How to test BOL software with a missing document before pickup
Key Takeaways
The best way to test BOL software is to give it a real load whose bill of lading is missing the day before pickup and watch whether it finds the gap, identifies the cause, routes the fix, tells the right people, and keeps the record straight. An AI logistics coordinator should pass this test without anyone on the team stepping in until a real decision is needed.
- A bill of lading, or BOL, is the shipping document that lists the freight and serves as the carrier's receipt for it.
- Most BOL software demos show a clean BOL being printed. That is the easy part.
- A missing-document test shows how the software behaves when something goes wrong, which is where the time and cost are.
- The test should include different causes: missing data, a carrier change, a carrier form, and a late order change.
- Score the software on detection time, cause, routing, carrier contact, decisions, and record.
- Use the team's own past loads, so the right answers are known.
- Wilson, by Cartage, is an AI logistics coordinator that prepares bills of lading from the booked load, checks them before pickup, and follows each gap through to a fix or a decision.
Why should BOL software be tested with a missing document?
BOL software should be tested with a missing document because printing a correct BOL from clean data is simple, while finding and fixing a missing or wrong BOL before the truck arrives is the hard and costly part. An AI logistics coordinator should be judged on the second job, because that is where teams lose time.
What a clean demo hides
| What the demo shows | What it does not show |
|---|---|
| A BOL printed from a complete order | What happens when the weight is blank |
| A standard BOL form | What happens when the carrier needs its own form |
| One carrier and one stop | What happens when the carrier changes |
| A BOL on screen | Whether it reaches the dock |
| A signed copy filed | What happens when the signed copy never comes back |
The difference between a document tool and a coordinator
A document tool creates the BOL. A coordinator makes sure the BOL is right, on time, and in the hands of the driver, and deals with the people involved when it is not. Most teams already have a way to print a BOL. What they lack is the follow-through. The missing-document test measures that follow-through directly.
Where the cost is
The cost of BOL problems shows up as drivers waiting, pickups missed, reclasses on invoices, false shortage claims, and staff time spent chasing. Detention is one example. Detention is a fee a carrier bills when its truck waits too long at a dock. In a September 2024 study, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) found that detention affected 39.3% of truck stops in 2023. A missing BOL is one avoidable reason a driver waits.
Why a buyer's own loads work best
Using the team's own past loads makes the test fair. The team knows what really happened: what was missing, why, how long it took to fix, and what it cost. The software can be scored against that history. A vendor's sample load does not give the team that baseline.
Who should be in the room
The test works best when the people who live with BOL problems take part: a logistics coordinator, a warehouse lead, someone from customer service, and someone from finance who reviews carrier invoices. Each sees a different part of the problem. A test watched only by managers may miss the details that matter on the dock.
This is the buyer's test, not a vendor program
This test is something a buyer runs during evaluation, on its own terms. It does not need a long trial. A few loads, tested over a day or two, show most of what matters.
What the test does not need
The test does not need a live connection to every system on day one. Files exported from the ERP and the warehouse system are often enough to show how the software thinks. It does not need dozens of loads. A handful of well-chosen problems tells the team more than a large set of clean ones.
Hypothetical example: the demo that looked perfect
This example is hypothetical and does not describe a real customer. A distributor watches a demo where a BOL is generated in seconds. When the team asks what happens if the weight is missing, the vendor says the field will be blank and the warehouse will fill it in. The team realizes the software would not have caught last month's three missed pickups. The missing-document test reveals the gap the demo hid.
How should the missing-document test be set up?
The test should be set up with four to six real past loads, each with a different BOL problem, plus the records the software would have seen at the time: the order, the booking, the carrier's requirements, and the warehouse data. An AI logistics coordinator should receive the same inputs it would get in daily work.
Keep the test small and real
A test with six real problems is better than a test with fifty clean loads. Each problem should be one the team has actually faced in the last few months. If the team cannot think of six, it can ask the warehouse and customer service which BOL problems bothered them most.
