WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOUR GOODS ARE DELIVERED DAMAGED / NO NEED TO LOSE SLEEP

 

As in any business, international transportation involves certain risks.

One of these risks is damaged delivery.

When a damaged delivery is identified, if you fail to stay calm and follow the correct steps below, you may end up both burning the stake and letting go of the reins—in other words, you fail to secure your position properly.

Unloading the goods in the heat of the moment and arguing with the carrier, or lashing out at the driver ❌

Following the steps below 👍🏻

First of all, we have previously addressed the responsibilities of the carrier and the shipper in relation to this topic.

In connection with this, once loading is completed and the goods are properly secured, detailed photos must be taken, clearly showing the vehicle’s license plate. If possible, videos should also be recorded. In the event of potential damage, how the goods were loaded and secured is crucial, and presenting this evidence to insurance companies is extremely beneficial.

1. Check your documents.

Carefully review the CMR, especially to confirm whether the delivered goods match what you were expecting.

Although not very common, if the carrier has added remarks regarding poor loading or insufficient packaging, you will be able to notice them in advance.

You may naturally ask: If there was such an issue during loading, why was I not informed until delivery?

This usually stems from poor communication—a long topic on its own and best addressed in a separate article.

If photos or videos were shared with you after loading, it may also be useful to review and compare them.

2. When the vehicle arrives, visually inspect the goods before unloading.

Check for any packaging damage, visible breakage, deformation, or abnormal conditions.

If there is no experienced receiver at the delivery point—which unfortunately happens quite often—goods may be unloaded without inspection.

Sometimes damage is noticed and shown to the driver, but the goods are unloaded without taking photos.

3. If any of the above issues are detected during the initial inspection, inform the driver before intervening with the goods.

After carrying out the necessary checks together with the driver, photos and videos should be taken before unloading, clearly showing the vehicle’s license plate.

If possible, share these photos and videos simultaneously with your customer or operations representative.

A small but important note: it is more accurate to inspect and photograph the goods before removing the securing equipment.

If the damage resulted from improper securing, this will give you the opportunity to prove it.

4. After unloading, inspect the goods in more detail, again under the driver’s supervision.

If there is packaging damage, open the packaging and inspect the goods.

If any issues are found, be sure to take photos.

Likewise, if possible, share photos and videos with your customer or operations representative at the same time.

I emphasize this repeatedly: the driver must witness the entire process. I will explain why at the end.

5. Make sure the CMR includes remarks regarding the damaged delivery.

When the driver asks you to sign the CMR after delivery, be sure to clearly note the damage details in an appropriate section—usually box 6.

Example:

4 pallets received. Moisture detected on the products on 2 pallets. Upon inspection, it was observed that the products were damaged due to moisture.

Make sure you keep a copy for yourself.

Normally, this should go without saying, as one copy is issued for you anyway. However, in practice, some receivers do not take the CMR regardless of whether the delivery is damaged or not.

6. Contact your customer or operations representative to prepare the required documents for insurance claims. Do not delay.

In the next stage, a file must be opened for damage assessment, determination of fault ratios, and compensation according to the insurance policy if the carrier is found liable.

Documents related to the damaged goods will need to be prepared.

The damage amount must be declared based on the invoice value.

For example, if the goods are worth 100 TL but invoiced at 50 TL, even in the case of total loss and full carrier liability, the insurance company will consider the value as 50 TL.

Of course, under-invoicing is not done—it would be an informal practice—but I wanted to add this as a small note ☺

From this point on, the process will involve follow-ups and documentation.

The insurance company will evaluate the case and respond with a positive, negative, or partially positive decision.

Now, let’s look at the possible negative scenarios if these steps are not followed…

If you unload the goods without inspection, it becomes much harder to prove whether the damage occurred during unloading.

And if the driver later says, “I was opening the curtain at that moment; they unloaded it immediately, I didn’t see it,” then good luck ☺

You will spend a lot of time arguing over who is right or wrong.

If you’re thinking “Does anyone really do it this way?”—yes, unfortunately, I have witnessed it many times.

Let’s not forget: drivers are also representatives of their companies.

In damage cases, insurance companies often request written statements from drivers.

If you rush to unload the goods without involving the driver, and the driver is elsewhere at that moment, they will naturally say: “I didn’t see the unloading.”

Then questions arise, such as whether the unloading personnel could have caused the damage.

That is why I repeatedly emphasize that the driver should be present throughout the entire process.

If possible, before removing the straps, inspect the goods together with the driver and, if damage exists, record photos and videos clearly showing the vehicle’s license plate.

The more supporting and evidentiary materials you have, the faster and easier it will be for the insurance company to make a decision.

Otherwise, you may submit a claim, and two weeks later—when the insurance company requests additional photos—you realize that two weeks have already been wasted.

One final point.

Carriers do not intentionally want to deliver damaged goods.

They are well aware that damaged deliveries lead to customer loss, damaged trust, financial loss, and wasted time.

Managing the process with untrained personnel is, of course, a different issue—but even then, there is usually no intent.

Who would want to argue with someone and lose money for no reason?

However, if you are not prepared for worst-case scenarios, negative outcomes may go beyond damaged delivery alone.

Your loss may not be compensated due to missing documents;

your claim may be rejected due to late or incomplete notification;

and mistrust between parties may grow due to poor process management.

From shipper to consignee, at least 5 people directly or indirectly affect the transportation process.

On average, this number reaches 13–15 people.

In corporate companies, it can be even higher.

If just one out of these five people is knowledgeable and calm, losses can be minimized.

Now imagine that you are one of those five—and you lack the necessary knowledge.

You are left to the conscience of the other four. Maybe they don’t know either.

If you have read this article to the end, then at least in the worst-case scenario, you are now the knowledgeable one among those five.

Better than nothing.

I wish your path always crosses with experienced and competent professionals.

Business life can be exhausting, but working with people who handle problems on your behalf—sometimes without you even knowing—makes a real difference ☺

Tolga ARPACI

tolga.arpaci@teslimator.com

+90 533 035 53 13

www.teslimator.com

TESLİMATÖR LOGISTICS – The Easy Way to Deliver

As Teslimatör Logistics, we provide international full and partial transportation services by road, sea, and air to 60 countries in more than 50 languages.

With our extensive agency network and commitment to professionalism, we offer our customers a clear, simple, and reliable international transportation experience.