Master Bill of Lading
A master B/L is issued by the ocean carrier or its agent and is usually the reference most directly connected to the carrier's shipment data.
House Bill of Lading
A house B/L is commonly issued by a forwarder or NVOCC. It may map to a master B/L, but a carrier source may not recognize the house reference on its own.
Which reference to enter
Use the carrier-recognized B/L and select the corresponding shipping line. If the reference is rejected, verify whether it is a house B/L and obtain the master or carrier reference.
Preserve customer context separately
Keep the customer or house reference in CargoScope's customer-reference field while using the recognized carrier B/L for tracking.
Truthful ETA and milestone policy
CargoScope shows confirmed milestones from the available carrier and terminal sources. If the carrier has not provided an ETA, the shipment stays in a waiting state; CargoScope does not turn historical averages or an AI guess into a customer-facing arrival date.
How CargoScope organizes the B/L
The Bill of Lading remains the parent shipment while discovered containers appear in a compact selector. Operators can search by the parent reference or a child container and still land on the appropriate shipment journey.
Track a Bill of Lading
Save the reference now and create your account; tracking starts once your 30-day trial is active.
Questions
Is Bill of Lading tracking available in CargoScope?
Yes. B/L tracking is included with every active paid plan, and CargoScope can detect the shipping line automatically.
Will every B/L return the same data depth?
No. Coverage and milestone depth vary by carrier, lane, terminal, and source. CargoScope shows what the source provides and keeps missing data explicit.
Can I review separate containers under one B/L?
Yes. When containers are discovered, CargoScope keeps them under the B/L and provides a selector for each container journey.