SCAC Codes and B/Ls

Discussion with a co-worker on MSN:

Coworker said:
I’M GONNA HAVE MY OWN SCAC CODE ONE DAY

I said:
LOL

Coworker said:
OERTPHC

I said:
My BLs are gonna start with OMGWTFBBQ

SCAC is not a term for feces.  It means Standard Carrier Alpha Code.  Usually they’re 4 letters, but sometimes they differ.  They are typically registered with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), a U.S. government body that overseas most aspects of shipping (commercial in our case).  SCAC codes are also used for truckers, but that’s a separate issue.

What’s a BL, you ask?  Sometimes these are referred to as BOL or B/L, but those all stand for Bill of Lading; it’s like the pink slip for your car and it denotes cargo ownership.  Once the BL is transferred from a seller to a buyer, the buyer can release the Bill of Lading to the carrier to claim their container (or loose cargo if it’s consolidated).