Cargo claim playbook for carriers: what you do, what your dispatcher does, and the dates that matter

Most loads deliver clean. When one doesn't, what you do in the first hour at the dock and the first week afterwards decides how much the claim costs you. This playbook is written for carriers: owner-operators and small fleets who hauled the freight and now face a damage or shortage claim. If you're a shipper filing a claim, our general guide to freight claims covers the process from your side.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your contracts, your tariff and your insurance policy can change the details.

The claim clock, from the carrier's side

Every cargo claim runs on a set of federal dates. Two come from the law on carrier liability, often called the Carmack Amendment: a carrier can't give a claimant less than 9 months to file a claim, or less than 2 years to sue after the carrier denies the claim in writing. The others come from the federal claim-handling rules in 49 CFR Part 370: acknowledge a written claim within 30 days, pay, decline or make a firm compromise offer within 120 days, and if it's still open after that, send a written status update every 60 days.

Put in a delivery date and, if you have them, the date a claim arrived and the date of any written denial. The clock plots each deadline and can add them to your calendar.

Sources: 49 U.S.C. 14706(e)(1), checked October 2026; 49 U.S.C. 14706(e)(1), checked October 2026; 49 CFR 370.5(a), checked October 2026; 49 CFR 370.9(a), checked October 2026; 49 CFR 370.9(b), checked October 2026 These are federal minimums; contracts and tariffs can set longer periods. Not legal advice.

Here is how those dates line up with what you and your dispatcher should be doing, for a made-up damage notation at delivery:

At the dock: the first hour decides the most

Most of a carrier's defense is built at the receiving dock, in a few minutes.

Get the exception on the POD. If anything is damaged or short, it has to be written on the proof of delivery before you sign: what, how many, and how it looked. "Subject to inspection" or a blank POD invites a later claim with nothing to push back on. Our POD guide explains clean and exception PODs in detail.

Photograph everything. The damaged freight from several angles, the whole load as it sat in the trailer, the seal and its number before it's cut, the inside of the trailer and the doors. Photos with timestamps carry more weight than memory.

Check the seal. If the trailer was sealed at the shipper and the seal is intact at delivery with the matching number, that's strong evidence nothing was taken or moved in transit. Note it on the POD.

Look back at the BOL. If the bill of lading says shipper load and count, you didn't load or count the freight. If you noted damage or a short count at pickup, that note matters now. Keep the BOL with the POD.

Don't argue or admit. Be factual and polite. Don't accept blame or promise to pay at the dock. Your insurer and the claim process decide that.

Insurance and the broker: who to call, and in what order

Call the broker or shipper first, the same day, in writing. They need to know the load delivered with exceptions, and a prompt, factual notice shows good faith. Attach the photos and the signed POD.

Then call your cargo insurer. Most policies require prompt notice of a possible claim, and late notice can complicate coverage. Give them the load details, the photos and the documents, and ask what they need next. From there, the insurer usually handles the claim's investigation and payment for covered losses.

Keep everything in one place: the rate con, the BOL, the POD, the photos, every message and every claim letter. When a written claim arrives, note the date it was received, because the acknowledgment and disposition deadlines run from that date.

The cargo claim process for carriers, by claim type

Not every claim looks the same, and each type leans on different proof.

Knowing which type you're facing tells you which documents to pull first. A shortage claim against a sealed trailer with shipper load and count and an intact seal at delivery reads very differently from a shortage on a trailer you loaded and counted yourself.

Concealed damage: the claim that arrives late

Sometimes the POD is clean and a claim still shows up days later, because the receiver found damage only after opening cartons. These are harder for claimants to prove, since the carrier delivered with no exceptions noted. Your strongest records are the clean signed POD, photos of intact packaging at delivery, and the time that passed before the damage was reported. If the receiver signed for the freight without noting anything and kept it for days before reporting, ask how the freight was stored and handled in that time. Respond on the same Part 370 timeline as any other written claim, and loop in your insurer early.

When the claim comes through a broker

On brokered freight, the claim often reaches you from the broker rather than the shipper. Some brokers deduct a claim amount from what they owe you on other loads. Check your broker-carrier agreement for what it allows, and don't let a deduction stand without a written claim and the supporting documents. Ask for the claim in writing, with the amount and how it was calculated, and send it to your insurer. A dispatcher can push back on an unsupported deduction and keep the conversation in writing.

How claims are valued, in plain words

A carrier is generally liable for the actual loss or damage, which is often the value of the goods, but federal law lets carriers limit liability in some cases through a released rate agreed with the shipper and shown on the bill of lading. Some freight, like high-value goods, may be declared at a higher value. Freight damaged by the shipper's own packing or loading, or by an act of the shipper, can be a defense. These questions are where insurers and lawyers earn their keep, and our guide to high-value freight goes further into declared value. The point for you as a carrier: the paperwork from pickup and delivery is what those arguments are built on.

What a dispatcher can and can't do

A good dispatcher is the carrier's paperwork desk during a claim. That means:

• Telling the driver what to note on the POD and what to photograph, while still at the dock.
• Sending the first notice to the broker the same day, with the photos and documents attached.
• Keeping the BOL, POD, seal record and photos together and easy to send.
• Logging the date a written claim arrives and tracking the federal deadlines.
• Following up with the broker and keeping you and your insurer informed.

What a dispatcher can't do: decide who is liable, negotiate on your insurer's behalf, or give legal advice. For a large or disputed claim, your insurer and, when needed, an attorney take the lead, and the dispatcher supports them with the file.

What our desk does

When a load delivers with exceptions, we tell the driver what to note and photograph, notify the broker in writing the same day, and gather the BOL, POD, seal record and photos into one file. When a written claim arrives, we log the date, track the deadlines with you and your insurer, and follow up until it's closed. We'll also tell you when a claim is big or disputed enough that you should talk to a lawyer.

The same paperwork habits that win detention claims protect you in cargo claims, which is why we push for them on every load. You can see how documents move on a normal load in how truck dispatch works with us. Car haulers face damage disputes more often than most; see car hauler dispatch for the condition-report side.

Prevention: the cheapest claim is the one that never happens

• At pickup, count and look. If the BOL says shipper load and count, make sure it's written. If you can see the freight, note any damage before you sign.
• Secure for the road, not the yard. Load bars, straps or blocking that keep freight from shifting on braking and turns.
• Watch the reefer. For temperature-sensitive loads, run the setpoint on the BOL and keep the unit's download.
• Drive like it's fragile. Hard braking and sharp turns cause a lot of load shifts.
• Use clean paperwork. A clear BOL from our bill of lading generator is easier to defend than a scribbled one.

For the dates in chart form, including the federal minimums and what contracts can change, see the freight claim filing deadlines chart (coming soon).