Is a booking confirmation a bill of lading?
No. The confirmation holds the plan. The bill of lading or air waybill is issued from the cargo we actually received.
Documents
Shipping documents
The freight and the paperwork have to describe the same shipment.
A missing or contradictory document stops cargo more often than a missed truck. Send drafts early enough to correct them before cutoff. The transport document we issue is the bill of lading or the air waybill. You provide the commercial invoice and the packing list.
The booking confirmation names the cutoff, the equipment, and the charges. Transit times and sample rates on this site are explanations, not that confirmation. Operations records a milestone only after the cargo or the document has actually moved.
What to send for a written rate
- City or port of origin, and city or port of destination
- Mode: ocean, air, or truck, if you already know it
- Pieces, weight, and dimensions
- What the goods are, in plain language
- The date the freight is ready
- Hazardous, oversized, or temperature-controlled, if any of those apply
A quote is not a booking. The booking starts when you accept the rate, the cutoff, and the document list in writing.
Transport documents
The ocean bill of lading is the receipt for the cargo and the contract of carriage for that move. The air waybill does the same job for air freight. A truck bill or delivery receipt covers the road leg. Track any of those numbers on this website.
Your commercial papers
The commercial invoice states who sold the goods, who is buying them, the price, the currency, and the Incoterm. The packing list states how the goods are packed: pieces, weights, dimensions, and marks.
Amendments after cutoff
A change to the consignee, the piece count, or the description after cutoff may miss the vessel or the flight and can carry a documentation charge. Ask for the change in writing and wait for confirmation.
Who prepares what
Bring drafts before the cutoff named on the booking.
| Document | Prepared by | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | Shipper or seller | Customs value and the sale |
| Packing list | Shipper | Piece count, weight, and marks |
| Bill of lading | Carrier, from the booking | Ocean receipt and carriage |
| Air waybill | Carrier, from the booking | Air receipt and carriage |
| Delivery receipt | Driver and consignee | Proof of delivery and damage notes |
Questions
Can I track a container if I only have the bill of lading?
Yes. The tracking page accepts the tracking number, the bill of lading, or the container number.
Do you notarize invoices?
No. If the destination requires a legalized invoice, that is the shipper’s document, and you should tell us early.
Talk to Pinnacle Cargo Limited operations
A firm rate, a booking, and a tracking number come from operations. This page explains the service. It is not a live tariff.
