How to file a damage claim after car shipping
File a car shipping damage claim in writing with the carrier, for a specific dollar amount, before the deadline in your contract. A note on the bill of lading is evidence. Under 49 CFR 370.3 it is not, by itself, the claim. This page does not invent a deadline and does not promise payment.
Key facts
- What counts as a claim
- A written communication, filed on time, that identifies the shipment, asserts liability, and demands a specified or determinable amount of money.
- Source: 49 CFR 370.3(b)
- What does not count alone
- A damage notation, an inspection report, or a bad-order report, standing alone, is not a claim under 49 CFR 370.3(c).
- Source: 49 CFR 370.3(c)
- Acknowledgment
- The carrier acknowledges a proper written claim within 30 days after receipt, unless it has already paid or declined the claim in writing in that time.
- Source: 49 CFR 370.5(a)
- Disposition
- The carrier pays, declines, or makes a firm compromise offer within 120 days after receipt, or sends a written status and the reason for delay, then again at least every 60 days.
- Source: 49 CFR 370.9(a)
- Statutory floor, if the section applies
- 49 USC 14706(e) says a carrier may not set a claim period under 9 months, or a lawsuit period under 2 years from a written disallowance, for a claim under that section. Whether your shipment is in that section is a legal question. Follow the contract, and ask a lawyer if it is shorter.
- Source: 49 USC 14706, 2023 edition
The sources are listed on this page.
File the damage claim in writing, with a dollar amount, to the carrier, inside the time your contract allows. Do it even if you already marked the dent on the bill of lading. Federal claim rules say that mark, by itself, is not the claim. This is general information for interstate shipments. It is not legal advice, and it does not promise the carrier will pay.
RideShipper does not decide claims and does not insure the car.
The deadline is the one in your contract
Open the contract and the bill of lading and find the claim paragraph. Write the date delivery happened and the last date the paragraph allows for a written claim. Put a reminder several days earlier. If you cannot find a date, ask the carrier, in writing, what deadline they will apply, and send the claim as soon as you have a repair amount. Do not invent "you always have nine months."
There is a statutory floor, and it has a gate. 49 USC 14706(e), in the 2023 U.S. Code edition on GovInfo, says a carrier may not provide, by rule, contract, or otherwise, a period of less than 9 months for filing a claim against it under that section, and a period of less than 2 years for bringing a civil action under that section. The lawsuit period runs from the date the carrier gives written notice that it disallowed any part of the claim. Whether your car shipment is "under this section" depends on jurisdiction this page will not decide. If your contract states fewer than 9 months, talk to a lawyer before you pick which date to trust. Until then, meet the earlier date you can see on the paper.
Step 1. Same day, preserve the evidence
The same-day list is what to do the day you see damage. Short version: photograph the damage and the surrounding panels, write the exception on the delivery copy before you sign, and do not wash or repair the car before the carrier has a chance to see it, unless the contract gives you a shorter inspection rule. Get the driver's name and the truck's USDOT number. A note on the bill is the start. How to write that note shows the wording. Pickup photos, if you took them, are the before picture. The shot list is what to photograph before pickup.
Step 2. Get a number you can claim
49 CFR 370.3(d) says a carrier shall not voluntarily pay a claim for an uncertain amount, such as "100 dollars more or less," until a formal claim in writing for a specified or determinable amount is filed. Get a repair estimate that states a dollar figure. If you have two estimates, claim the one you are prepared to support, and say the other exists. Do not send "please advise what this is worth."
Step 3. Send a claim that meets the minimum
49 CFR 370.1 says part 370 governs claims for loss, damage, injury, or delay to property transported in interstate or foreign commerce by a motor carrier or freight forwarder subject to 49 USC subtitle IV, part B. The page opened on November 10, 2026 shows an amendment citation of February 19, 2026. Read the current section if your shipment is later.
49 CFR 370.3(b) says a written communication is enough to count as a filing if it is filed with the proper carrier within the contract's time limits and it does all three of these:
- Contains facts sufficient to identify the shipment.
