How to Inspect and Validate a Shipment

Date of Publication: March 22, 2021

Have your ever had a shipment that was damaged? Or a shipment where you didn’t order something and it was in the shipment; or the item(s) you ordered is missing or partially missing?  As the importer you are required to advise the broker of the discrepancy.

Importers should know what is coming, inspect the shipment, validate the shipment against the packing list, and notify anomalies to the broker.

Know what is coming:

Do not accept something that was not expected.  If so, be sure to validate with the shipper before accepting.

Ways to Validate Cargo

  • Tampering or theft
  • Double taped boxes
  • Broken seals
  • Torn or otherwise damaged packaging
  • Missing cargo

Report

Truck PRO – Record any obvious issues in the trucker’s paperwork

  • Opening and inspecting all cargo
  • Taking pictures of any issues, such as a broken product
  • Comparing all items with the expected packing list or an order list

Customs Broker – Report damaged, missing, and overpacked items to your customs broker

Claims: Cargo Insurance

Importers may also choose to purchase cargo insurance to protect their shipments. However, cargo insurance must be purchased before the arrival of cargo at its expected destination and before knowledge of any damage.

To request a cargo insurance quote, please contact us.

This content is intended for informational purposes. Due to the generality of this content, the provided information may not be applicable in all situations. We encourage the reader to review the most up-date-regulations directly with the U.S. government’s sources.

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