What a Freight Claim Letter Should Include
Use a practical freight claim letter structure that identifies the shipment, states the claimed amount, lists evidence, and requests a written response.
A freight claim letter should identify the shipment, state that the carrier is being held liable for the alleged loss or damage, and demand a specified or determinable amount of money. For U.S. commercial motor-freight claims covered by 49 CFR Part 370, those are the federal minimum filing elements. A delivery-receipt notation, inspection request, damage report, or photograph can support the claim, but none of them is a claim by itself.
The safest practical approach is to pair those minimum elements with claimant contact information, an itemized loss calculation, supporting value records, condition evidence, and proof that the carrier received the submission. Use the carrier’s current claim form or portal when required by its process, but make sure the actual written claim still says what happened, which shipment is involved, why carrier liability is asserted, and how much is being demanded.
This guide is scoped to U.S. commercial motor freight. Parcel, household-goods, rail, air, ocean, international, insurance, and specially negotiated claims may follow different rules. It is educational information, not legal advice.
The three minimum elements of a written freight claim
49 CFR 370.3 says a written communication filed with a proper carrier must:
- contain enough facts to identify the shipment;
- assert carrier liability for the alleged loss, damage, injury, or delay; and
- claim payment of a specified or determinable amount of money.
The regulation does not prescribe one universal claim-letter layout. It does make clear that several familiar documents are insufficient when they stand alone. A delivery receipt marked “damaged,” an inspection report, an appraisal, or a carrier trace does not replace the written demand described above.
That distinction is important. A receiver may document damage correctly at delivery and still fail to file a claim. Conversely, a letter may satisfy the minimum filing elements but remain difficult to investigate because it lacks invoices, condition records, or a clear calculation.
Field-by-field claim letter checklist
1. Date, claimant, and contact details
Put the submission date at the top. Identify the person or business making the claim and provide a mailing address, email address, and telephone number. If an authorized representative is filing, identify both the representative and the party with the financial interest in the shipment, and include any authorization the carrier requests.
Current FedEx Freight cargo-claim guidance says a party with a financial interest may file and describes that group as typically including the shipper, consignee, billed party, or an authorized representative. That is a FedEx Freight procedure, not a universal rule for every carrier or contract. Confirm who is entitled to claim under the bill of lading, applicable tariff, pricing agreement, and shipment facts.
2. Carrier and submission channel
Address the claim to the proper carrier and use the carrier’s current claims channel. Record the carrier name, claims department, portal confirmation, email address, or mailing address used. If the shipment involved more than one carrier, do not guess which company should receive the filing; check the governing documents and obtain qualified guidance when responsibility is disputed.
3. Shipment identifiers
Give the carrier enough facts to locate the exact movement without relying on an attachment. Include the identifiers that exist for the shipment:
- PRO or freight-bill number;
- bill-of-lading number;
- shipper and consignee names and locations;
- pickup, delivery, or expected-delivery date;
- purchase-order or internal reference number, if useful; and
- the number and type of handling units involved.
Do not substitute a purchase-order number for the carrier’s shipment reference when a PRO or freight-bill number is available.
4. A precise statement of the loss or damage
Describe what was tendered, what was delivered, and the specific discrepancy. Separate missing units from damaged units. For damage, describe the affected articles, packaging condition, visible or concealed nature of the issue, and when it was discovered. For a complete non-delivery, identify what was not received and the date delivery reasonably should have occurred.
Keep the statement factual. Do not claim that a crushed carton proves a particular handling event unless the evidence supports that conclusion. Do not turn an estimated repair outcome, pending inspection, or suspected shortage into a confirmed fact.
5. An express assertion of carrier liability
The letter should plainly say that the claimant holds the carrier liable for the identified loss or damage. A request to “look into” a shipment, an inspection request, or a notice that damage exists may not satisfy this element.
A restrained sentence is enough:
We hold the carrier liable for the loss or damage described in this claim, subject to the governing bill of lading, tariff, contract, and applicable law.
That sentence asserts liability without inventing a legal conclusion about the amount ultimately payable.
6. A specified or determinable claim amount
State one currency and show how the demand was calculated. Avoid phrases such as “amount to be determined” without a method that makes the amount determinable. A clear schedule might include:
| Component | Evidence | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lost units | Quantity and unit-value record | $[amount] |
| Damaged units | Repair estimate or supported value loss | $[amount] |
| Less credit, allowance, return, or salvage | Credit memo, sale record, or written offer | -$[amount] |
| Other amount claimed under the governing terms | Invoice or other supporting record | $[amount] |
| Total claim | $[total] |
The table is a presentation tool, not a promise that every listed category is recoverable. The bill of lading, tariff, contract, released-value provision, commodity, evidence, and governing law can change the measure or limit of recovery.
