A bill of lading is a legal document between the shipper of goods and the carrier detailing the type, quantity and destination of the goods being carried. The bill of lading also serves as a receipt of shipment when the goods are delivered at the predetermined destination. This document must accompany the shipped goods, no matter the form of transportation, and must be signed by an authorized representative from the carrier, shipper and receiver. As an example, suppose a logistics company must transport garments from a plant in Bangladesh to a delivery center in sydney via ocean. A plant representative and the origin forwarder sign the bill of lading after the material is loaded onto the vessel . Once the container is delivered to the delivery center in sydney, the destination party must have the copy at the station to receive the goods.
