Learning how to file a freight claim successfully is important because it will save time and money for your company. A freight claim is a legal demand for the payment of money, originate from the violation of a contract of carriage. Below mentioned some specific guidelines and processes is the only way to correctly deal with these claims. There are four necessary elements to filing a freight claim:
1. The shipment must be identified so the carrier can complete an investigation.
2. The type of loss or damage must be stated clearly.
3. The amount for the claim must be stated correctly.
4. A demand for payment by the carrier must be mentioned in the freight claim.
To ensure all four elements are included properly, follow these tips and suggestions to make sure you effectively file your next freight claim:
• Taking immediate action is a crucial step of effectively filing a freight claim. It is important to file the claim in writing, and within the time limits specified in the contract of carriage. The customer then becomes responsible for providing proof that the damaged or missing items were the outcomes of poor actions on behalf of the carrier company. If the customer is unable to provide such proof, the claim will be declared invalid.
• A responsibility that all parties of the shipping process share are attempting to lessen the damages. It is your responsibility to give a good faith effort to salvage damaged products unless you consider them to be totally or considerably useless and of no good.
• Including supporting documentation is important for correctly filing a freight claim. If available, you should include the original bill of lading (BOL), the paid freight bill, inspection reports, notification of loss, copies of the request for inspection, invoices, waivers, and other suitable documents such as temperature reports and weight certificates. The more information you have related to the freight, the more effective your claim will be.
• A detailed explanation of the loss or damage should be properly displayed. The file should have the information such as the number of items damaged, the type of damage, the value of each unit, and the net loss which results in the total amount of the claim.
If you regularly ship LTL freight or truckload shipments, freight losses and damages are almost inevitable at some point during the process. That’s why it’s important to have a well experienced and caring freight management partner on your side. When you work with Tenaxx Logistics, we’ll gladly assist you with the filing or processing of your freight claims, and we’ll go to bat for you with the carriers to best represent your interests. Contact us today to learn more.