What the general form includes
- Reference: BOL number and date.
- Parties: shipper, consignee, originating carrier and any connecting carriers.
- Route: origin and destination.
- Goods: pieces, packaging, description and weight.
- Terms: declared value, special instructions, and whether freight is prepaid or collect.
- Signatures: shipper, carrier and the person receiving the goods.
- Export declaration: optional wording for the Canadian leg of an export.
What a bill of lading does
A bill of lading records what was shipped, who shipped it and who should receive it, and it's usually the contract for the move. It also sets the destination, which matters for tax: GST/HST on a move inside Canada follows the place the shipper specifies for delivery.
Check the rules for your province
Provinces set their own rules for what a bill of lading must contain. Ontario, for example, lists the required details in O. Reg. 643/05, with separate rules for general freight, household goods and livestock. Quebec requires its own form, described below. Check the rules that apply to your shipment and add anything missing, such as your conditions of carriage. See our guide to bill of lading requirements in Canada. This template doesn't replace a shipping document for dangerous goods.
The Quebec form
Quebec's regulation requires a form that reproduces Schedule 1 on the front and Schedule 2 on the back, so we made a separate PDF. Page 1 has boxes 1 to 35 from the model, and page 2 has the minimum conditions in French and English. We built it from the text of the regulation. It isn't a form issued by the government.
To use it:
- Print it double-sided, so the conditions are on the back.
- Enter your own number in the B/L No. box. Each bill needs a number of its own.
- Have the carrier and the shipper, or their mandataries, sign it. If a transport service intermediary signs, tick the box that says so.
- Give a signed copy to the shipper and to the initial carrier, and keep a copy for 2 years.
Don't change the printed conditions, because they're the minimum the regulation requires. Put anything else you've agreed in box 26. The back also has an optional box for CRA's export declaration, which isn't part of the regulation.
The wording comes from LégisQuébec, in the version up to date to July 1, 2026. The regulation has exceptions, such as bulk materials, a vehicle reserved for one shipper, and contracts made outside Quebec that follow the rules of the place of origin. The Quebec form comes as a PDF only, so the printed conditions stay intact.
When to use the export declaration
If you haul the Canadian leg of an export under its own bill of lading, such as a truck move to a port, your service can be zero-rated. The shipper has to declare in writing that the goods are being shipped for export and that your service is part of a continuous outbound movement. The wording on this template is CRA's. Without the declaration, GST/HST applies by destination. A direct move from Canada to a place outside Canada is zero-rated when the charge is $5 or more, and it doesn't rely on this declaration.
Why a bilingual form
A shipment can start in one language and end in another, especially through Quebec. A single form with both languages means nobody has to translate it at the dock.
After delivery
Have the consignee sign and note any shortage or damage. The signed copy often serves as your proof of delivery, so keep it with the load and attach it to your invoice if your customer asks for it.
This template is general information, not legal or tax advice.