Electronic Bills of Lading (e-BOLs) from Outsource2india

Outsource2india provides quick and accurate BOL digitizing services for shipping and transportation companies that have migrated to electronic BOLs.

We access the BOL data from the company's secure servers or over VPN (Virtual Private Network). Our expert data entry teams input the details and generate digitized e-BOLs within a few hours of the transaction. Accurate and completed e-BOLs are saved in the shipping company's secure servers long before their loading trucks get back for unloading and shipping out of cargo.

What is an e-BOL?

Originally meant simply as a ship's cargo list, today a BOL serves as a contract of carriage between the shipper of goods and the carrier of those goods (can be a trucking company, railroad, a ship or air freighter). The web definition of the BOL states the 3 main purposes of a BOL as

• setting the terms and conditions of the contract
• serving as the receipt for the goods to be transported
• serving as a documentary evidence of the party entitled to deliver

The BOL also contains the list and description of goods consigned, details of the shipper, consignee, the place from where they are shipped and the destination they are headed to.

Thus, the BOL is critical in the entire shipment process. Multiple copies of it have to be sent to all parties involved at both ends. Just this process took anywhere between 5 to 6 days, if not more. Paper copies of the BOL were relayed back and forth between shipper, carrier, forwarder, consignee and often the consignee's bank. Continuous review and modification to the contents of the BOL often added to the delay.

However, new electronic BOL (e-BOL) systems are being increasingly used by many transportation and shipping companies. This powerful and totally secure electronic system allows the International Bill of Lading to be drawn up electronically, checked, modified and printed online, complete with digital signatures of concerned persons – all in less than half the time that was taken earlier.

E-BOL Generation Process

The e-BOL creation process at Outsource2india follows a series of well-defined steps. Here are the main steps in the process we follow for a leading trucking company located in the U.S. -

1. Pickup trucks from the carrier's terminal are sent out to shippers' locations for loading consignments.
2. The shipper fills out a paper BOL with details of consignment, location etc. The trucker checks the consignment against the BOL for veracity of details and then loads the cargo.
3. After loading, the driver scans and uploads the paper BOLs onto the carrier's secure central servers. This is done with the help of Mobile Data Transmitters (MDTs) available in the pick up vehicle.
4. O2I's data entry specialists remotely access the scanned BOLs from the central servers of the carrier. They enter all details contained in the scanned BOL into a given electronic BL format.
5. The electronic BOL is now ready and available at the carrier's servers for freight processing.

Thus e-BOLs pertaining to each consignment is readied, long before the consignment itself has arrived back at the carrier terminal. Terminal Managers access the e-BOL to prepare unloading manifests and to send out multiple, encrypted copies to all parties involved, as per state and federal regulations.

Outsource2india offers expert and highly accurate e-BOL (electronic Bill of Lading) generation services to transportation companies, 3PL (Third Party Logistics) providers and shipping companies in the U.S., the UK and Europe. Our e-BOL generation services ensure that fully encrypted, secure and accurate e-BOLs are ready and saved on the company's servers long before the cargo sets sail to its destination.

O2I's data entry team accesses shipment details from the company servers and completes electronic Bills of Lading (e-BOLs) in the required format. These completed e-BOLs can be automatically transmitted to third-party providers, forwarders, consignees and banks. In effect, we help speed up the entire process of documentation, freight processing and payment.

If you operate in the transportation or logistics industry, O2I can provide you the support you need for documentation and shipment processing.

Outsourcing e-BOLs to O2I: Benefit to Customers

Better space, time and workload allocation at loading terminals and docks, quicker loading and unloading of goods, optimum utilization of driver time and enhanced productivity all round are just a few of the benefits our customers experience.

Some other benefits of our e-BOL generation services are -

• Speedier documentation turnaround
• High accuracy
• Enhanced dock personnel productivity
• Free up time for critical areas of action
• Reduced freight payment cycles
• Quicker financial settlement
• On-time product delivery
• Highly reduced courier and overnight delivery charges

Outsource your electronic Bills of Lading (e-BLs) generation to O2I

If you are a transportation company, 3PL Logistics Provider or a shipping company, Outsource2india can help you to speed up your freight processing and payment cycles.

Partner with O2I and have digitized BOLs ready long before the cargo has started out to its destination.