How to File a Freight Claim for Damaged, Short or Lost Truckload Freight (2026 Shipper Guide)

The load showed up wrong. Now what?

Every shipper who moves enough freight eventually opens a trailer and finds a problem: a crushed pallet, a short count, wet cartons, or a reefer load that arrived warmer than the bill of lading called for. It is frustrating, and it is easy to make the situation worse by signing a clean delivery receipt, throwing away damaged product, or sending the carrier an angry email that never actually counts as a claim.

This guide walks through how to file a freight claim for full truckload freight in the United States: what to do at the dock, what a valid claim has to contain, the federal time limits that apply to motor carriers, and how to keep the odds on your side. It is written by Maas Logistics LLC, an asset-based dry van and reefer carrier in Melissa, Texas, on the north side of DFW. We haul full truckload freight across 48 states on our own trucks, and we never re-broker a load — but the steps below apply no matter which carrier hauled your freight.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your bill of lading, contract of carriage, rate confirmation and any tariff the carrier references set the specific terms for your shipment, so read them, and talk to your own attorney or claims professional on a large or disputed claim.

The rules in one paragraph

Interstate motor carrier liability for loss and damage is governed mainly by the Carmack Amendment, 49 U.S.C. § 14706. In plain terms, the carrier that hauled your freight is generally responsible for actual loss or injury to the property while it was in its care, subject to recognized defenses and any agreed limit of liability. Under the statute, a carrier may not give you less than 9 months to file a claim, and may not give you less than 2 years to file a lawsuit, counted from the date the carrier gives you written notice that it has disallowed all or part of the claim. The claim-handling process itself is set out in federal regulations at 49 CFR Part 370: what counts as a claim, how fast the carrier must acknowledge it, what supporting documents it can ask for, and how long it has to pay, decline or make an offer.

Your contract can set a filing deadline longer than 9 months, but not shorter. Find the deadline in your paperwork before anything else, and file well inside it.

Step 1: Protect the claim at the dock

Most freight claims are won or lost in the first ten minutes after the doors open.

Inspect before you sign

Check the seal number against the bill of lading before the seal is cut. Count pallets or pieces, look for crushed corners, leaning stacks, broken stretch wrap, wet or stained cartons, and signs that the load shifted. On a reefer load, check the unit's display and the set point against the bill of lading, take product pulp temperatures if your receiving procedure calls for it, and pull the unit's temperature download if there is any question. Our reefer guide covers set points and records in more detail: refrigerated truckload from DFW.

Write it on the delivery receipt

If something is wrong, write it on the delivery receipt or bill of lading before you sign, and have the driver sign or initial it. Be specific: "3 pallets crushed, 42 cartons damaged, top tier wet" beats "damaged." For shortages, record the count you actually received. For a seal problem, write the seal number you found. An exception noted at delivery is strong evidence that the problem happened before you took possession. A clean signature with no exceptions is the single most common reason a damage claim gets harder.

Take photos and keep the product

Photograph the trailer before unloading, the load as it sits, the seal, and each damaged item with its label visible. Keep damaged product and packaging until the carrier has had a chance to inspect it or has told you in writing it does not need to. Throwing it out early makes it hard to prove the amount of the loss and can cost you salvage value.

Concealed damage

Sometimes damage only shows up after you break down pallets. Report concealed damage to the carrier in writing as soon as you find it, keep the product and packaging, and photograph everything. Concealed damage claims are harder to prove because the delivery receipt was signed clean, so speed and documentation matter even more.

Step 2: Know what actually counts as a claim

Under 49 CFR 370.3, a claim is a written communication (electronic is fine) filed with the proper carrier within the time limit in the bill of lading or contract, that:

1. Identifies the shipment — bill of lading or PRO number, pickup and delivery dates, origin and destination.
2. Asserts liability — states that the carrier is responsible for the loss, damage, injury or delay.
3. Demands a specified or determinable amount of money — a real dollar figure, not "around $1,000" or "to be determined."

That is the minimum. The regulation also says what does not count on its own: notations of damage or shortage on a delivery receipt or freight bill, bad-order reports, inspection reports and appraisal reports. They are important evidence, but by themselves they are not a claim. Many shippers lose time assuming that a note on the delivery receipt "already filed it." It did not. A phone call or a text to the driver does not either.

Step 3: Build the claim package

Under 49 CFR 370.7, a carrier must promptly and thoroughly investigate each claim, and it can ask for supporting documents when they are a necessary part of that investigation. Send them with the claim so the clock is not wasted on back-and-forth:

• Claim letter or claim form with the three required elements above and a contact person.
• Bill of lading (and the signed delivery receipt with any exceptions noted).
• Commercial invoice or another document showing the value of the goods, such as a certified copy or extract of the invoice.
• Evidence of freight charges, if any were paid.
• Photos from the dock and of each damaged item.
• Inspection report, if the carrier or a surveyor inspected the freight.
• Repair estimate or salvage information, if the goods can be repaired or sold at a discount.
• For reefer claims: the temperature setting on the bill of lading, the unit download or temperature record, pulp temperatures taken at receiving, and any rejection notice from the receiver. Shippers moving food should also keep their FSMA sanitary transportation records in order, because the same paperwork often answers the carrier's first questions.

Keep the claim amount tied to documents. Claim the invoice value of what was lost or damaged, plus freight charges if you paid them on the damaged goods, minus any salvage the goods will bring if they are sold. Avoid padding; an inflated claim slows everything down.

