LIMITS OF LIABILITY FOR CARGO LOSS OR DAMAGE
At Carlile, we understand that the safe delivery of your freight is crucial. Our guidelines ensure transparency, outlining our basic limits of liability for cargo loss or damage for new and used goods, the process for declaring higher values, and the steps needed to file a claim.
- New Items: $20 per lb, up to a maximum of $200,000
- Used Items and Household goods: $0.10 per lb, with a maximum of $5,000
Carlile reserves the right to repair or replace items within the limits of liability.
LIABILITY EXCEPTIONS
Carrier will not be liable for any delay, loss or damage to a shipment caused by an act of God; act of the public enemy; act or omission of the shipper, of public authority, of another party; or the inherent vice or nature of the goods. In no instance shall Carrier be liable for any indirect, consequential, loss of profit, special, exemplary or punitive damages. . If the shipment is carried by water over any part of said route, the claim value for that shipment is subject to limitations of liability specified in the “Carriage of Goods by Sea Act”. Carrier will not be liable for shipments which require special temperature handling or weather protection unless such information is conveyed in writing on Carrier’s Bill of Lading. Every party, whether principal or agent, who ships explosives or hazardous goods, without previous full written disclosure to carrier of their nature, shall be liable for, defend and indemnify the carrier against all loss or damage caused by such goods. Such goods may be warehoused at owner’s risk and expense and destroyed without reimbursement for their value. All shipments delivered to Carrier for further shipment are subject to the lesser of another carrier’s or Carlile Transportation Systems, Inc. limitation of liability, whichever is less. Unless agreed in writing prior to shipment, Carrier is not bound to transport shipment by a particular schedule, but is responsible to transport with reasonable dispatch. In no case will the carrier be liable for a claim amount which exceeds the replacement value of the goods. Different liability limits are available if a shipment has a declared value or in exchange for higher freight rates. See 49 USC Sec. 14706(c)(1)(A and B). Carrier will not accept the following items for shipment: Currency, Jewelry, Museum Exhibits or Antiques, Artwork, Postage Stamps, other articles of extraordinary value or inherently fragile items. In the event these articles are inadvertently accepted, Carrier’s limit of liability will be $0.10 per pound per lost or damage shipment to a limit of $1,000.00.
CLAIM PAYOUT PROCESS
- Salvage must be retained until the claim is resolved, or until given disposition.
- The Carlile freight invoice may be required before claim settlement.
- Bill-of-Lading (BOL)
- Proof of Delivery (POD)
- Original Purchase or Repair Invoice
- Photos of damage to packaging and freight
CLAIM FILING TIME FRAMES
- Claims must be filed within 2 months.
- Claims must be filed within 9 months.
- Claims must be filed within 15 days of delivery.
- Claims will be acknowledged within 30 days.
- Claim positions will be provided within 120 days by payment, offer of compromise, or denial. If the claim is not resolved within this period, status updates are sent every 60 days.
DECLARED VALUE
Carlile’s standard Bill-of-Lading offers customers the option to declare a value, which can be in exchange for higher rates.
By declaring a value, customers can increase the maximum liability limit to the declared amount.
- Rate: $1.00 per $100.00 of declared value from the first dollar.
- Approval for Higher Values: Values over $200,000 require prior written approval.
- Fair Market Value Cap: Declared value cannot exceed the replacement value of the goods.
Shippers may declare a value exceeding Carlile’s standard Bill-of-Lading limits of liability by purchasing additional coverage for the excess value, up to but not exceeding the fair market value of the items being declared.
To declare value, the shipper must indicate “Declared Value” on the Bill of Lading and specify the total value, including standard amounts.
HEAVY HAUL LIABILITY
For Heavy Haul shipments where no value is declared, the limit of liability will be $25.00 per pound up to a maximum of $1,000,000.00 per shipment. Heavy Haul shipments are defined as a single piece or item weighing more than 40,000lbs; or being larger than 14 feet in height or more than 8 feet in width; or rolling stock where the one item weighs more than 40,000lbs.