LTL Freight Claim Checklist

An LTL freight claim is a written demand for payment after freight is lost, damaged, short, or delayed under circumstances for which the carrier may be liable. The useful checklist starts before delivery: preserve the shipping documents, inspect the handling units, record exact exceptions on the delivery receipt, protect the freight from additional damage, and submit a written claim through the correct carrier channel before the governing deadline.

A damage notation, inspection report, or carrier trace can support a claim, but none of those records necessarily files the claim. The claim itself should identify the shipment, assert carrier liability, and request a specified or determinable amount. Keep proof that the carrier received it.

This guide addresses general U.S. commercial motor-freight practice. A bill of lading, carrier tariff, pricing agreement, commodity rule, shipment route, or applicable law can change the result. Claims involving household goods, parcel, rail, air, ocean, international carriage, cargo insurance, hazardous materials, food, pharmaceuticals, or other regulated goods can follow different rules. This is educational information, not legal advice.

Before pickup: create the condition record

A claim is easier to investigate when the file shows what the carrier received. Before pickup:

• save the final bill of lading, packing list, purchase or manufacturer invoice, and any pricing agreement or declared-value record;
• record the packaged piece count, handling-unit count, weight, dimensions, commodity description, freight class when known, and identifying numbers;
• photograph all sides of each completed pallet, crate, drum, or other handling unit, including packaging and securement;
• confirm that labels and paperwork agree with the physical freight;
• retain evidence of the freight charges; and
• identify who at destination is authorized to inspect, sign, quarantine, request an inspection, and preserve damaged goods.

These steps do not prove carrier liability by themselves. They create a contemporaneous record of quantity, identity, packaging, condition, and value that can be compared with the delivery record.

At delivery: inspect before signing

Treat the delivery receipt as a condition record, not as a substitute for a claim.

1. Match the PRO number and shipment identity to the receiving documents.
2. Count the delivered handling units before breaking them down.
3. Check the wrap, bands, cartons, pallet, crate, seals, corners, and top surfaces for tears, crushing, punctures, stains, leaning, missing pieces, or signs of rehandling.
4. Photograph the complete shipment and any exception before the driver leaves when it is safe and permitted to do so.
5. Describe visible loss or damage precisely on the delivery receipt. Record the affected handling unit, quantity, item or package when identifiable, and observed condition. Avoid relying only on phrases such as “subject to inspection” or “box damaged.”
6. Ask the driver to acknowledge the notation, then keep a legible copy of the signed receipt.
7. If freight may be unsafe, contaminated, leaking, temperature-compromised, or regulated, isolate the area and follow the applicable safety and compliance process. Do not open, move, use, sell, or dispose of it merely to complete an inspection checklist.

The distinction between a notation and a formal claim matters. Under 49 CFR 370.3, a delivery notation, damage report, appraisal, or inspection report does not, standing alone, satisfy the minimum filing requirements. The same section says a sufficient written claim identifies the shipment, asserts liability for the alleged loss or damage, and demands a specified or determinable amount of money.

If damage is concealed or a shortage appears later

Open and inspect freight as soon as practical after delivery. When previously hidden damage or a shortage is discovered:

• stop unnecessary handling and photograph the product, packaging, labels, securement, and surrounding condition before changing them;
• record when, where, and by whom the issue was discovered;
• compare the physical count with the bill of lading, packing list, and delivery receipt;
• notify the delivering carrier promptly through its current claims or inspection channel;
• ask whether the carrier wants an inspection and preserve the request, response, or waiver; and
• retain the goods and original packaging unless safety rules or written disposition authority require another action.

Do not assume every carrier uses the same concealed-damage notice period. TForce Freight’s current cargo claims guidance, for example, asks recipients to report concealed loss or damage within five business days and request an inspection. That is a carrier-specific instruction, not a universal deadline for every LTL shipment. Check the bill of lading, tariff, contract, and current carrier claims page that govern the shipment.

Build the claim file

Create one indexed folder that lets a reviewer connect the shipment, condition, value, and requested amount. Include what is applicable:

• bill of lading and any contract or pricing agreement;
• delivery receipt or proof of delivery with exception notations;
• freight bill and evidence of freight charges;
• packing list and piece-count records;
• original purchase, manufacturer, or sales invoice;
• photographs and video from before pickup, delivery, unpacking, and later handling;
• carrier inspection request, waiver, report, and written instructions;
• repair estimate or invoice, with parts and labor separated when available;
• inventory showing damaged, missing, repairable, usable, returned, and salvageable units;
• evidence of discounts, allowances, depreciation, credits, salvage offers, or disposal costs;
• correspondence with the carrier, broker, consignee, shipper, manufacturer, insurer, and other relevant parties; and
• a calculation that reconciles the original value, recovered value, reasonable mitigation costs, and amount claimed.

49 CFR 370.7 identifies records that may be necessary in a covered carrier investigation, including the bill of lading, freight-charge evidence, invoice or certified value information, and applicable discounts, allowances, deductions, or depreciation. The regulation does not make every listed document mandatory in every case, but it shows why a supported value calculation matters.

