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U.S. Domestic Inland LTL Bill of Lading for International Sea Freight from the USA

U.S. domestic LTL freight carriers are used in multimodal international cargo transportation logistics to deliver loads to a consolidator's freight terminal (CFS) for further shipping from the United States abroad.

Choosing a pickup or line-haul option in the online freight calculator indicates that the shipper needs assistance with delivering cargo to a sea freight carrier's terminal (CFS) for further shipping from the USA overseas using LCL freight.

Such sea freight terminals are called CFS - Container Freight Station.

Cargo deliveries to Container Freight Stations (CFSs) are typically handled by U.S. domestic trucking companies that focus on less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping. An LTL Bill of Lading (BOL or B/L) serves as the title for cargo deliveries within the United States.

Don't mix up LTL with Less-than-Container Load (LCL).

• LTL stands for Less Than Truckload. It's a type of shipping service in the U.S. that moves smaller loads of cargo instead of filling up an entire truck.
• LCL stands for Less than Container Load. This term is used for international shipping by sea, helping you send smaller amounts of cargo out of the U.S. without needing a whole container.

Don't mix up a US domestic LTL bill of lading with an LCL sea freight bill of lading. Here's a sample of what a US domestic LTL bill of lading looks like.

When shipping cargo internationally from the U.S., a U.S. LTL (Less Than Truckload) inland BOL is a temporary document. Unlike an LCL (Less than Container Load) bill, it isn't the final paperwork. It serves as a contract for moving cargo from its pickup point to a Container Freight Station (CFS) for international transport. Both locations are within the U.S.

Additionally, the LTL bill of lading helps verify details about the goods delivered to the CFS, such as:

• Kind of commodity,
• Quantity of shipping units and their packing,
• The weight and dimensions.

Once the cargo arrives at the Container Freight Station (CFS) for overseas shipping, the recipient should verify the info on the Less Than Truckload (LTL) Bill of Lading. The weight and measurements from the LTL BOL should match the ocean freight carrier's warehouse receipt until it is palletized at the CFS.

Just a heads up: the Less-than-Container Load (LCL) sea freight bill of lading is the key document for international shipments, unlike the LTL BOL used on land in the USA.

When shipping from the US overseas, you might see some differences between the details in the LTL BOL and the LCL BOL, which is normal. This often happens due to how the cargo is handled at the Container Freight Station (CFS).

When picking up your cargo at the destination, rely on the sea freight bill of lading instead of the US domestic inland bill. Customs at the destination will only consider the sea freight bill as proof of an international shipment since it’s the standard document for global shipping from the USA.