Choose the test loads
| Test load | BOL problem | What the right answer is |
|---|---|---|
| Load A | Order released but BOL never generated | Generate it and send to the dock |
| Load B | Weight missing from warehouse data | Ask the warehouse for the weight before pickup |
| Load C | Carrier changed after BOL printed | Update carrier details and replace the old BOL |
| Load D | Carrier requires its own BOL or PRO number | Request it from the carrier before pickup |
| Load E | Ship-to address missing | Ask customer service; move pickup if it cannot be fixed in time |
| Load F | Count changed after BOL printed | Update count, labels, and confirm with the carrier |
A PRO number is a tracking number a carrier gives to a shipment.
Include at least one LTL load
Less-than-truckload, or LTL, freight shares a trailer with other shippers' freight. LTL loads are where weight, class, and carrier forms matter most. Freight class is a rating that affects LTL pricing. At least one test load should be LTL, so the team can see whether the software checks the fields that drive the carrier's price.
Include one multi-stop load
A multi-stop load needs the BOL to show each stop clearly, or a separate BOL for each. If the team ships multi-stop loads, one test case should have a missing piece on one stop. This shows whether the software checks every stop or only the first.
Prepare the inputs
For each load, gather what the software would have seen: the order from the ERP, the booking and carrier, the carrier's document rules, the warehouse's packing data, and the pickup time. An ERP, or enterprise resource planning system, is the company's main business system for orders, inventory, and accounting. The inputs should be in the form the software would receive them in real use, such as a file, an email, or an API feed.
Write down the history first
Before the test, write down what really happened on each load: when the problem was found, by whom, how long the fix took, and what it cost. This history is the answer key. Without it, the team will judge the software by how it looks rather than by what it would have saved.
Set the clock
Each load should be run as if it were the day before pickup. The test should note the time each step happens, so the team can see whether the software would have found the problem early enough to fix it.
Use the real channels
If the warehouse uses text messages and the coordinators use Microsoft Teams, the test should use those channels too. An alert that looks good in an email preview may never be seen on a busy dock. Testing in the real channels shows whether the messages will be read.
Decide who plays which role
Someone on the team should play the warehouse, customer service, and the carrier, answering messages as they would in real life. This shows whether the software's messages are clear and whether it follows up when nobody answers.
Keep the test short
Most teams can run the full test in one or two working sessions. A longer test is rarely more useful.
Agree on the scoring before starting
The team should agree on the scoring before the test, so the result is not shaped by the demo's best moments. The scoring table in the next section is a starting point.
What should the software do during the test?
During the test, the software should detect each missing or wrong BOL, identify the cause, send the fix to the right person, contact the carrier when needed, ask the load owner to decide when a fix will not finish in time, and save every step. An AI logistics coordinator should do all of this without a person prompting it.
The expected workflow
| Step | Trigger | What the AI logistics coordinator should do | When a person steps in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Detect | Scheduled check before pickup | Finds the missing or wrong BOL | Never |
| 2. Diagnose | Gap found | Identifies the cause from the records | Never |
| 3. Route | Cause known | Sends a clear request to the person who can fix it | Person does the fix |
| 4. Contact carrier | Fix affects the carrier | Asks for a form, number, or confirmation | When the carrier disputes |
| 5. Watch the clock | Fix in progress | Compares progress with the last safe time | Never |
| 6. Escalate | Fix will not finish | Gives the load owner options and costs | Owner decides |
| 7. Close | BOL ready | Confirms it matches and is at the dock | Never |
| 8. Record | All steps done | Saves cause, messages, and decisions | Never |
Detection should not wait for a person
The software should find each gap on its own, at the scheduled check. If the vendor has to click a button or run a report to show the gap, the software is not doing the detection. In daily work, nobody will remember to click the button the day before every pickup.
What good messages look like
Each message should name the load, the problem, what the reader must do, and by when. For example: "Load 7712, pickup tomorrow 9 a.m. Weight is missing. Please send the final weight by 3 p.m. today so the BOL can be printed." A vague alert, such as "BOL issue on Load 7712," should score lower.
Follow-up when nobody answers
The tester playing the warehouse should ignore the first message on at least one load. The software should follow up, then escalate. If it sends one message and stops, that is a fail.
Escalation should carry the history
When the software escalates, the message to the load owner should include what was asked, of whom, when, and what came back. The owner should be able to decide without opening other emails. A bare "still missing" escalation scores lower.
Carrier contact
For the load that needs a carrier form or PRO number, the tester playing the carrier should answer slowly. The software should try a second channel, such as a phone call where configured, and tell the load owner if the deadline is at risk.
