Carmack carrier liability
A common carrier is liable for actual loss or injury to cargo moving in interstate commerce, arising under the bill of lading and the carrier's tariff — not an insurance-policy claim, not a consumer debt.
The most rigorous Carmack Amendment claim packet a shipper can file.
ClaimRoute assembles a documentation-complete freight claim packet — claim-type classification, the itemized valuation, every required filing element, the evidence bundle, and a per-carrier Deadline Clock — checked against the letter of the Carmack Amendment and 49 C.F.R. Part 370 before a Claims Specialist signs off and files it under your authorization.
Filed under 49 U.S.C. § 14706 (Carmack Amendment)Deadline Clock on every carrier: 9-month, 30-day, 120-dayClaim type gate-checked before filingClaims Specialist sign-off on every packetNo recovery, no fee
Why claims fail
Half of eligible freight claims never get filed at all.
A damaged, short, or missing shipment is only recoverable if the claim behind it is classified correctly, evidenced, and filed inside a narrow, carrier-specific window. Miss the concealed-damage notice window, mis-classify the claim, or file past the deadline, and the money the carrier owes is simply gone.
Most ops teams have no one whose job it is to do this systematically. Of the claims that do get filed without discipline, LTL denial rates run 50–60% and manual recovery lands at only 35–45% of claimed value. The Deadline Clock is running the moment a pallet arrives crushed.
ClaimRoute exists to close that gap with a single, exhaustive standard applied identically to every shipment.
~50%
of eligible freight claims are estimated to never get filed
The benchmark
Measured against the letter of the Carmack Amendment — provision by provision.
We do not summarize the law and hope. Every packet is built against a versioned rule pack tied to the text of 49 U.S.C. § 14706 and 49 C.F.R. Part 370, with each carrier's exact windows confirmed at intake. These are the provisions each packet is held to.
Minimum filing window
A carrier may not set a period shorter than 9 months to file a claim, nor shorter than 2 years to bring suit; the BOL's filing window is honored to that 9-month floor from delivery.
Written-claim requirements
A written claim must identify the shipment, assert carrier liability for loss/damage/non-delivery, and claim a specified or determinable amount of money.
30-day acknowledgment
The carrier must acknowledge a claim within 30 days of receipt; that date drives a Deadline Clock alert once the claim is filed.
120-day resolution
The carrier must pay, decline, or make a settlement offer within 120 days; the approaching deadline drives an escalation alert and drafted follow-up.
Concealed-damage notice
Concealed damage discovered after a clean POD must be noticed within the carrier's tariff window (commonly 5 business days), confirmed per carrier at intake — never assumed from a template.
How a packet is built
Intake to Claims Specialist sign-off, with deterministic gates the AI cannot overrule.
AI extracts and drafts. Deterministic rules — running as code, outside the model — decide what is filable and on time. A Claims Specialist approves every packet, and no dollar figure that reaches a filed claim is ever computed by the model. That order is never reversed.
01
Free Eligibility Check
Forward your damaged, short, or lost shipment with the BOL, POD, and photos. Within 24 hours we tell you whether you have a filable claim — and if you don't (window passed, no carrier liability), we say so plainly, with the reason, at no cost.
02
Evidence extraction
OCR and document-AI convert the BOL, POD, invoice, and photos into structured fields, each with a confidence score. Any missing required document blocks the claim and triggers a follow-up naming the exact item.
03
Classification & Deadline Clock
The claim is classified — Visible Damage, Concealed Damage, Shortage, or Non-Delivery — and the per-carrier Deadline Clock is computed by deterministic date math: concealed-damage notice, 9-month filing floor, 30-day acknowledgment, 120-day resolution.
04
Deterministic filing gates
If the concealed-damage window has lapsed or the filing deadline has passed, filing is blocked. The itemized valuation is arithmetic run outside the model. High-value claims require a second sign-off before release.
05
Claims Specialist sign-off
A specialist reviews the classification, liability statement, and packet completeness and approves it — no packet goes out without a human sign-off. Any matter needing litigation is referred to an independent licensed attorney, with no fee retained.
