Best Bill of Lading Software 2026
Extract shipper, consignee, PO numbers, weights, and carrier info from paper and digital BOLs. We tested on real freight documents — handwritten, thermal printed, and carrier PDFs.
Sarah Chen
Updated March 2026 · 15 min read
What to Look For
- 1.Freight-specific field extraction (shipper, consignee, PRO number, weight, pieces)
- 2.Accuracy on handwritten BOLs
- 3.Carrier PDF format coverage
- 4.TMS and WMS integration capability
- 5.Ocean BOL and international shipping document support
🥇#1
BOLSoftware.co
Purpose-built for freight teams — understands BOL-specific fields that general OCR tools miss
8.1
/10Pros
- ✓Understands freight-specific fields (shipper, consignee, PRO numbers, weight)
- ✓Handles handwritten BOLs that general OCR tools can't read
- ✓CSV export works with most TMS import formats
Cons
- ✗No direct TMS integrations (CargoWise, MercuryGate, etc.)
- ✗Logistics documents only — not a general OCR tool
- ✗Smaller company than enterprise logistics platforms
Starting at $30/moRead Full Review →
🥈#2
BillOfLadingOCR.com
Strong BOL extraction with educational content on ocean BOLs and freight workflows
7.9
/10Pros
- ✓Strong ocean BOL and freight document coverage
- ✓Educational content on BOL types and workflows
- ✓High accuracy on handwritten carrier documents
Cons
- ✗Narrower focus than broader freight automation platforms
- ✗No direct TMS or WMS integrations
- ✗Narrowly focused on bills of lading only
Starting at $30/moRead Full Review →
🥉#3
OCRtoExcel.com
Handles BOLs alongside invoices and other documents — good for logistics teams processing mixed paperwork
8.4
/10Pros
- ✓Widest document type support among niche tools
- ✓Consistent spreadsheet output format across all document types
- ✓Competitive pricing with free trial
Cons
- ✗Jack of all trades — specialized tools may edge it out on specific document types
- ✗No API for custom integrations
- ✗Spreadsheet-only output (no JSON, XML, or database push)
Starting at $30/moRead Full Review →
#4
Rossum
Enterprise platform with broad document support including shipping documents
8.8
/10Pros
- ✓Broadest document type support
- ✓Excellent AI learning capabilities
- ✓Strong enterprise integrations
Cons
- ✗Premium pricing excludes SMBs
- ✗Complex initial setup
- ✗Overkill for single document types
Starting at CustomRead Full Review →
#5
Lido
Template-free extraction works on BOLs, but not optimized for freight-specific fields
8.7
/10Pros
- ✓Template-free extraction
- ✓Strong scanned document accuracy
- ✓Transparent pricing
Cons
- ✗No on-premise option
- ✗Smaller integration library than ABBYY
- ✗Newer company
Starting at $30/moRead Full Review →
Comparison Table
| Feature | BOLSoftware.co | BillOfLadingOCR.com | OCRtoExcel.com | Rossum | Lido |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 8.1/10 | 7.9/10 | 8.4/10 | 8.8/10 | 8.7/10 |
| Starting Price | $30/mo | $30/mo | $30/mo | Custom | $30/mo |
| Accuracy Score | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 9.2 | 9.0 |
| Ease of Use | 8.5 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| Integrations | 7.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 8.5 |
| Best For | Freight brokers and 3PLs processing 100+ BOLs per week | Logistics teams processing ocean and freight BOLs | Teams processing multiple document types who want everything in spreadsheets | Enterprise teams with diverse document types | Teams processing high-volume, multi-vendor invoices |
Frequently Asked Questions
Bill of lading OCR extracts structured data from paper and digital BOLs — shipper name, consignee, PO numbers, weight, piece count, carrier info, and special instructions. It eliminates manual data entry for freight brokers, 3PLs, and warehouse teams.