Watch for false alarms
The test should also include one load with no problem at all. The software should leave it alone. A tool that raises alerts on clean loads will train the team to ignore alerts, which is worse than no alerts. Count false alarms as part of the score.
Decisions stay with people
For the load with a missing address, the right answer may be to move the pickup. The software should not decide that alone. It should show the load owner the options, the costs, and the deadline, and record the owner's choice.
How should the test be scored?
The test should be scored on six things for each load: how early the gap was found, whether the cause was right, whether the fix went to the right person, whether the carrier was handled correctly, whether decisions went to the owner, and whether the record is complete. An AI logistics coordinator should score well on all six, not just detection.
Scoring table
| Area | Full marks | Half marks | No marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detection | Found at the scheduled check, with time to fix | Found close to pickup | Not found |
| Cause | Correct cause named | General "BOL problem" | Wrong cause |
| Routing | Sent to the person who can fix it | Sent to a group | Not sent |
| Carrier | Contacted when needed, with follow-up | Contacted once | Not contacted |
| Decision | Options and costs sent to owner | Owner told without options | Software decided alone |
| Record | Every step saved with times | Some steps saved | Nothing saved |
Score the record separately
At the end, pick one load and ask a person who did not watch the test to explain what happened, using only the software's record. If they can tell the full story in a few minutes, the record passes. If they cannot, the team will struggle later with invoice disputes and claims.
Weigh the results
Detection and routing matter most, because they decide whether the fix happens in time. A tool that detects every problem but sends alerts to a shared inbox will still miss pickups. A tool that routes well but detects late will cost detention.
Compare with what really happened
For each load, compare the software's result with the team's history. Would the software have found the missing weight a day earlier? Would it have avoided the driver's two-hour wait? The difference between history and the test is the value of the software.
Repeat with a second set
If the results are close between two tools, run a second, smaller set of loads with different problems. A tool that did well on the first set by luck will show it on the second.
Ask the warehouse and the carrier
The people who played the warehouse and carrier should give their view. Were the messages clear? Did they know what to do? Would they have answered faster? Their answers show how the software will work in daily use.
Time to value
The team should also note how much setup the software needed to run the test. Did it need weeks of configuration, or could it work from the files the team already had? Software that needs a long setup before it can run a simple test may take a long time to help in daily work.
Hypothetical example: a scored test
This example is hypothetical and does not describe a real customer. A manufacturer tests two tools with six past loads. Tool 1 finds all six gaps, but sends every alert to the same shipping inbox and never contacts the carrier. Tool 2, an AI logistics coordinator, finds all six, routes each one to the right person, calls the carrier for the PRO number, and asks the load owner to move the pickup on the address load. Tool 2 scores 33 of 36; Tool 1 scores 20.
What other BOL scenarios should the test include?
Beyond missing BOLs, the test should include a BOL that does not match the order, a revised BOL from the carrier, a pallet count change at the dock, and a signed BOL that never comes back. An AI logistics coordinator should handle each one with the same care: find it, route it, involve the carrier when needed, and keep the record.
Why these scenarios matter
Missing BOLs are only one kind of BOL problem. Mismatches, revisions, count changes, and missing signed copies cause their own delays and disputes. Adding a few of these to the test shows whether the software handles the whole life of the BOL, from creation to the customer's copy, or only the first print.
Extra scenarios
| Scenario | What the software should do |
|---|---|
| BOL address differs from the order | Flag and route to customer service; stop pickup if serious |
| Carrier sends its own BOL with a different weight | Compare with warehouse data; ask the carrier to correct |
| Two pallets combined at the dock | Update count and labels; tell the carrier |
| Signed BOL not scanned after pickup | Ask the warehouse, then the carrier |
| Customer needs the final BOL | Send the signed version with the shipment notice |
A late order change
One extra case worth adding is an order change two hours before pickup, such as a canceled line. This tests whether the software watches for changes after its scheduled checks, or only looks at the BOL once. Real orders change late more often than teams expect.
Invoice follow-through
The last part of the test is the invoice. If the BOL weight changed, does the invoice audit use the corrected weight? A reweigh is when a carrier weighs freight again and bills the new weight. If the carrier reweighed the freight, does the software compare the reweigh with the BOL and the warehouse data? A BOL test that ends at pickup misses the money.
