If you enter or import Shipping Instructions (bills of lading or waybills) into RMS, it will attach these records to the appropriate trip cycle record. In order to do this, RMS compares the Bill of Lading date on the shipping instruction record to the Release date on the trip cycle record. Of course, it also must match the railcar initial and number. If the trip cycle release date is later than the bill of lading date by the number entered for the Relate BOL Days reference or less, it will attach or relate the two records.
Why would the trip cycle release date be later than the bill of lading date? Normally the release sighting should be generated when the railroad receives the bill of lading from the shipper, so the dates should be the same under normal circumstances. Due to importing/reporting issues, it is possible for sightings to not be imported until a railcar is well into its cycle. This would cause RMS to miss the actual release sighting. When RMS gets the first sighting for the shipment, it will consider that the release date.