- Asserts liability for the alleged loss, damage, injury, or delay.
- Makes a claim for a specified or determinable amount of money.
The carrier must have reasonable access to supporting documents. Include copies of the bill of lading, the pickup and delivery condition notes, the photographs, the repair estimate, and the contract page that states the cargo limit. Keep the originals.
49 CFR 370.3(a) says the claim is filed with the receiving or delivering carrier, the carrier that issued the bill of lading or receipt, or the carrier on whose line the loss occurred. If a broker booked the load, send the claim to the carrier anyway, and send a copy to the notice address in your contract. "I told the salesperson" is not on that list.
Email and a trackable letter are both writing. Use the method the contract requires if it names one. If it is silent, use both, and keep the proof.
Step 4. Watch their clock
49 CFR 370.5(a) says the carrier shall acknowledge receipt of a proper claim in writing within 30 days after the date it received the claim, unless it has already paid or declined the claim in writing within those 30 days. The acknowledgment should say what other documents they want. The carrier records the date of receipt on the claim. Ask them to tell you that date. Your deadline math runs from their receipt, not from the day you thought about writing.
49 CFR 370.9(a) says the carrier shall pay, decline, or make a firm compromise offer in writing within 120 days after receipt. If it cannot, it must at that time, and at the end of each succeeding 60-day period while the claim is pending, tell you in writing the status and the reason for the delay, and keep a copy.
If those letters do not come, send one short follow-up that cites the dates. Do not restart the claim with a new amount unless the repair number changed. A moving target is harder to acknowledge.
Step 5. Read a denial before you argue
A decline should be in writing. Under 49 USC 14706(e)(2), an offer of compromise is not a disallowance unless the carrier, in writing, says that part of the claim is disallowed and gives reasons. A letter from an insurer is not a disallowance unless the insurer writes that it is acting for the carrier, disallows the part, and gives reasons. If you are unsure which letter you hold, ask a lawyer, because the lawsuit clock in that subsection runs from a real disallowance.
Compare the denial with the cargo limit and the exclusions in the contract. A denial that says "pre-existing" is why the pickup photos and the origin notes matter. A denial that says "late" is why you do not wait for a perfect estimate. The coverage guide explains the limit they are applying. The claim helper at damage claim helper is a checklist and a letter outline. It does not file the claim for you, and it is not the carrier's form.
Shipping checklist
Use the shipping checklist to keep pickup photos, the bill of lading, and the claim letter in one place. The bill of lading itself is explained in how to read a bill of lading.
Questions
I wrote the dent on the bill of lading. Did I file the claim?
No. 49 CFR 370.3(c) says a notation of damage on a delivery receipt, standing alone, is not a claim. You still send a written demand for a dollar amount, with enough facts to identify the shipment. The note is the evidence you attach. Do both.
The broker says to wait for their inspector. Does that pause the deadline?
Only if the contract says so. Do not let an inspection appointment run past the filing date in the contract. Send the claim with the amount you can support now, and say an inspection is pending if that is true. An uncertain amount does not get voluntarily paid until a specified amount is filed, under 49 CFR 370.3(d).
Who do I send it to if a broker arranged the truck?
49 CFR 370.3 says the claim is filed with the receiving or delivering carrier, the carrier that issued the bill of lading, or the carrier on whose line the loss occurred. Send it there. Also send it to the address the contract names, which may be the broker. Keep both proofs of sending.
They denied the claim. How long do I have to sue?
Read the disallowance letter and the contract. 49 USC 14706(e) says that, for a claim under that section, the time to sue cannot be less than 2 years from the carrier's written notice that it disallowed any part of the claim. An offer of compromise is not a disallowance unless they say so in writing and give reasons. A letter from the insurer is not a disallowance unless the insurer says it is acting for the carrier, gives reasons, and disallows the part in writing. Ask a lawyer before you rely on the statute instead of a shorter sentence in your contract.