LTL Freight News

Concealed damages must be reported to the carrier within 15 days of delivery. Anything reported past the 15 day window will not be considered for a settlement and will be denied for filing too late. A claim for noted/visible damage may be filed for up to 9 months after the delivery date. Any later than that and it will be denied. A concealed damage claim is much harder to prove, since no party other than the consignee was there to bear witness to the discovery of the damage. This leaves reasonable doubt as to who could be responsible. In all cases, report the damage to the carrier immediately after discovering the damages. The sooner it’s reported, the better chance there is of receiving a settlement offer. With concealed damage claims where the carrier accepts liability for the damage, the carrier will typically only pay 1/3 of the amount claimed. They view this as there are 3 parties involved: the shipper, the carrier, and the consignee. The carrier will sometimes accept responsibi...

It is important to keep in mind that each claim is different and involves different circumstances, so not all of the below information will apply for every claim. WHO FILES THE CLAIM? Typically, the payer of the freight bill can only be reimbursed for the freight charges, so they are usually the ones to file a claim. Anyone can file a claim, however, but this is usually the simplest way to do it. HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO FILE A CLAIM? The answer to this depends on the type of claim being filed. There are generally two types of damage claims: Noted Damage and Concealed Damage. The difference between the two is that noted/visible damage claims were noted at the time of delivery, usually on the delivery receipt, and concealed damages were not. Concealed damages must be reported to the carrier within 15 days of delivery. Anything reported past the 15 day window will not be considered for a settlement and will be denied for filing too late. A claim for noted/visible damage m...