Original Date: 07/18/1994
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Mason & Hanger (M&H) has automated its process for preparing the specialized Government Bill of Lading (GBL) documents required to ship explosive materials from the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant (IAAAP). GBL documents for explosive material require a number of informational data items to identify what is being shipped, who is the authorized transportation agent, and the approved transport route. Specifically, these include national stock numbers and security categories from the Army Master Data File, addresses from the DoD Activity Address Directory and Terminal Facility Guide of the cognizant military branch, freight classification nomenclatures from the Joint Hazard Classification System and Army Master Datafile Retrieval Microform System, and routing instruction notes in accordance with the Defense Traffic Management Regulation AR55-355 Appendix D.

Prior to 1984, all information was individually located in the appropriate guide and manually typed onto GBLs and shipping documents. A computer system is now used to automate preparation of the routine portions of the GBL forms, greatly reducing the time required to prepare the GBL forms as well as the chances for typographical errors. Data entry requirements typically include the original order for material (received via E-Mail), assigned lot and voucher numbers, and four-digit codes that identify specific routing and shipment clearance information. The computer then prints out the finalized shipping documents (DD-1348 or DD-1149), the GBL, and continuation sheets.

Through the use of standardized data input screens and information codes, the total time required for preparation of a GBL document has been reduced from approximately one hour to 10 minutes.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.