Create models in seconds
Upload a bill of lading and watch as Affinda instantly predicts the data fields you want to extract, helping you automate bill of lading processing in just a few clicks.
How to automate bill of lading processing with Affinda's AI
- 1
Upload your bills of lading, your way
Email, drag and drop or connect via API.
- 2
Watch as it extracts your bill of lading data
Affinda's AI reads your bills of lading with impressive contextual understanding. It splits and classifies documents, extracts and validates data, then transforms the output to match your business needs.
- 3
Automatically route the data to your systems
No manual data entry required. Affinda integrates seamlessly into your existing tech stack.
Extract any information from any document, fast
Affinda's AI reads, understands and extracts data from any bill of lading or document 
Cleanse and transform data
Affinda automatically converts extracted bill of lading data into the format your downstream systems recognize, ensuring it's ready for customs, TMS or ERP integration. Need something custom? Use natural language to describe how you want the data structured.
Apply business logic
Write validation rules in plain language and apply your business logic to extracted data. This ensures every bill of lading meets your compliance standards and enables straight-through processing.
Combine the best of artificial and human intelligence
1B+ documents processed
10+ years of IP combined with the latest AI innovations
800+ customers
95% reduction in manual processing achieved
No need to talk to sales. Get started now
With a free trial, discover how easy it is to extract any information from any document, fast.Sign up for free
No sales calls, no credit cards and no hidden features. Get all the power in your hands from day one.Upload documents
Drag and drop, email or upload via API. Affinda can handle any document, any file type and any layout with ease.See the magic
Watch as the platform predicts the information you want to extract, letting you build models in minutes, not months.Automating their document processes with AI
Frequently asked questions
What is bill of lading processing?
Bill of lading processing is the workflow shipping and logistics companies use to capture, extract, validate and track data from bills of lading. Our AI bill of lading processing software automates this entire process to reduce manual data entry, errors and processing delays. It ensures that shipment details, cargo information and reference numbers are accurate and flow seamlessly into your TMS, ERP, customs and supply chain management systems.
What is bill of lading data extraction?
Bill of lading data extraction is the process of reading a bill of lading and capturing key data points such as shipper, consignee, vessel, voyage, cargo details, ports, dates and reference numbers. Our platform uses advanced AI to automate bill of lading data extraction, turning unstructured documents into structured data ready for your TMS, ERP, customs platforms and supply chain workflows.
What is bill of lading extraction?
Bill of lading extraction is the automatic capture of shipment and cargo data from bills of lading using AI. Our bill of lading extraction software combines reading order models, OCR, LLMs, RAG and more to extract this information with high accuracy and faster processing times.
What is a bill of lading parser?
A bill of lading parser is a software tool that automatically reads bills of lading and extracts key shipment data into structured, machine-readable formats. Our AI bill of lading parser adapts to different shipping lines, cargo structures and document layouts, learning from every interaction to improve accuracy and handle variations with ease before outputting data in exactly the format your downstream systems require.
What is bill of lading line extraction?
Bill of lading line extraction captures cargo and container data from tables within your bills of lading, preserving the relationships between each line item. Our platform handles everything from simple cargo lists to complex nested tables with grouped items, multiple containers and detailed specifications – turning structured table data into formats your systems can use immediately.
What data fields can Affinda's AI bill of lading processing software extract?
Affinda's AI bill of lading processing platform can extract data from any field on a bill of lading. Standard data fields include:
Document Details
- Bill of Lading Number: Unique identifier for the shipment and primary reference number.
- Booking Number / Reference Number: Additional tracking numbers assigned by the carrier or shipper.
- Document Type: Classification such as Ocean Bill, Sea Waybill, or House Bill of Lading.
- Issue Date / Place of Issue: Date and location where the bill of lading was issued.
Shipment Parties
- Shipper / Consignor: Name and address of the party shipping the goods.
- Consignee: Name and address of the party receiving the shipment.
- Notify Party: Contact details for the party to be notified upon arrival.
- Freight Forwarder / Agent: Details of intermediary logistics providers.
Vessel & Voyage Details
- Vessel Name: Name of the ship transporting the cargo.
- Voyage Number: Specific voyage or trip identifier.
- IMO Number: International Maritime Organization vessel identifier.
- Flag / Registry: Country of vessel registration.
Cargo & Container Details
- Container Numbers: Unique identifiers for each shipping container.
- Seal Numbers: Security seal numbers applied to containers.
- Package Count / Type: Number and description of packages such as pallets, cartons, or drums.
- Cargo Description: Detailed description of goods being shipped.
- Weight (Gross / Net): Total weight and net weight of cargo.
- Volume / Measurement: Cubic dimensions or volume measurements.