06
Filing & carrier follow-up
We file under your Claims-Handling Authorization via the carrier's required channel, then track every acknowledgment and resolution deadline and draft escalation correspondence on denials and lowball offers.
The bar we hold
Rigor you can measure.
24 hrs
Eligibility Check turnaround
A plain-language filable / not-filable read, with the reason.
100%
Specialist-signed
No packet is filed without a Claims Specialist sign-off.
No win, no fee
Contingency only
You pay a percentage only on a resolved, paid claim.
4
Deadline-Clock milestones
Concealed-damage · 9-month filing · 30-day ack · 120-day resolution.
Why ClaimRoute
Built to be the most thorough option a shipper has.
Documentation-complete, by design
The deliverable is a complete, correctly classified claim packet — every required filing element present or explicitly flagged. Nothing is left implicit for the carrier to reject on.
Deterministic, not vibes
The gates that decide whether a claim is filable and on time are code, not a model's opinion. No valuation total that reaches a filed packet is ever computed by the model.
In its lane, on purpose
We act strictly as your authorized agent for administrative claim filing and settlement with the carrier. We are not a public adjuster, a law firm, or a collection agency, and litigation is referred out.
Engagement
No recovery, no fee. A percentage only on what we get you.
Outcome-based and aligned with your recovery — never hourly, and no cost to try the first claim.
- A free Eligibility Check on your next shipment — filable or not, with the reason, within 24 hours.
- Contingency only: 25% under $2,500, 20% on $2,500–$10,000, 15% over $10,000 or at volume.
- No recovery, no fee — zero cost if a claim is denied and not overturned on appeal.
- Optional monthly monitoring retainer for higher-volume accounts, at a reduced contingency tier.
FAQ
Questions, answered precisely.
Is ClaimRoute a public adjuster or a law firm?
No. ClaimRoute, a service of Your Deputy, Obuke LLC, is not a licensed public adjuster, insurance claims adjuster, law firm, or collection agency, and does not provide legal advice. A Carmack Amendment claim is a carrier-liability claim under a bill of lading — not an insurance policy claim and not consumer debt. Claims that require litigation or formal arbitration are referred to an independent licensed attorney.
Do carriers know you're filing for us?
Yes. You sign a Claims-Handling Authorization — a limited power of attorney — and ClaimRoute acts as your authorized agent to prepare, file, and negotiate the administrative claim with the carrier's claims department. We do not represent you in litigation and retain no fee on any referred legal matter.
Do you guarantee the claim gets paid?
Never. Carrier liability and dollar recoveries depend on the facts of each shipment and the carrier's own review. We pursue every claim in good faith, but recovery is never guaranteed and a carrier may deny a claim in whole or in part. If a shipment isn't filable, we tell you within 24 hours, at no cost.
What makes a packet 'complete'?
The written claim identifies the shipment, asserts carrier liability, and claims a specified amount per 49 C.F.R. § 370.3; the claim type is classified; the Deadline Clock is verified; the itemized valuation reconciles to your invoice; and a Claims Specialist has signed off — all before filing.
How are you priced?
A contingency fee charged only on a resolved, paid claim — 25% under $2,500, 20% on $2,500–$10,000, and 15% over $10,000 or at volume. No recovery, no fee. Never hourly.
Find out if your shipment is still filable — before the clock runs out.
Forward your next damaged, short, or lost shipment with the BOL and POD. Within 24 hours we'll tell you whether you have a filable Carmack claim, and exactly why.
Carrier-liability claim filing under your authorization · not a public adjuster, law firm, or collector · no recovery, no fee.
[PLACEHOLDER] First-cohort recovery rate on domestic LTL/FTL Carmack claims — published here once real claims close. We work no-win-no-fee at 35% of amounts recovered; the measured success rate is shown only after it exists.
[PLACEHOLDER] First shipper reference — added only with a named client's written permission. ClaimRoute never fabricates a testimonial or a logo.
[PLACEHOLDER] Total freight-claim dollars recovered to date — a live figure once real claims are paid, never an estimate.