BILL OF LADING
Except as otherwise provided, shipments as defined herein require the acceptance and use of the Tank Truck Bill of Lading and acceptance of the terms and conditions indicated on said Bill of Lading.
The consignor, at their option may elect to use a shipping document or his own bill of lading form in lieu of the bill of lading prescribed herein, provided that upon acceptance by the carrier thereof, such shipping document or bill of lading shall be considered as having been issued by the carrier, and that the contract terms and conditions of the bill of lading prescribed herein are understood to be in full force and effect as if the prescribed form of bill of lading had been used. Signatures on Bill of ladings by the carrier or carrier agents to signify acceptance of the shipment and does not signify acceptance of the terms and conditions listed on the BOL.
Contract Terms and Conditions: Section 1:
(A) The carrier or party in possession of any of the property herein described shall be liable as at common law for any loss thereof or damage thereto, except as hereinafter provided.
(B) No carrier or party in possession of all or any of the property herein described shall be liable for any loss thereof or damage thereto or delay caused by the Act of God, the public enemy, the authority of law, or the act or default of the shipper or owner or for natural shrinkage. The carrier’s liability shall be that of warehouseman, only, for loss, damage, or delay caused by fire occurring after the expiration of the free time (if any) allowed by tariffs or contracts lawfully on file (such free time to be computed as therein provided) after notice of the arrival of the property at destination or at the port of export (if intended for export) has been duly sent or given and after placement of the property for delivery at destination, or tender of delivery of the property to the party entitled to receive it, has been made. Except in case of sole negligence of the carrier or party in possession (and the burden to prove freedom from such negligence shall be on the carrier or party in possession), the carrier or party in possession shall not be liable for loss, damage, or delay occurring while the property is stopped and held in transit upon the request of the shipper, owner, or party entitled to make such request, or resulting from a defect or vice in the property, or from riots or strikes. Except in case of carrier’s sole negligence, no carrier or party in possession of all or any of the property herein described shall be liable for delay caused by highway obstruction, faulty or impassable highway, or lack of capacity of any highway, bridge or ferry and the burden to prove freedom from such negligence shall be on the carrier or party in possession.
(C) In case of quarantine the property may be discharged at risk and expense of owners into quarantine depot or elsewhere, as required by quarantine regulations or authorities, or for the carrier’s dispatch at nearest available point in carrier’s judgment, and in any such case carrier’s responsibility shall cease when property is so discharged, or property may be returned by carrier at owner’s expense to shipping point, earning freight both ways. Quarantine expenses of whatever nature or kind upon or in respect to property shall be borne by the owners of the property or be a lien thereon. The carrier shall not be liable for loss or damage occasioned by fumigation or disinfection or other acts required by or done by quarantine regulations or authorities even though the same may have been done by carrier’s officers, agents, or employees, nor for detention, loss or damage of any kind occasioned by quarantine or the enforcement thereof. No carrier shall be liable, except in case of negligence, for any mistake or inaccuracy in any information furnished by the carriers, its agents, or officers, as to quarantine laws of regulations. The shipper shall hold the carriers harmless from any expense they may incur, or damages they may be required to pay, by reason of the introduction of the property covered by this contract into any place against the quarantine laws of regulations in effect at such place.
Section 2:
(A) Except as provided for in carrier’s tariff or or executed contracts, no carrier is bound to transport said property by any particular schedule, train, vehicle or vessel, or in time for any particular market or otherwise than with reasonable dispatch. Every carrier shall have the right in case of physical necessity to forward said property by any carrier or route between the point of shipment and the point of destination provided that the rate via such alternate carrier is no higher than the carrier issuing this bill of lading. In all cases not prohibited by law, where a lower value than actual value has been represented in writing by the shipper or has been agreed upon in writing by the shipper or has been agreed upon in writing as the released value of the property as determined by the classification or tariffs upon which the rate is based, such lower value plus freight charges if paid shall be the maximum amount to be recovered, whether or not such loss or damage occurs from negligence.