Questions to ask during the test
- Where does the software get the warehouse data, and how often?
- How does it know each carrier's document rules?
- Who sees the alerts, and in which channel?
- Can it call the carrier, or only email?
- How are approval limits set, and who can change them?
- Can the team export the full record for one load?
Warning signs
- The software needs a person to start each check.
- Every problem gets the same generic alert.
- The carrier is never contacted.
- Decisions about moving pickups are made without the owner.
- The record shows only the final BOL.
Teams that want a similar test for rate documents can use the approach in testing freight software with a missing rate confirmation. Teams comparing BOL tools can review the best bill of lading software for manufacturers.
Where does Wilson fit in a missing-BOL test?
Wilson, by Cartage, is an AI logistics coordinator that books loads with the customer's approved carriers and prepares the documents each load needs, such as bills of lading, rate confirmations, packing slips, and pallet labels. In a missing-BOL test, Wilson checks each load at set times before pickup, identifies the cause of each gap, and follows it to a fix or a decision.
Wilson replaces the TMS for freight execution and connects to the company's ERP. A TMS, or transportation management system, is software used to plan, book, and track freight. Wilson works with SAP, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle, Infor, Epicor, Sage, Acumatica, and other ERP environments, with the exact connection depending on the customer's data flow and scope. No integration project is required to start.
What Wilson does not do in the test
Wilson does not move a pickup, change a delivery address, or accept a higher carrier price on its own when the customer's rules require a person. It does not mark a BOL as ready until it matches the order and the booking. When a cause is unclear, Wilson asks.
How Wilson handles each test load
Wilson routes each fix to the person who can complete it and follows up when nobody answers. It contacts the carrier when a form, number, or confirmation is needed, and brings the load owner the options when a fix will not finish in time. Wilson works with carriers through email, API, EDI where the carrier supports it, and phone calls where configured, and it notifies internal teams through Slack, Microsoft Teams, email, or SMS.
After pickup
Wilson collects the signed BOL, tracks the load using the best source available, collects the POD, and audits and reconciles the carrier invoice against what was booked. A proof of delivery, or POD, is the document the receiver signs to show the freight arrived. Customers use the Wilson Wallet to pay their carriers. Payments above approval limits or outside the rules wait for a person. Wilson has no subscription or platform fee; its pricing is a percentage of the freight payments coordinated through the Wallet. Pricing scales down as volume grows, and Enterprise pricing is custom.
What Cartage asks before the test
Cartage asks which past loads caused the most trouble, how the team gets warehouse data today, which carriers have special BOL rules, and who decides when a pickup should move. Cartage helps identify and map the highest-impact workflow during discovery, so the test reflects the team's real work.
Where teams start
Wilson starts with assisted execution. Approval limits are set by the customer, and routine actions can run automatically within those rules as reliability is proven. Timing depends on scope: most teams start on a few lanes and expand from there. Cartage helps identify the first workflow during discovery.
This article is part of our complete guide to bills of lading from booking to delivery.
FAQs
How should a team test BOL software?
With real past loads whose BOL was missing or wrong before pickup. An AI logistics coordinator should find each gap, route the fix, and keep the record.
What should the test score?
Detection time, cause, routing, carrier contact, decisions, and record. An AI logistics coordinator should score well on all six.
How many loads does the test need?
Four to six loads with different causes is usually enough. An AI logistics coordinator should handle each without a person prompting it.
Should the software decide to move a pickup?
No. It should show the load owner the options and costs. An AI logistics coordinator records the owner's decision.
Can the test use exported files instead of live connections?
Yes. Exported order and warehouse files are often enough to show how the software works. An AI logistics coordinator should handle the same inputs it would see in daily use.
Sources
- American Transportation Research Institute, "New Research Documents Substantial Financial and Safety Impacts from Truck Driver Detention," September 2024: https://truckingresearch.org/2024/09/new-research-documents-substantial-financial-and-safety-impacts-from-truck-driver-detention/
- Cartage, Wilson product scope and pricing position, November 2026: https://cartage.ai
Ask Cartage to run a missing-document test and show how an AI logistics coordinator finds and fixes bill of lading gaps before pickup on your own loads: talk to the Cartage team.