Signatures on BOL

Thanks for coming to Movers.com with your question about signing the bill of lading.

The bill of lading
The bill of lading is probably the most important document in the moving industry. It is a legally-binding document that is physical evidence of a contract between a customer and a moving company. It also acts as an inventory and receipt. 

The "shipper"
On a bill of lading, the "shipper" is the customer-- not the moving company, which is called the "carrier". That means that on your bill of lading, there is a space for you to sign on four pages if it is asking for the shipper's signature.

Signing the bill of lading
Not all bills of lading are the same. Typically, there would be only one place you need to sign as the shipper. However, the main purpose of the bill of lading is to legally document the move should there be any claims. Each page that you sign certifies that you read and understood everything on that page. Legally speaking, signing just the last page may mean the same thing, but it adds some doubt since the interior pages could have been stapled into the document after you signed the last page.

If there's a space asking for you to sign, you generally should do it. Just make sure you actually read and agree with everything on each page that you sign. Partially complete bills of lading make for all kinds of legal confusion if there is any dispute, so it's in your best interest to read the document and sign as many times as it asks.