Forwarder Bill of Lading (FBL)

The Forwarder Bill of Lading, or FBL, is the FIATA Negotiable Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading, issued by a freight forwarder acting as a multimodal transport operator and contracting carrier for the whole door-to-door journey. The forwarder assumes carrier liability across all legs, not the limited liability of an agent. The current FBL incorporates standard conditions based on the UNCTAD/ICC Rules for Multimodal Transport Documents 1992, with a network liability system applying the mandatory regime of the leg where loss occurred. The FBL is a negotiable document of title issued under ICC and FIATA authority, accepted by banks under UCP 600 letters of credit.