For decades, the full truckload (FTL) marketplace has operated in a world that is fast, dynamic, asset-intensive—and yet astonishingly paper-bound. Even as the broader supply chain has shifted toward digital integration, much of truckload still runs on PDFs, emailed documents, spreadsheets, custom electronic data interchange (EDI), and countless one-off data formats that differ from one shipper or broker to the next.
The result?
Endless rework.
Costly disputes.
Slowed operations.
Driver delays.
And a digital maturity gap that grows wider every year.
But that gap is about to close.
The Digital Standards Development Council™ (DSDC)™ has officially begun releasing a suite of new full truckload application programming interface (API) standards, including the first-ever FTL electronic Bill of Lading (eBOL) API Standard. This marks a generational shift in how truckload data will flow across the ecosystem—and it represents a leap forward that the industry has waited far too long to take.
And importantly, we’ve seen this story before.
The less-than-truckload (LTL) sector adopted the eBOL API Standard in 2022, and early adopters already report measurable improvements: reduced manual entry, cleaner data, faster billing cycles, stronger customer visibility, and dramatically fewer disputes—including significant reductions in paper-driven delays.
That same transformation is now coming to full truckload.
The Truckload Industry’s Digital Inflection Point
The timing could not be more critical.
Shippers are demanding real-time digital connectivity.
Carriers are under pressure to improve efficiency and asset utilization.
3PLs need consistent, reliable data to orchestrate multimodal networks.
And rising freight fraud makes it imperative that shipment information is accurate, standardized, and verifiable.
Truckload cannot continue to rely on bespoke integrations and manual documents while the rest of the logistics ecosystem races ahead with interoperable APIs.
This is exactly why the DSDC—formed by the NMFTA and shaped by carriers, shippers, third-party logistics providers (3PLs), and technology providers—designed a standardized API series that simplifies the entire lifecycle of a full-truckload shipment.
The first major step was the Truckload Scheduling API Standard, now live.
The next wave is the new Truckload eBOL API Standard.
Several additional truckload standards (in-transit visibility, preliminary charges, invoicing, and more) are now emerging as well.
“These new truckload standards aren’t incremental upgrades—they are foundational infrastructure,” shared Keith Peterson, vice president of operations and DSDC staff liaison for NMFTA. “They give every carrier and shipper, regardless of size, a path to modernize without reinventing the wheel.”
Collectively, these standards are building the digital backbone that truckload operations have always needed.
The Problem: Endless Paperwork, Inconsistent Data, Expensive Integrations
Before discussing what the FTL eBOL API Standard does, it is important to acknowledge why it needed to exist.
1. Every shipper used their own BOL template
Truckload BOLs vary wildly in format, fields, naming conventions, and even basic structure. Carriers spend countless hours reconciling mismatches, interpreting shipper-unique terminology, and re-keying data.
2. Manual workflows slow the industry down
Drivers wait at docks while clerks verify imperfect paperwork. Operators type data into transportation management system (TMS) fields by hand. Documents are emailed, scanned, or photographed back into the back office. None of this is scalable.
3. Custom integrations are expensive and slow
Large carriers have built dozens of custom EDI or API connections with major shippers. Mid-market carriers cannot keep up. Fragmentation slows everyone down.
4. Multi-stop loads and drop-and-hook operations lack standard structure
FTL shipments often include multiple stops, trailer swaps, or complex routing. Without consistent data models, systems struggle to capture the full lifecycle accurately.
5. Billing and accessorial disputes thrive in data inconsistency
Detention, layover, TONU, and accessorials become complicated when underlying data is unclear or formatted unpredictably.
6. Freight fraud exploits gaps in documentation
When BOL data is inconsistent, incomplete, or unverifiable, it becomes far easier for fraudulent entities to fabricate credentials or falsify shipment details.
This is not an operations problem.
It is a structural problem.
And structural problems require standards.
What the New FTL eBOL API Standard Makes Possible
The FTL eBOL API Standard establishes a common language and standardized data model for how truckload bills of lading are created, exchanged, validated, and integrated between systems.
1. One Standard → Many Connections
Instead of building one custom integration per shipper, carriers, and 3PLs integrate once with the standard—and instantly align with all partners following it.
This is how LTL succeeded with their eBOL API, and truckload will experience the same multiplier effect.
2. Cleaner Data = Fewer Disputes
Standardized fields prevent errors that often trigger downstream billing disagreements.
A shared understanding of stop sequence, trailer details, commodity information, accessorials, Standard Carrier Alpha Codes® (SCAC™) , and identifiers reduces ambiguity and speeds reconciliation.
3. Faster, More Accurate Shipment Execution
Gate checks, pickup confirmation, delivery documentation, and back-office workflows accelerate when the eBOL data is clean, consistent, and arriving digitally.
4. Less Driver Downtime
Drivers will no longer wait for printed paperwork, re-issued BOLs, or manual verification at the dock. Standardized digital documents streamline the entire handoff.
5. Stronger Fraud Prevention
When shipment identity is standardized and machine-verifiable, it becomes significantly harder for bad actors to falsify documents or impersonate carriers.
6. Better Customer Experience
Shippers gain clarity, carriers gain efficiency, and brokers gain consistency across their networks.
In short:
Less friction. More trust. Greater velocity.
Why Full Truckload Will Benefit Even More Than LTL Did
LTL proved the value of a standardized eBOL—but FTL stands to benefit even more because:
- FTL moves have higher variability (multi-stop, drop-and-hook, longer distance);
- BOL formats are even more inconsistent than in LTL;
- Accessorials have greater financial impact when misunderstood;
- Driver dwell time can erode profitability quickly;
- Mid-market FTL carriers lag further behind in digital maturity; and
- Freight fraud is disproportionately affecting truckload.
This Is the Beginning of Full Truckload’s Digital Future
The release of the FTL eBOL API Standard is not a standalone upgrade.
It is part of a coordinated suite of truckload API Standards being released by the DSDC, which together enable:
- digital scheduling (already released);
- digital documentation;
- standardized visibility;
- consistent invoicing and rate dispute processes;
- structured accessorial communication;
- quote-to-cash digitalization;
- TMS interoperability; and
- secure data exchange across the entire ecosystem.
“This is the architecture that will power the next decade of truckload innovation,” added Keith Peterson, vice president of operations and DSDC staff liaison for NMFTA. “Clean, consistent, standardized data is the fuel that modern trucking runs on.”
The future of truckload data starts here.
A Call to Action: Industry Leaders Must Now Lean In
The standard exists.
The need is clear.
The benefits are proven through LTL experience.
The supporting truckload standards are arriving fast.
Now the stakeholders who move truckload freight—carriers, shippers, brokers, and tech providers—must participate in adoption, testing, and alignment.
Standards create value through scale, and scale requires leadership.
Adopting the FTL eBOL API Standard is not merely a technology upgrade—
it is a strategic investment in operational excellence, customer experience, and industry resilience.
“The industry built this standard for itself,” the DSDC eBOL Lead concludes.
“Now we must adopt it for ourselves.”
This is a defining moment for full truckload.
The question is no longer “Is the industry ready?”
It’s “Are we ready to lead?”
Get started today at: dsdc.nmfta.org
