House B/L (HBL)

House B/L (HBL) refers to a bill of lading issued by a freight forwarder as the carrier, rather than by the actual carrier (such as a shipping line). In international trade, when a freight forwarder accepts cargo, it usually consolidates the cargo or entrusts it to a shipping line for transport; at this point, the freight forwarder issues an HBL to the shipper as a receipt for the goods and evidence of the transport contract. Scenarios for using HBL include: less than container load (LCL) cargo, and when the freight forwarder acts as a non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) or multimodal transport operator. Note: HBL is not a document of title and cannot be used directly to take delivery of goods; the consignee must exchange the HBL with the freight forwarder for the Master B/L in order to take delivery. The issuer of the HBL must be qualified; otherwise, it may affect letter of credit settlement. Difference from the Master B/L (MBL): MBL is issued by the shipping line, is a document of title, and can be used directly to take delivery; HBL only represents the contract between the freight forwarder and the shipper, has lower bank acceptance, and must be handled with caution.