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Freight claim
A freight claim is a demand for payment when freight is lost, damaged, or short, filed against the carrier that had the load.
Last updated 11 October 2026.
The shipper, or you on the shipper's behalf, says the freight did not arrive as tendered. The carrier that had possession is who the claim is aimed at. The file is the bill of lading, the proof of delivery with any exception noted, photos, and the count or the damage.
A clean proof of delivery is a harder claim than one that says cartons were crushed. That is why the note at delivery matters more than the speech a week later. Get the exception on the paper while the truck is still at the dock.
A claim is not an accessorial. Detention is a wait you priced. A claim is loss or damage. They can show up on the same load, and billing still has to keep them apart. Paying the carrier in full while a claim is open, or short-paying without a documented reason, both create a second argument.
Your job is the file and the follow-up, not a made-up number. What shipped, what was signed for, what it was worth, and what the contract says about liability. Those facts live on the load. An amount that does not come from them will not survive the carrier's response.
FreightScout does not invent a claim amount and it does not settle a claim. The documents and the exception stay on the load, and a person owns the demand. How FreightScout brings exceptions to a person.
Questions people actually ask
What belongs in a freight claim file?
The bill of lading, the proof of delivery, any exception noted at delivery, and photos of the loss or damage. A clean signature with no exception noted is a harder claim than one the receiver marked.
Who sets the claim amount?
A person does, from the documents and the contract. FreightScout does not invent a claim amount and does not settle it.