The BOL provided with MAS 500 is not usable for many companies without extensive customization being done to it. This is mainly because there is no option to include the contents of the shipment. It only provides a way to include "cartons" and their quantities. For some businesses, a BOL that simply identifies the number of cartons in the shipment is useless. For example, we need the BOL to include not only the item's weight (which IS present on the default BOL), but also the ItemID, the item's short and long descriptions, volume in gallons, and the type and quantity of containers of each item (e.g., pail, drum, tote, etc.). One reason we need the detail info on the BOL is that both our warehouse manager and the truck driver who picks up the shipment sign the BOL which serves as proof of what was picked up (it is the ideal document for that purpose, but it needs to include detail). But the more important reason is that the D.O.T. REQUIRES both the tradename (i.e., short desc) and a detailed item description including things like UN number and so on (likely placed in the long description field) whenever chemicals are being shipped. For a BOL to be legal for chemical transport, detailed contents must be present, the item long description must be placed ABOVE the short description, and the HazMat column must be to the LEFT of the item descriptions (HM is at the far right on the default form).

by: Ralph A. | over a year ago | 3 - Sales & Distribution