An over, short and damaged exception has to be documented at the dock, before the driver leaves. US Claims Solutions advises recording seal condition, piece count against the bill, photographs of the load in the trailer, and a specific notation on the delivery receipt — because a clean receipt signed at delivery is extremely difficult to contradict later.
The delivery receipt is the decisive document
Signing a delivery receipt clean is an acknowledgement that the freight arrived in apparent good order and in the stated count. Contradicting that afterwards requires evidence that the damage existed before delivery, which the receipt itself now argues against. Any exception has to be noted on the receipt at the point of delivery, and it has to be specific: “14 cases crushed, pallet 3 of 6” carries weight that “damaged” does not. Photographs taken at the dock support the notation, but they do not replace it: the receipt is the document the carrier and its insurer will work from.
Seal condition is recorded before the doors open
The seal number is checked against the bill of lading and photographed intact before it is broken. A seal that is missing, broken, or carries a number other than the one on the paperwork changes the nature of the claim entirely, because it raises access between origin and destination. That observation is worth more recorded at the dock than reconstructed afterwards, and it takes seconds. Photographs of the load as first exposed, before unloading begins, establish how the freight was actually stowed.
Over, short and damaged are three different claims
A shortage indicates freight that did not arrive and points toward loading or interim handling. An overage indicates freight belonging to another consignment and carries an obligation to return it. Damage indicates a handling or securement failure in transit. Recording which applies, at the piece and pallet level, determines who the claim is against and what evidence supports it. A single notation of “OS&D” without that detail leaves the question open. Recording which applies also determines the evidence that matters, since a shortage turns on loading records while damage turns on securement and handling.
Concealed damage has a clock
Damage found after the driver leaves is concealed damage, and carriers generally impose a short notification window — frequently five days, sometimes shorter by contract. The claimant has to show the damage occurred in transit rather than after delivery, which is difficult without photographs taken at unloading and retained packaging. Keeping the original packaging and the pallet as received is routinely what decides a concealed damage claim. Retaining the packaging and the pallet as received is routinely what decides the claim, because it is the only physical evidence of how the freight was presented at delivery.
What happens after documentation
Once an exception is documented, damaged cargo still has disposition value in many cases. USCS assesses damaged freight and commodity, evaluates recoverable product, and manages disposition and recovery reporting at the direction of the carrier, adjuster or insured. Damaged freight frequently retains value once it is assessed properly, and the same documentation that supports the claim against the carrier is what a salvage buyer needs in order to bid. Consultants assess condition at the piece and pallet level rather than accepting a whole-load write-off.