The freight claims process is the sequence for recovering loss when cargo arrives damaged, short, or not at all: exceptions noted at delivery, damage documented and mitigated, and a written claim filed with the carrier inside the allowed window.
It starts at the dock, not at the keyboard. OS&D (over, short, and damaged) exceptions noted on the delivery receipt are the foundation of the claim; a POD signed clean makes everything after it harder. From there the claim is a file: the annotated POD, the bill of lading, the commercial invoice establishing value, photos, and repair or replacement estimates. Support and ops teams carry the intake, chasing each of those documents across email threads while the customer waits and the filing window runs.
The approach to reject is pointing claimants at a web form and going silent. Documentation dribbles in over weeks, every missing item costs a round trip, and the customer reads the silence as a denial in progress. Intake is a checklist, and a checklist can run on the thread where the claim arrived, with the status visible the whole way.
Claims intake vs liability determination at a glance
| Dimension | Claims intake | Liability determination |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | gathering and validating the claim file | deciding fault, value, and payout |
| Inputs | annotated POD, BOL, invoice, photos, estimates | the completed file, contract terms, carrier response |
| Skill required | completeness and follow-through | judgment and negotiation |
| Automation fit | high, checklist-driven | stays with a human |
Aide, the agentic AI platform for customer experience, runs the intake side of this line: it recognizes an OS&D or claims thread, requests exactly the documents still missing, assembles the file, and keeps the claimant informed until the case is complete. The liability determination and settlement stay human-gated, and intake behavior is tested against the operation's real past claims threads before it faces a live customer. How claims intake fits the rest of the freight queue is covered in Aide for logistics and freight.
Frequently asked questions
- How long do you have to file a freight claim?
- For US interstate motor freight the standard window is nine months from delivery, or from expected delivery for a lost shipment. Ocean and air cargo run on shorter clocks, and contracts can vary the terms, so the governing document is always the contract or tariff.
- What documents does a freight claim need?
- The delivery receipt or POD with exceptions noted, the bill of lading, the commercial invoice establishing cargo value, photos of the damage, and repair or replacement estimates. Claims stall on missing documents more often than on disputed facts, which is why intake belongs on a checklist.