Straight
A straight or non-negotiable BoL specifies a consignee to whom the goods are to be delivered, meaning that ownership cannot be transferred to another party during transit.
Order
This type of BoL offers flexibility in terms of ownership transferability. The goods are consigned to the shipper and marked “to order” indicating that ownership can be transferred via delivery of the original BoL and endorsement by the named party.
Bearer
This document is made out to the “bearer” of the original BoL, indicating that whoever holds it is the owner of the goods. Endorsement is not needed.
Multimodal/Combined Transport
This is a single transport document that covers the entire transit of goods across multiple transport modes, such as sea, air, rail, and road. It is issued by a multimodal transport operator (MTO).
Through
Similar to the above type, this is a single BoL covering the transport of goods across multiple carriers and modes of transportation. However, it is issued by a single carrier and further requires Ocean and Inland BoLs to cover different legs of the journey.