(B) As a condition precedent to recovery, claims must be filed in writing with the receiving or delivering carrier, or carrier issuing this bill of lading, or carrier on whose line the loss, damage, injury or delay occurred, or carrier in possession of the property when the loss, damage, injury, or delay occurred, within nine months after delivery of the property (or, in the case of export traffic, within nine months after delivery at port of export), or in case of failure to make delivery, then within nine months after a reasonable time for delivery has elapsed; and suits shall be instituted against any carrier only within two years and one day from the day when notice in writing is given by the carrier to the claimant that the carrier has disallowed the claim or any part or ports thereof specified in the notice. Where claims are not filed or suits are not instituted thereon in accordance with the foregoing provisions, no carrier hereunder shall be liable, and such claims will not be paid.
Section 3:
Notwithstanding any certification by the carrier on the face hereof given in accordance with the dangerous articles regulations, where the shipper, owner or party entitled to make such request, requests, and accepts for loading equipment of a particular type of specification, and carrier furnishes the equipment so requested, clean, tight and in good working order, carrier shall not be liable for loss or damage to the property which is caused by the use of equipment of the type or specifications requested.
Section 4:
(A) Property not removed by the party entitled to receive it within the free time (if any) allowed by tariffs or contracts, lawfully on file such free time to be computed as herein provided), after notice of the arrival of the property at destination or at the port of export (if intended for export) has been duly sent or given, and after placement of the property for delivery at destination has been made, or property not received, at time tender of delivery of the property to the party entitled to receive it has been made, may be kept in vessel, vehicle, car, depot, warehouse, storage facility or place of business of the carrier, subject to the carriers published rules & regulations for storage and to carrier’s responsibility as warehouseman, only, or at the option of the carrier, may be removed to and stored in a public or licensed warehouse at the point of delivery or other available point, or if no such warehouse is available at point of delivery or at other available point, then in other available storage facility, at the cost of the owner and there held without liability on the part of the carrier, and subject to a lien for all freight and other lawful charges, including a reasonable charge for storage. In the event consignee cannot be found at address given for delivery, then in that event, notice of the placing of such goods in warehouse shall be mailed to the address given for delivery and mailed to any other address given on the bill of lading for notification, showing the warehouse in which such property has been placed, subject to the provisions of this paragraph.
(B) Where nonperishable property which has been transported to destination hereunder is refused by consignee or the party entitled to receive it upon tender of delivery, or said consignee or party entitled to receive it fails to receive or claim it within 15 days after notice of arrival shall have been duly sent or given, the carrier may sell the same at public auction to the highest bidder, at such place as may be designated by the carrier: Provided, that the carrier shall have first mailed, sent, or given to the consignor notice that the property has been refused or remains unclaimed, as the case may be, and that it will be subject to sale under the terms of the bill of lading if disposition is not arranged for, and shall have published notice containing a description of the property, the name of the party to whom consigned, or, if shipped order notify, the party to be notified, and the time and place of sale, once a week for two successive weeks, in a newspaper of general circulation at the place of sale or nearest place where such newspaper is published. Provided, that 30 days shall have elapsed before publication of notice of sale after said notice that the property was refused or remains unclaimed was mailed, sent or given.
(C) Where perishable property which has been transported hereunder to destination is refused by consignee or party entitled to receive it or said consignee or party entitled to receive it shall fail to receive it promptly the carrier may, in its discretion, to prevent deterioration or further deterioration, sell the same to the best advantage at private or public sale: Provided, that if time serves for notification to the consignor or owner of the refusal of the property or the failure to receive it and request for disposition of the property, such notification shall be given, in such manner as the exercise of due diligence requires, before the property is sold.
(D) Where the procedure provided for in the two paragraphs last preceding is not possible, it is agreed that nothing contained in said paragraphs shall be construed to abridge the right of the carrier at its option to sell the property under such circumstances and in such manner as may be authorized by law.
