The U.S. government’s General Service Administration has instructed transportation managers in the executive branch to replace paper bills of lading with electronic versions by Oct. 1, 2001.

New rules issued earlier this year require government agencies to audit transportation invoices before payment, a change mandated by federal law. To encourage the use of commercial payment methods, including commercial bills of lading and electronic payment, the Government Bill of Lading (forms 1103 and 1203) is to be phased out for domestic freight and household good shipments by Sept. 30, 2000. Individual agencies are responsible for establishing their own prepayment audit programs.
This latest change is intended to speed transaction processing and provide more information about transportation services, prices, and spending.
The U.S. Defense Dept. already requires its carriers to use U.S. Bank’s PowerTrack Internet processing service.