LTL Freight News

Concealed damage is much harder to prove because there's reasonable doubt as to who's responsible for having caused the damage. Carriers can't simply take everyone's word that a shipment arrived with damage and can't return every concealed damage shipment back to the shipper free of charge. If they were to do that, they'd go out of business quickly. Let's face it: customers don't always tell the truth. The unfortunate issue with concealed damage is the fact that, unless someone accepts and/or admits responsibility for having caused the damage, it's virtually impossible to concretely determine exactly who was responsible for having caused the damage. There’s no doubt that concealed damages happen and they are sometimes the fault of the carrier. Concealed damage also happens sometimes through no fault of the carrier, and it is sometimes a result of careless handling by another party involved with the handling of the shipment, either before or aft...

Freight damages are certainly not pleasant surprises, but they are inevitable at some point if you are a regular LTL shipper. An understanding of the process will help you be more successful at bringing claims to a satisfactory resolution. WHO FILES THE CLAIM? Typically, the payer of the freight 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 5 days of delivery. Anything reported past the 5 day window will not be considered for a settlement and will be d...