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Why do so many people freak out about blind shipments? Blind shipments aren't bad or shady or scummy, they're just blind shipments, nothing more.
It's basically industry standard for bulk chemicals. Even the end customers know often times, but they can't but in big enough bulk to deal directly with that larger chemical companies, so they thebuy from smaller companies who buy enough to source directly.

Also, blind shipments are usually prepaid or are being paid by the blind party, so there is no "discount" on shipping costs, it's build into the whole cost per unit. These types are deals are freight included, why would you care if the customer thinks it's being shipped from FL when it's really coming from 2 miles away?

 

A lot of people don’t know how businesses operate.

 

Evidently.

 

Generally not the shipper, but the shipper's customer, who's then selling said material to their customer. I run into this a lot with pallet racking and other similar product.

 

How about a double blind shipment. I’ve done a few. Upon arrival I was asked about snow storm in Colorado. Had to think for a minute since I came out of Alabama. Not too bad I replied! Should have gotten extra liars pay for being a part of the deception!

 

Blind Shipments. I've done some too. I needed to hide Original BOL and handed them the fake one. The last one I did was something as banal as plastic regrind shipped for recycling. The ironic part is that a driver, the least invested party here has to perform the very deception act. They may say it is normal and widely acceptable but it stinks something to me. Is it not the same as falsifying the BOL?

I want to care only about getting cargo from the shipper to the consignee with original BOL that I signed with my name at the shipping point along with the shipper's signature, on the very same document I want the receiver to acknowledge the receipt of the intact cargo. Anything else might raise a simple question "Why did you switch the documents?" for which I'd have no answers other than "Oh...it is a normal thing. Done a lot of these. Nothing to worry...or so I was told"
I think it is as innocent as falsifying a log book, which it is most of the time.

 

It's not even the same sport as falsifying a log book.

 

Are you sure that there are no legal ramifications of blind shipments at all, other than knowing that it is all too common practice? I'd like to know because payment and claim disputes when they go far enough revolve around the contents of BOL...seal#, in and out times, shortages/overages, pulp temp at the shipper/receiver. Loads get refused at Walmart because the trailer# does not match the one on the BOL or @ Starbucks DC if the seal# is handwritten on the BOL. The point is that the original BOL is all too often a sacred document. What if the broker goes broke and the bond company relies also on what the shipper says? Now the shipper can easily say to me F.U. - that's not the BOL I gave you. Speaking strictly in legal terms, I may be in an awkward position to demand anything from them while they could easily take advantage of the situation.

 

I'm guessing your pulling van or reefer? In the tanking world, this is normal operating procedure even dump work has a lot of blind shipments. A blind shipment load is usually paid by the company doing the blind part. You have company A, B & C. B orders a load from A and A gives the driver a bol showing a delivery address to B. B then gives you a bol and says to deliver it to C. So what? In the tanker world this happens 20-30% of the time, it's SOP. Don't get hung up on one company not telling another where they got it from, who cares. That's a great way to screw the company that hired you to haul the load in the first place.