Services
Document a loss
Support a claim
For carriers and employers
Service areas
Middle Tennessee
- Nashville
- Clarksville
- Murfreesboro
- Franklin
- Hendersonville
- Smyrna
- Spring Hill
- Gallatin
- Lebanon
- Columbia
- Brentwood
- Mount Juliet
- La Vergne
- Cookeville
East Tennessee
West Tennessee
Cargo and Ground Transportation Claim Documentation
Delator Claims Division documents damaged, shifted, spilled or short freight at Tennessee docks, yards, terminals and roadside scenes. Motor carriers, shippers, receivers, brokers, cargo insurers and their attorneys use the neutral record to establish the condition of a load at a known time and place.
- Coverage
- 95 of 95 counties
- Dispatch
- 24 / 7 / 365
- Metro response
- Under 60 min avg.
- Statewide
- 4-hour guarantee
What this service covers
Freight changes hands several times between origin and delivery, and a cargo claim usually turns on where in that chain the damage occurred. The shipper says the load left in good order. The carrier says it was loaded that way. The receiver refuses part of the delivery and notes an exception on the paperwork. Each party holds photographs taken by its own staff, if any exist.
An independent record made at the dock or the roadside gives every party the same starting point. Delator's field personnel photograph the trailer, the load and the packaging as found, record seals and identifying numbers, and note the conditions of the visit. They do not decide who is liable for the loss, set a salvage value, or decide whether product is fit for sale.
Freight situations that need an independent record
- A receiver has refused a load at the dock, and the trailer is being held with the freight still on board.
- A tractor-trailer has overturned or been struck, and the cargo must be transferred or cleared from the roadside.
- A refrigerated load arrives with product temperatures in question, and the unit's display and settings need to be recorded.
- A trailer arrives with a broken or mismatched seal, and the piece count is short of the shipping documents.
- Damaged freight is about to be sold for salvage or destroyed, and the insurer wants its condition recorded first.
What is recorded at the dock, yard or roadside
- Trailer and container body
- Unit numbers, door condition, roof, walls and floor, including holes, leaks, impact damage and prior repairs, photographed inside and out.
- Seal and door hardware
- Seal number, type and condition as found, compared against the number on the shipping documents presented, with latches and hinges photographed.
- Load arrangement
- How freight sits in the trailer: pallet positions, stacking, voids, load bars, straps, dunnage and blocking, photographed from the doors forward as unloading proceeds.
- Packaging and product damage
- Crushed cartons, torn wrap, broken pallets, wetting and staining, with close views of labels, lot numbers and the extent of visible damage to each unit.
- Counts and exceptions
- Pieces observed, damaged and intact, as counted during the visit, alongside photographs of the bill of lading and any exceptions written by the receiver.
- Refrigeration unit readings
- Set point, displayed temperature and any alarm codes on the refrigeration unit at the time of the visit, photographed without altering the settings.
From request to delivered record
- RequestCall dispatch or submit the request form with the location, loss type and urgency.
- DeployDispatch assigns the nearest available licensed field investigator through the statewide network.
- DocumentPhotographs, video, measurements and factual notes are captured once the scene is safe to work.
- PreserveFiles are timestamped, organized and kept in their original form with a record of who captured them.
- ReportThe package is delivered securely to the requesting party, typically the same day.
Why cargo evidence has a short life
A loaded trailer is revenue equipment, and nobody wants it sitting. A receiver needs the dock door, the carrier needs the trailer back, and the driver is running against available hours. Refused freight is restacked, moved to a cross-dock or returned within a day. Each move changes the load arrangement that might have shown how the damage happened. Perishable and temperature-sensitive goods may be disposed of quickly.
After a roadway crash the timeline is shorter still. A recovery company transfers or clears the cargo so the lane can reopen, and spilled product may be scooped into roll-off containers. Emergency deployment, from 30 minutes to 4 hours, exists for these situations. Field personnel work from positions the responding agencies and the tow operator allow, and photograph the load before, during and after the transfer where access permits.
What the record does for each party in the chain
Cargo disputes are often decided on documents: the bill of lading, the delivery receipt and whatever was written on them at the time. Photographs that tie the physical load to those documents make the paperwork easier to rely on. A seal number photographed on the door, a pallet count taken as the trailer is unloaded and a dated view of the load arrangement let a claims handler follow the sequence without having been there.
Delator accepts these assignments from any party in the chain and documents them the same way. The report does not say whether damage resulted from loading, securement, handling, a collision or the packaging itself, and it does not interpret contract or tariff terms. Ground transportation losses involving the truck, trailer or other vehicles can be documented in the same visit, so the cargo record and the collision record stay consistent.
On this assignment Delator field personnel record what is physically present: photographs, video, measurements and factual notes. They do not adjust, appraise or value the loss, do not determine coverage, cause or fault, and do not represent any party to the claim.
Delator Claims Division is not a law firm, an insurer or an engineering firm, and nothing on this page is legal advice.
Common questions about this service
Can you reach a distribution center or truck stop outside the metro areas?
Yes. Coverage extends to all 95 Tennessee counties with dispatch at all hours. Metro response averages under 60 minutes, and every location is covered by the four-hour statewide deployment guarantee. The requester needs to arrange site access with the facility so field personnel are admitted on arrival.
Do you inspect the freight or decide whether it can be salvaged?
No. Field personnel photograph and count what is visible and record identifying labels. They do not open sealed product unless the party in control of it does so, and they do not grade, test or value goods. Salvage and disposition decisions belong to the cargo owner and insurer.
Will you document load securement on a flatbed or open trailer?
Yes. Straps, chains, binders, edge protection and anchor points are photographed as found, along with tags or markings visible on the securement gear. The report describes position and visible condition. It does not state whether the securement met any regulation or standard.
The load was already unloaded. What can still be recorded?
The empty trailer interior, floor and door seals, the freight where it now sits, damaged packaging that was set aside, and photographs taken by dock staff, which can be collected and indexed by source. The report states which observations were made first-hand and which came from others.
Available statewide, including
Every Tennessee county is covered. See the deployment map for typical response tiers by county.
Request documentation anywhere in Tennessee
Dispatch is staffed around the clock. For time-sensitive scenes, calling is fastest; the request form works for routine and scheduled assignments.