Reporting Concealed Damage

Be Sure To Guard Your Goods!

One of the most problematic aspects of freight shipping is concealed damage. You make the effort to properly wrap the freight, verify the freight upon delivery, sign the POD “clean,” and then you finally unload your shipment and sometimes even damage it.

But don’t worry. Not all is lost. There is a procedure that addresses hidden damage, a procedure that, if everything goes well, can assist you in filing a damage claim and, ultimately, hopefully, recouping some of the money that was lost. Let’s take you through the process:

Take Time to Inspect and Then Sign

Claims for concealed damage consist mostly of documenting the evidence. Take the time to inspect the freight before signing the proof of delivery each and every time you accept a load. If you sign a delivery receipt indicating that there are no visible damages, the law presumes that the product was delivered in satisfactory condition. If it wasn’t but you signed it nevertheless, it will be more difficult to support your claim.

Get In Touch With Your Broker Right Away

If you are dealing with concealed damage, time is of the utmost importance! Contact your broker immediately and walk him through the situation. They will contact the freight carrier and notify them of the damaged goods.

Take Photos and Make a Note of the Damage

What you can do on your end, after contacting your broker, is to click the necessary photos of the damage caused to your freight and make a note of it. During the process of making claims, these pictures, along with the note, will prove really helpful.

Don’t Rely On the Word of Drivers and Movers

Because drivers and carriers have a lot of pickups and deliveries on their plates, you shouldn’t place your confidence in their word that they would alert the carrier or take pictures and start the claim process.

Take Command of Your Cargo

If you discover concealed damage, it is your responsibility, along with that of your freight broker, to notify the carrier, file a claim (typically within 5 days), and possibly even schedule an inspection appointment so that the carrier can come out and inspect the damaged freight.

Ultimately, you need to realize that you are responsible for notifying the carrier about the damage if you discover concealed damage to your shipment. So, do the necessary to retrieve the money you lost due to the damage to your shipment.

Bottom Line

Reporting and careful attention to detail are the two most important factors that will determine how you handle hidden damage to your freight. Before you sign the proof of delivery (POD), give the shipment as thorough of a check as you possibly can, preferably with the driver standing close by.

Notify your freight broker as soon as possible if you discover that you have been a victim of some form of covert damage. They will provide you with the best opportunity to regain at least some of what you have lost.

Vineyard Brokerage protects your goods from any harm that could happen and helps you if the worst happens by giving you the best chance of getting back at least some of what you may have lost

With you every mile of the way!