If your freight arrives damaged, All Freight Carrying asks you to do four things straight away: note the damage on the proof of delivery before the driver leaves, photograph the item, its packaging and its label, keep every piece of packaging, and tell us in writing within seven days of delivery, quoting the consignment number. This guide explains why each step matters, what evidence a claim needs, how a carrier’s liability differs from transit insurance, and what happens with concealed damage and refused freight. It is general information about how freight claims work, not legal advice; for a question about your rights in a particular case, get your own advice.
What should I do the moment damaged freight arrives?
Look at the freight before you sign for it, and write what you see on the proof of delivery. That habit does more for a claim than anything that follows.
- Check the outside before signing. Crushed or torn cartons, broken strapping, wrap that has been cut or slipped, water stains, or a carton count that does not match the consignment note. “One carton crushed, contents not yet checked” is a perfectly good note.
- Note the damage on the proof of delivery. Whether the POD is paper or a signature on the driver’s device, add the words before you sign. A clean signature is treated across the freight industry as evidence that the goods were handed over in good condition. If the freight was left under an authority to leave, photograph what you find as soon as you find it.
- Photograph before unpacking further. The whole consignment as it stands, close-ups of the damage, the label with the consignment number, and the inside of the packaging as you open it.
- Keep all packaging. The carton, the padding, the wrap, the strapping and the pallet. A carrier or an insurer may want to inspect how the goods were packed.
- Notify the carrier in writing, inside its stated timeframe. Every carrier’s conditions of carriage set a claims period, and missing it can end the claim.
- Leave the goods as they are. Do not repair, dispose of or use damaged items until the claim is decided, unless safety requires it.
What is the difference between carrier liability and transit insurance?
Confusing the two is the most common reason a damage claim disappoints. A carrier’s liability is set by its conditions of carriage. In Australian road freight it is normally excluded or limited as far as the law allows, and where it cannot be excluded it is often capped at the freight charges paid for that consignment, not the value of the goods. Transit insurance, sometimes called marine cargo or goods-in-transit cover, is a policy the sender or owner takes out to cover the value of the goods while they travel, whatever the cause, subject to the policy terms. A carrier’s own “carriers insurance” covers the carrier’s liability, not the sender’s goods. If the goods are worth more than the freight charge, the sender needs transit insurance, under a trade policy or arranged for the consignment.
What evidence does a freight claim need?
- The consignment number, the delivery date and the delivery address.
- What was damaged and how, including how many items out of how many.
- Photographs of the damage, the packaging and the label, taken at delivery.
- A copy of the proof of delivery with the damage noted on it.
- Evidence of value: the supplier invoice or purchase price, and a repair quote or replacement cost.
Send it in writing. A phone call is a good start, but a claim is a written thing with a date on it.
What about concealed damage?
Concealed damage is damage found only after unpacking, when the outside looked fine and the POD was signed clean. It is the hardest kind to claim, because the record says the goods arrived in good condition. Speed and evidence are everything: stop unpacking the moment you see it, photograph the item inside its packaging exactly as you found it, keep every piece of packaging, and notify the carrier in writing that day, still inside its claims period. Good packaging is the real defence; read our guide to packaging freight so it arrives undamaged before sending anything fragile.
What happens with refused freight?
A receiver can refuse a consignment that is obviously damaged. The freight goes back to the carrier’s depot and the carrier contacts the sender about a return or a redelivery, both of which generally carry a charge. Refusing does not start a claim on its own; the sender still has to notify the carrier in writing within the claims period, so tell the sender straight away. Where only part of a consignment is damaged, accept the good items, refuse or note the damaged ones, and record exactly that on the POD.
With All Freight Carrying
This is how it works with us, taken from our Conditions of Carriage, which apply to every booking.
Making a claim. Any claim must be made in writing within 7 days of delivery, or, for goods treated as lost, within 7 days of the date they are treated as lost, which is 10 business days after the estimated delivery date. The claim must include the consignment number, a description of the loss or damage, photographs, and evidence of the value claimed. Damaged goods and their packaging must be kept for our inspection. Receiving goods without noting damage on our proof of delivery is evidence that they were delivered in good condition, and any proceeding must be commenced within 6 months. None of this limits any right you have under the Australian Consumer Law.
Liability. Goods are carried at the owner’s risk. Nothing in the conditions excludes rights under the Australian Consumer Law, the Carriage of Goods by Land (Carrier’s Liability) Act 1967 (Qld) or any other law that cannot lawfully be excluded. Subject to that, our liability for loss, damage, mis-delivery, non-delivery or delay is excluded to the extent the law permits; where it can only be limited, it is limited to supplying the service again or its cost, and capped at the carriage charges paid for that consignment unless a higher limit has been agreed in writing and paid for. We are not liable, to the extent permitted by law, for damage caused by inadequate packaging, labelling or palletising. Charges must still be paid in full; a claim cannot be set off against our invoice.
Insurance. We do not insure your goods and our charges do not include insurance. You should hold your own transit insurance for the full value of the goods. We will arrange specific cover only if you instruct us in writing before collection, declare an accurate description and value, and pay the premium. The business carries goods-in-transit (carriers) insurance and fleet cover through NTI, public liability cover of $20 million through Berkley Insurance Australia and workers compensation through WorkCover Queensland, with certificates of currency available on request. As our safety, compliance and insurance page puts it, carriers insurance is not the same as a sender insuring the goods themselves, so if your freight is high value, tell us when you book and we will talk you through it.
Proof of delivery. Every delivery scan carries a GPS-stamped photo or a signature, with the time and the location. Email or call the office with the consignment number and we will send a copy; our tracking page explains each status.
Refused freight. Under our conditions, refusal of the goods makes the delivery attempt futile. The freight returns to our Yandina depot, the office contacts the sender or the receiver to arrange a redelivery, a collection from the depot or a return to sender, and redelivery, further attempts, storage and returns are at the sender’s cost. Goods held after a futile delivery are stored at the owner’s risk; the first 72 hours of depot storage are free.
How to contact us. Call 1300 882 117 between 8:00am and 4:00pm Monday to Friday, or email cs@allfreightcarrying.com.au with the consignment number in the first line. An email is the written notice the conditions require, so send one even after you have spoken to us.
If you are planning a consignment that is fragile or valuable, tell us when you request a quote or call 1300 882 117, and we will talk through packaging, cover and the right vehicle before it moves.
Published by All Freight Carrying, Yandina, Sunshine Coast · 1 November 2026 · Last updated 1 November 2026
