New eBill of Lading simplifies, speeds North American freight rail shipping

Railinc’s TransmetriQ unit has added another significant capability to its Rail Management System (RMS) with eBills of Lading (eBOL).

“Shippers can now eliminate time-consuming and error-prone manual translation of their shipment tendering information into rail-specific terminology,” says Danny Dever, product manager, TransmetriQ. “The system is designed to both speed Bill of Lading creation and, most importantly, eliminate reworks after eBOLs are submitted.”

TransmetriQ’s eBOL automatically converts key shipping data into language and formats necessary to initiate rail shipments including:

•Shipping and receiving location information;

•Automatic party lookup;

•Automatic commodity lookup, including hazmat and non-hazmat designations; and

•Optimal shipment routing.

Mika Majapuro, Railinc vice president of product management and strategy, credits Dever and his team for “adding significant value to TransmetriQ’s RMS, which was launched early this year. The system is powered by the industry’s largest single-source of near real-time, accurate interline data for the North American railroad system and, as a result, helps ensure users can submit bills of lading quickly and with fewer errors.”

TransmetriQ has implemented eBOL with seven Class I railroads to date and will add this capability for any current RMS user—shipping via any North American railroad—on request.