7. Supporting documents
List every attachment so the carrier can reconcile the demand to the evidence. Under 49 CFR 370.7, a carrier may need the bill of lading, evidence of freight charges, invoices or certified value information, discounts, allowances, deductions, depreciation, or other destination-value evidence as part of its investigation.
A practical claim package may include:
- the bill of lading and freight bill;
- the delivery receipt or proof of delivery;
- the vendor or commercial invoice showing the relevant value and discounts;
- an itemized unit-and-amount calculation;
- photographs of the freight, packaging, pallet or crate, securement, and labels needed to identify the shipment;
- a repair estimate, statement of non-repair, credit memo, return authorization, or salvage record when applicable;
- an inspection report or inspection-waiver communication;
- a shortage tally, packing list, or certified non-receipt statement when applicable; and
- correspondence showing prompt notice, evidence retention, and carrier instructions.
FedEx Freight’s current page lists purchase or manufacturer invoices, repair estimates or a statement of non-repair, damage photographs, packing slips, and purchase orders as examples of relevant supporting documents. TForce Freight’s current cargo-claims page tells claimants to collect a vendor invoice, freight-bill invoice, bill of lading, and detailed repair invoices when goods have been repaired. Those lists illustrate carrier-specific practice; use the actual carrier’s current requirements.
8. Certification, signature, and receipt record
End with a short statement that the information is accurate to the claimant’s knowledge, then add the name, title, signature when required, and date. Preserve a complete copy exactly as submitted, including attachments. Keep the portal confirmation, delivery receipt, sent email, or other evidence showing when the carrier received it.
Copy-ready freight claim letter template
Use this as a drafting checklist, then adapt it to the carrier’s current form, tariff, and submission instructions.
Date: [submission date]
To: [carrier claims department and submission channel]
From: [claimant legal name, address, email, and phone]
Re: Freight claim for PRO [number], BOL [number]This letter is a written claim concerning the shipment identified below. We hold the carrier liable for the alleged [loss/damage/shortage] described here, subject to the governing bill of lading, tariff, contract, and applicable law.
Shipment: [shipper], [consignee], [origin], [destination], [pickup date], [delivery or expected-delivery date], [handling-unit count]
Loss or damage: [precise description of affected articles, quantities, condition, and discovery]
Amount claimed: [currency and total], calculated as [itemized calculation or attached schedule]
Attachments: [bill of lading, freight bill, delivery receipt, invoice, photographs, estimates, inspection material, and other records actually enclosed]Please acknowledge receipt and use the contact information above for requests related to this claim. The undersigned certifies that the information submitted is accurate to the best of the claimant’s knowledge.
[Name, title, signature if required, and date]
Do not leave bracketed placeholders in a submitted letter. Do not copy a sample amount, commodity, date, or damage description from another claim.
Filing deadlines and carrier procedures still control
The letter’s contents do not extend a filing period. For claims governed by 49 U.S.C. 14706, a carrier may not set a period shorter than nine months for filing a claim under that section. The statute establishes a minimum floor; the bill of lading, tariff, contract, shipment mode, and facts determine the applicable deadline and when it begins.
Do not wait merely because an inspection, trace, repair estimate, or exact loss calculation is still pending. Obtain qualified legal or claims guidance if the amount is developing, the proper claimant is unclear, the shipment used another mode, or a deadline is close. TForce Freight currently permits its standard form or a letter identifying the shipment and claim amount, while FedEx Freight directs claimants to its online form or current blank form. Those procedures can change, so verify them on the day of filing.
Final review before sending
Before submission, confirm that:
- the correct carrier and claim channel are named;
- the shipment can be identified from the letter itself;
- carrier liability is expressly asserted;
- the amount is specified or determinable and reconciles to the attachments;
- claimant authority and contact details are clear;
- every attachment listed is actually included;
- carrier-specific and contractual requirements have been checked;
- the freight and packaging remain available when inspection or disposition is unresolved; and
- the file contains proof of timely receipt.
For a high-value, regulated, safety-sensitive, disputed, multi-carrier, or deadline-sensitive loss, have qualified counsel or an experienced claims professional review the governing documents and proposed filing.
Prepare the next shipment for a cleaner record
Before pickup, record the packaged dimensions, weight, piece count, commodity description, freight class when known, value, packaging condition, and required accessorial services. Photograph the completed handling units and make sure the receiver knows how to record exceptions without delaying a formal claim.
Shipocity is backed by a team with more than 40 years of combined logistics experience. Through established industry relationships, the platform helps businesses compare competitive freight rates for their specific shipment. When the next load is ready, quote it with complete shipment details.