- HS Code / Commodity Code: Classification codes for customs and tariff purposes.
- Marks & Numbers: Identifying marks, labels, or numbers on packages.
Ports & Locations
- Port of Loading: Port where cargo is loaded onto the vessel.
- Port of Discharge: Port where cargo is unloaded.
- Place of Receipt: Location where the carrier takes custody of goods.
- Place of Delivery: Final destination for cargo delivery.
Dates & Timeline
- Shipment Date / Laden on Board Date: Date cargo was loaded onto the vessel.
- Expected Arrival Date: Estimated date of arrival at destination port.
Additional Fields
- Freight Terms: Payment terms such as Prepaid or Collect.
- Number of Originals: Count of original bill of lading copies issued.
- Signatures: Authorized signatures from carrier or agent.
- Special Instructions / Remarks: Additional handling or routing instructions.
Need custom fields or a specific shipping line format? Simply define them in the UI or describe them in natural language and Affinda will extract and structure them automatically.
What file types does Affinda's AI bill of lading processing solution support?
Our AI agents can process any file type. Supported file types include PDF, JPG/JPEG, PNG, TIFF, DOC/DOCX (Word), XLSX (Excel), HTML and TXT/CSV.
How does Affinda process bills of lading and bill of lading data?
Affinda's AI agents read, extract and validate bill of lading data. Our platform is intuitive to set up and easily integrates into your systems. Simply:
- Upload your bills of lading via drag-and-drop, email or API.
- Configure business logic to match your organization's rules and workflows.
- Let Affinda check and validate extracted data against your business logic and TMS, ERP, customs platforms and supply chain management systems to ensure accuracy.
- Access structured bill of lading data directly within your systems.
The result? Faster, more accurate bill of lading processing with minimal manual input.
Can Affinda extract data from scanned or image-based bills of lading?
Yes. Our AI bill of lading processing platform combines OCR with retrieval augmented generation (RAG), LLMs, agentic workflows, proprietary reading order algorithms and more, to automatically detect and process data from scanned or photographed invoices (PDF, JPG, PNG). Even low-quality images are automatically enhanced for reliable data capture and processing.
What language does Affinda's AI bill of lading automation platform support?
Our AI bill of lading processing platform can automatically detect and process bills of lading in 50+ languages, including multilingual bills of lading containing more than one language. Supported languages include: Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic (Standard, Egyptian, Sudanese, Algerian, Moroccan, Levantine), Bahasa Indonesian, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Bulgarian, Burmese, Chinese (Mandarin [PRC/Taiwan], Cantonese, Wu, Min Nan, Jinyu, Xiang, Hakka), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Kannada, Korean, Latvian, Lingala, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Norwegian, Odia, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi (Western and Eastern), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Yoruba.
Does Affinda integrate with TMS, ERP and supply chain systems?
Yes. Our AI bill of lading processing platform integrates with 400+ systems, including major TMS, ERP, customs and supply chain platforms. Build no-code integrations using our AI integrations agent, or connect via API – whatever fits your workflow best.
What are some examples of AI bill of lading workflow automations?
AI bill of lading processing helps automate and optimize shipping and logistics workflows across business units such as:
- Logistics and Operations Teams: Speed up shipment tracking and carrier coordination by automatically extracting vessel details, voyage numbers, container IDs and cargo information. Business-rule validation flags discrepancies in ports, dates or cargo weights, reducing delays and improving on-time delivery rates.
- Customs and Compliance Teams: Streamline customs clearance by capturing shipper, consignee, HS codes and cargo descriptions with high accuracy. Automated validation catches missing reference numbers, incorrect classifications or incomplete documentation before submission, reducing penalties and border delays.
- Supply Chain and Procurement Teams: Feed structured bill of lading data into your TMS, ERP and supply chain management systems to improve visibility, enable faster carrier performance analysis and support better inventory planning across your network.
What is a bill of lading OCR data extractor?
A bill of lading optical character recognition (OCR) data extractor scans and accurately captures shipment information from bills of lading, regardless of format or language. Upload bill of lading documents in PDF, JPG or PNG formats. The OCR technology first converts the documents into a text layer, ensuring all text (even from scans, photos or handwriting) is captured. Affinda's AI models then identify and extract key fields such as shipper, consignee, vessel details, voyage numbers, cargo descriptions, container IDs, ports, dates and reference numbers, transforming them into structured, usable data.
This automation eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors and saves time. Once the bill of lading data is captured and structured, our AI bill of lading processing pipeline can apply machine validation and post-processing to enable seamless integration with TMS, ERP, customs and supply chain management systems.
Shipping, logistics and freight forwarding companies rely on Affinda's AI for their shipment tracking, customs clearance and cargo management processes, streamlining workflows and improving overall efficiency.