There are 12 different types of Bill of lading -

1. Straight Bill of lading : issued when the freight is prepaid and used when shipping to a customer
2. To Order Bill of lading : issued when the payment is not made in advance
3. Clean Bill of lading : bill of lading without any remark and signifies that the cargo shipped is in satisfactory condition
4. Inland Bill of lading : used when the goods are transported within the country and NOT overseas
5. Ocean Bill of lading : used when the cargo is shipped over seas - nationally or internationally
6. Through Bill of lading : a through bill of lading gives legal permission to the transporting company through multiple legs of a journey, modes of transport, and through multiple countries.A through bill of lading will usually contain other bills of lading, such as an inland bill of lading (this covers the domestic transport leg of a journey) or an ocean bill of lading (needed to move goods via maritime shipping)
7. Multimodal or Combined transport Bill of Lading : this is issued when the process involves two or more methods of transportation (eg land and sea transportation)
8. Direct Bill of lading : this is issued when the same vessel is repeatedly involved in carriage of cargo and delivers to the destination
9. Stale Bill of lading : when the cargo arrives before the Bill of lading, the arrived Bill of lading is said to be stale
10. Shipped on board Bill of lading : issued when the cargo is loaded onboard a vessel in good condition and is required to be transported further
11. Received Bill of lading : Bill of lading is said to be received when the cargo has arrived on port and cleared for loading on ship
12. Claused Bill of lading : A claused bill of lading includes statements or remarks with reference to quality, quantity, damages or discrepancies in cargo