Write and submit the formal claim

Use the channel and form required by the carrier that received or delivered the freight, issued the bill of lading, or otherwise is a proper carrier for the claim. A practical claim submission should:

1. identify the shipment with the PRO or freight-bill number, shipper, consignee, pickup date, and delivery date;
2. state whether the claim concerns loss, shortage, visible damage, concealed damage, or another covered event;
3. describe what happened and why carrier liability is asserted without overstating facts that have not been established;
4. request a specified or determinable dollar amount and show the calculation;
5. attach the core supporting records;
6. give a reliable contact for questions, inspection, and disposition instructions; and
7. request confirmation of receipt and a carrier claim number.

Submit to the correct destination and preserve the portal receipt, sent email, fax confirmation, certified-mail record, or other delivery evidence. Filing only with a broker, insurer, or internal shipping department may not satisfy the carrier’s process. If an intermediary is helping, confirm in writing who will file, with which carrier, by what deadline, and how receipt will be proven.

Track every deadline separately

Do not collapse delivery-notice, inspection-request, formal-claim, document-response, and lawsuit deadlines into one date.

For a covered claim under 49 U.S.C. 14706, a carrier may not establish a period shorter than nine months for filing the claim or shorter than two years for bringing a civil action. The statute sets minimum permitted periods; it does not mean every claim uses the same start date, that waiting nine months is prudent, or that a delivery notation automatically protects the claim. The governing bill of lading, tariff, contract, and law determine the actual permitted period and triggering event.

An inspection request, carrier trace, repair estimate, salvage discussion, settlement conversation, or request for more documents should not be assumed to extend a filing deadline. Calendar each date independently and obtain qualified legal or claims advice when the route, mode, contract, claimant identity, amount, or deadline is disputed.

Preserve the freight and control disposition

Prevent avoidable additional damage when that can be done safely. Secure the freight, separate affected units from intact units without destroying evidence, and follow commodity-specific handling requirements. Keep a dated log of movement, storage, temperature, quarantine, repair, testing, and communications when relevant.

Do not repair, return, discount, sell, salvage, destroy, or discard the goods or packaging without checking the carrier’s current instructions and any safety or legal requirements. If immediate action is required to address a hazard, document the condition, reason, authority, participants, and result as fully as circumstances allow.

49 CFR 370.11 governs a covered carrier’s handling of rejected or refused salvage, including notice when practicable, protection of interested parties, and records of disposition and proceeds. It should not be read as automatic authority for a claimant to dispose of freight unilaterally.

For food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, hazardous materials, medical products, and safety-critical components, ordinary repair or salvage assumptions may be unsafe or unlawful. Involve the appropriate qualified personnel and preserve written authority for any quarantine, testing, release, or disposal decision.

Common claim mistakes

Avoid these recurring failures:

• signing a clean delivery receipt despite visible exceptions;
• using vague damage language instead of an observable description;
• assuming a delivery notation, inspection, or trace is the formal written claim;
• failing to state a specified or determinable amount;
• sending the claim to the wrong party or lacking proof of carrier receipt;
• relying on a generic nine-month statement without checking the governing documents and trigger date;
• waiting for an inspection, repair estimate, or carrier response while a deadline continues to run;
• discarding goods or packaging before inspection or written disposition authority;
• claiming invoice value without accounting for intact units, credits, repair, depreciation, discounts, or salvage;
• treating carrier liability and cargo-insurance coverage as the same process; or
• applying one carrier’s concealed-damage, documentation, liability, or filing rule to every LTL carrier.

One-page working checklist

Condition and delivery

• Match the shipment and PRO number.
• Count handling units before breakdown.
• Inspect packaging, securement, and visible condition.
• Photograph the complete freight and each exception.
• Record precise exceptions on the delivery receipt.
• Keep the signed receipt and note discovery times.

Notice and preservation

• Notify the correct carrier through its current channel.
• Request inspection instructions and preserve the response.
• Retain goods and packaging unless safety or written authority requires otherwise.
• Prevent additional damage without altering evidence unnecessarily.
• Separate carrier-specific notice requirements from the formal claim deadline.

Claim package

• Identify the shipment.
• Assert carrier liability for the alleged loss or damage.
• State a specified or determinable amount.
• Attach condition, value, freight-charge, and mitigation records.
• Submit to the proper carrier and save proof of receipt.
• Track the carrier claim number, requests, responses, and deadlines.

For a high-value, safety-sensitive, regulated, contract-specific, cross-border, disputed, or deadline-sensitive loss, have qualified counsel or an experienced claims professional review the governing documents before evidence is altered or a deadline expires.

Prepare the next shipment for a cleaner record

For the next quote, have the origin and destination ZIP codes, packaged dimensions, weight, commodity description, freight class when known, value, and required accessorial services ready. Preserve the pickup-condition record and make sure the receiving team knows the inspection and escalation procedure.

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 shipment is ready, quote it with complete shipment details.

Sources

• U.S. House Office of the Law Revision Counsel - 49 U.S.C. 14706
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations - 49 CFR 370.3
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations - 49 CFR 370.7
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations - 49 CFR 370.11
• TForce Freight - Cargo Claims Information