"So let me see if I've got this straight. You want me to pocket the bol the shipper gives me and not let the receiver see it? Instead I should use the bol that you give me. But I'll have to sign the bol that the shipper gives me. Won't that make me responsible for delivering the load to the address he gives me?"

"Forgetaboutit, it's done all the time, you'll be fine"


Is this common practice?

 

Same sort of thing happens with lumber loads. Usually the ship to address will be the broker or trucking company on the original BOL.

 

Usually the Shipper's BOL has the address of the intermediary buyer for the consignee. The intermediary then issues a BOL that has the trucking company's address, as the second consignee, and the trucking company issues the final BOL with the actual consignee as the receiver, sometimes the trucking company may repackage the product to remove any identification inadvertently left. THAT is a "double blind" shipment. It protects the original shipper's identity and pricing habits.

A blind shipment only involves the shipper, the intermediary and the intended consignee. Usually some schmuck leaves identification material on product....so it isn't so blind.

 

When I hauled blind or double-blind shipments, I was told that the brokers were covering their own butts. If the shipper or consignee found out the other end, they would negotiate to bypass the broker. And, since many companies have their own brokerages as well, it's the company covering it's butt in that way as well. Some loads, I had to take into the yard where they would unload the trailer and change the names on the packages. Others they didn't care if the original names were there or not. But, many times, it's someone that does not want to get bypassed in the transactions.

 

Used to happen in the chemical buisness all the time, mostly the reciever already knew about it.

What sux is trying to explain to the DOT man why the papers say you picked up in Chicago heading to Texas and your in Alabama on I-10 because you actually picked it up in Georgia to go to Texas..................HUH ?!

 

Real common in food pruducts.

 

I have done some of this with steel, too.