waybill contains, the shipper will be able to find out the limits of liability. Much like an Air Waybill (AWB), it’s a non-negotiable form of document and is never consigned on “to order” basis. However, a waybill can fall under terms of “Collect on Delivery” with add-on handling fees by the carrier to safeguard both the buyer’s and the seller’s interests.

Uniform Bill of Lading

This is a type of Bill of Lading that is used for land based shipments and is subjected to shipping terms and conditions that are “uniform” with transportation tariffs or contract of carriage agreements that are accepted widely.  The Uniform Bill of Lading is also referred to as a Uniform Waybill. It can be consigned on “to order” basis and thus becomes a negotiable type of Bill of Lading much like an Ocean Bill of Lading (as explained in our previous blog – An Air Waybill and how it Differs from a Bill of Lading ).  This uniform bill of lading is a longer version of the “Waybill” including the terms and conditions in entirety as opposed to a waybill referring only nominally.

Hand Tag

A hand tag is used for a cargo pickup when a truck driver shows up at a shipping dock or door (at the origin’s address) and is filled in by hand. It’s a short-form contact with a brief set of terms and conditions. However, it is still covered by the limits of liability by the carrier, and also carries the tariff’s that they must pay.   It is sometimes also used in air freight and local shipping couriers for its convenient nature. Electronically dispatched trucks hired for cargo pickups from shippers that have not prepared a uniform waybill for the driver to sign as means of a cargo receipt often use a hand tag.