(E) The proceeds of any sale under this section shall be applied by the carrier to the payment of freight, demurrage, storage, and any other lawful charges and the expenses of notice, advertisement, sale, and other necessary expense and of caring for, and maintaining the property, if proper care of the same requires special expense, and should there be a balance it shall be paid to the owner of the property sold hereunder.
(F) Except as provided for in Key Stop Agreements between carrier and shipper, property shall, except in case of carrier’s negligence, be entirely at risk of owner at loading point until it leaves loading device to funnel said property into carrier’s equipment and at unloading point when it leaves carrier’s equipment to enter unloading device to funnel said property into consignee’s designated point of receipt. However, when carrier furnishes hose, pipe or other device at loading or unloading point to funnel property into or out of carrier’s equipment, carrier’s responsibility commences when property enters such hose, pipe or other device at loading point, and ends when product leaves such hose, pipe or other device to enter into consignee’s designated point of receipt at destination.
Section 5:
No carrier hereunder will carry or be liable in any way for any commodity of extraordinary value not specifically rated in the tariffs or contract unless a special agreement to do so and a stipulated value of the commodity are endorsed hereon or in an contract between the carriers and the other party.
Got to Top
Section 6:
(A) Every party, whether principal or agent, shipping dangerous commodities or commodities which are corrosive or otherwise potentially injurious to carrier’s equipment regularly used to transport such a commodity shall give to the carrier full written disclosure of the known propensities and qualities of such commodities prior to shipment. Only one such disclosure to the carrier as to a single commodity is required; thereafter the carrier shall be presumed to be fully advised as to all future requests for shipment of the same commodity. A shipper who fails to provide the carrier with the written disclosure provided for herein shall be liable for and indemnity said carrier against any loss or damage caused by any such commodity, and where necessary, such commodity may be warehoused at any licensed warehouse along the carrier’s route at owner’s risk and expense or, if such warehousing is not readily available, such commodity may be destroyed without compensation to the owner after notice of the intent to destroy such commodity is given to the shipper or his agent.
(B) Carrier is not required to furnish, and not responsible for loss or damage resulting from its failure to furnish equipment to maintain or to change the temperature of the property in the vehicle during transportation, but if shipper request equipment capable of temperature control and carrier does furnish such equipment, shipper must show on shipping papers specific instructions for the maintenance or control of temperature. Carrier will not be liable for loss or damage to the property resulting from changes in temperature while under its control or in its possession if it has followed the shipper’s instructions or if the shipper’s instructions were incomplete or incorrect.
Section 7:
The owner or consignee shall pay the freight and all other lawful charges accruing on said property, but, except in those instances where it may lawfully be authorized to do so, no carrier shall deliver or relinquish possession at destination of the property covered by this bill of lading until all tariff rates and charges thereon have been paid. The consignor shall be liable for the freight and all other lawful charges, except that if the consignor stipulates, by signature, in the space provided for that purpose on the face of this bill of lading that the carrier shall not make delivery without requiring payment of such charges and the carrier, contrary to such stipulation shall make delivery without requiring such payment, the consignor (except as hereinafter provided) shall not be for such charges. Provided, that, where the carrier has been instructed by the shipper or consignor to deliver said property to a consignee other than the shipper, or consignor, such consignee shall not be legally liable for transportation charges in respect of the transportation of said property (beyond those billed against them at the time of delivery for which his is otherwise liable which may be found to be due after the property has been delivered to him, if the consignee (a) is an agent only and has no beneficial title in said property, and (b) prior to delivery of said property has notified the delivering carrier in writing of the fact of such agency and absence of beneficial title, and, in the case of a shipment reconsigned or diverted to a point other than that specified in the original bill of lading, has also notified the delivering carrier in writing of the name and address of the beneficial owner of said property, and, in such cases the shipper or consignee, or, in the case of a shipment so reconsigned or diverted, the beneficial owner shall be liable for such additional charges. If the consignee has given to the carrier erroneous information as to who the beneficial owner is, such consignee shall himself be liable for such additional charges. Nothing herein shall limit the right of the carrier to require at time of shipment the prepayment or guarantee of the charges. If upon inspection it is ascertained that the articles shipped are not those described in this bill of lading, the freight charges must be paid upon the articles actually shipped.
