Bills of Lading have been used for the transportation of goods for centuries. In the absence of some other formal transportation agreement, the Bill of Lading, is the “Contract of Carriage” and governs the legal relationship between the shipper and the carrier. Yet few people that use them rarely even look at them or really understand how important they are.

Every mode of transport has its own different versions of bills of lading – truck, ocean, air and intermodal. Three leading attorneys will give you a “tour” of typical bills of lading for each mode, What they look like and how they should be used. They will explain how the “contract of carriage”, together with the applicable laws, treaties and tariffs, govern carrier liability and some of the ”traps and pitfalls” for the unwary user.