Step 4: File with the right carrier, in writing

File with the carrier that hauled the load or issued the bill of lading. Send it in a way you can prove — email to the carrier's claims contact with a read receipt, a claims portal that gives you a confirmation number, or certified mail — and keep a copy of everything you send.

If a broker arranged the move, ask the broker right away for the name and USDOT number of the motor carrier that actually hauled the freight, and send the claim to that carrier. The Carmack Amendment is written around carriers, so when there is a broker in the middle, the path to the company that physically had your freight can get longer. That is one reason many shippers prefer to tender directly to an asset-based carrier; we explain the difference in asset-based carrier vs freight broker.

Step 5: Track the carrier's deadlines

Part 370 puts clear timelines on the carrier once it receives a proper written claim:

• 30 days to acknowledge (49 CFR 370.5). The carrier must acknowledge the claim in writing within 30 days of receiving it, unless it has already paid or declined it in writing within that time. In the acknowledgment, it should tell you what extra documents or information it needs.
• 120 days to resolve (49 CFR 370.9). The carrier must pay, decline, or make a firm compromise settlement offer in writing within 120 days of receiving the claim.
• Status updates every 60 days after that. If it cannot finish within 120 days, the carrier must tell you in writing at that point, and again at the end of each 60-day period after that, why the claim is still open.

Put these dates on your calendar the day you file. If the 30-day acknowledgment never comes, follow up in writing and keep the record.

Step 6: Watch the 2-year lawsuit clock

If the carrier declines all or part of the claim, read the letter carefully. Under 49 U.S.C. § 14706(e), the period to file a lawsuit cannot be less than 2 years and runs from the date the carrier gives you written notice that it has disallowed the claim or part of it. The statute also says a compromise offer alone is not a disallowance unless the carrier says in writing that part of the claim is disallowed and gives reasons, and that letters from the carrier's insurer do not count as a disallowance unless the insurer says so in writing on the carrier's behalf. If a large claim is heading toward a denial, get legal advice early rather than waiting for the clock to get short.

Why carriers deny claims (and how to avoid it)

Carriers commonly point to a short list of defenses. The most frequently raised ones are loss caused by the shipper's own act (for example poor packaging, loading or blocking and bracing done by the shipper), the inherent nature of the goods, acts of God, public enemy, or public authority. In practice, most denials come down to evidence:

• Clean delivery receipt. No exception was noted at delivery.
• No proof of condition at pickup. Nobody documented how the freight was loaded or what the seal number was.
• Late filing. The claim arrived after the deadline in the bill of lading or contract.
• No dollar amount. The "claim" was a note or an email without a specified amount.
• Released value. Under 49 U.S.C. § 14706(c), a carrier may limit its liability to a value declared by the shipper or set in a written agreement, if that value is reasonable. If your rate confirmation or contract includes a limit, it can cap what you recover. Read it before you tender — not after the loss.

How to lower your claim risk before the truck shows up

The cheapest claim is the one you never have to file.

1. Vet the carrier. Check its USDOT number, authority and insurance before the first load. Our carrier vetting checklist lays out what to look at.
2. Know who is hauling. Ask whether the company you book with will put the load on its own truck. Maas is asset-based and never re-brokers: your freight rides with our drivers in our equipment.
3. Match the equipment to the freight. Dry van for freight that only needs to stay dry and secure; reefer for anything temperature-sensitive. Not sure? See dry van vs reefer. Our services: dry van trucking and refrigerated trucking.
4. Put the details on the bill of lading. Piece count, weight, seal number, and for reefer loads the exact temperature setting and whether the unit should run continuous or cycle.
5. Load it right. Stable pallets, good stretch wrap, load bars or airbags where needed, and photos of the loaded trailer before the doors close.
6. Keep the load moving. Long dock waits raise the risk on temperature-sensitive freight. Our detention guide covers scheduling and paperwork habits that help.
7. Get the quote details in writing. Commodity, value, equipment and any special handling belong on the rate confirmation. Here is how to get a clean full truckload quote.

Freight claims in a busy market

Freight is picking up heading into the holidays. In today's trucking news roundup, Port Houston reported September loaded imports up 16%, and a large truckload carrier said it is spending more to recruit drivers as capacity tightens. When trucks get scarce, some shippers grab whatever capacity they can find and skip the vetting step. That is exactly when claim problems show up. A few extra minutes on carrier selection and dock paperwork costs far less than chasing a claim for months.

Quick freight claim checklist

• Inspect before signing; note every exception on the delivery receipt and have the driver sign it.
• Photograph the trailer, seal, load and every damaged item.
• Keep damaged product until the carrier inspects or releases it in writing.
• File a written claim with the hauling carrier that identifies the shipment, asserts liability and states a dollar amount.
• Attach the bill of lading, delivery receipt, invoice, freight bill, photos and any inspection or temperature records.
• Calendar 30 days (acknowledgment) and 120 days (pay, decline or offer) from the date the carrier received it.
• If declined, note the date of the written disallowance — the lawsuit clock starts there.

Ship with a carrier that hauls its own freight

Maas Logistics LLC runs dry van and reefer full truckload out of Melissa, Texas and the DFW area across 48 states with our own trucks and drivers. We never re-broker a load, and dispatch answers 24/7 at (916) 770-7323. Learn more about our full truckload service or request a truckload quote.

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