Section 8:
If this bill of lading is issued on the order of the shipper, or their agent, in exchange or in substitution for another bill of lading, the shipper’s signature to the prior bill of lading or to the statement of value or otherwise, or election of common law or bill of lading liability, or in connection with such prior bill of lading, shall be considered a part of this bill of lading as fully as if the same were written or made in or in connection with this bill of lading.
Section 9:
(A) If all or any part of said property is carried by water over any part of said route, such water carriage shall be performed subject to all the terms and provisions of, and all the exemptions from liability contained in, the Act of the Congress of the United States, approved on February 13, 1893, and entitled “An act relating to the navigation of vessels, etc.”, and of other statutes of the United States according carriers by water the protection of limited liability, and to the conditions contained in this bill of lading not inconsistent therewith or with this section.
(B) No such carrier by water shall be liable for any loss or damage resulting from any fire happening to or on board the vessel, or from explosion, bursting of boilers or breakage of shafts, unless caused by the design or neglect of such carrier.
(C) If the owner shall have exercised due diligence in making the vessel in all respects seaworthy and properly manned, equipped and supplied, no such carrier shall be liable for any loss or damage resulting from the perils of the lakes, seas, or other waters or from latent defects in hull, machinery, or appurtenances whether existing prior to, at the time of, or after sailing, or from collision, stranding, or other accidents of navigation or from prolongation of the voyage. And, when for any reason it is necessary, any vessel carrying any or all of the property herein described shall be at liberty to call at any port or ports, in or out of the customary route, to tow and be towed, to transfer, transship, or lighter, to load and discharge goods at any time to assist vessels in distress, to deviate, for the purpose of saving life or property, and for docking and repairs. Except in case of negligence such carrier shall not be responsible for any loss or damage to property if it be necessary or is usual to carry the same upon deck.
(D) General Average shall be payable according to the York-Antwerp Rules of 1924, Sections 1 to 15, inclusive, and Sections 17 to 22, inclusive, and as to matters not covered thereby according to the laws and usages of the Port of New York. If the owners shall have exercised due diligence to make the vessel in all respects seaworthy and properly manned, equipped and supplied, it is hereby agreed that in case of danger, damage, or disaster resulting from faults or errors in navigation, or in the management of the vessel, or from any latent or other defects in the vessel, her machinery or appurtenances, or from unseaworthiness, whether existing at the time of shipment or at the beginning of the voyage (provided the latent or other defects or the unseaworthiness was not discoverable by the exercise of due diligence), the shippers, consignees and/or owners of the cargo shall nevertheless pay salvage and any special charges incurred in respect of the cargo, and shall contribute with the ship-owner in general average to the payment of any sacrifices, losses or expenses on a general average nature that may be made or incurred for the common benefit or to relieve the adventure from any common peril.
(E) If the property is being carried under a tariff or contract which provides that any carrier or carriers party thereto shall be liable for loss from perils of the sea, then as to such carrier or carriers provisions of this section shall be modified in accordance with the tariff provisions, which shall be regarded as incorporated into the conditions of this bill of lading.
(F) The term “water carriage” in this section shall not be construed as including lighterage in or across rivers, harbors, or lakes, when performed by or on behalf of carriers other than water.
Section 10:
Any alternation, addition or erasure in this bill of lading which shall be made without the special notation hereon of the agent of the carrier issuing this bill of lading shall be without effect, and this bill of lading shall be enforceable according to its original tenor.