Claims, Insurance and the Five Day Window

Knocked-down gaylord boxes banded onto pallets and loaded inside a trailer — Knocked-down gaylords, banded and floor-loaded in a dry van.

Why the window exists

Many supply agreements in this trade give a short window, often a few business days, to raise shortage or damage with photographs and the signed bill of lading. It is not an arbitrary obstacle: after about a week, nobody can distinguish damage that arrived from damage that happened on site.

That ambiguity is bad for the buyer as well as the seller. A clear window protects both parties from a conversation that has no factual resolution.

What to do at delivery

The decisive moments happen before the driver leaves, and they take about five minutes.

Photograph the load inside the trailer before anything is unloaded.
Photograph any visible damage from two distances — context and detail.
Note the exception on the bill of lading before signing, specifically: 'three bundles water damaged, driver advised'.
Record the trailer number and seal number.
Count bundles against the paperwork while the driver is present.

The bill of lading note is the whole thing

A clean signed bill of lading is an assertion that the load arrived as described. Once it is signed clean, a later claim is substantially weaker regardless of what photographs show, because the carrier can reasonably argue the damage occurred after delivery.

Noting an exception takes ten seconds and costs nothing. Drivers are used to it; it is not an accusation.

Which claim is it?

Product and freight claims go to different parties, and sorting that out early saves a week. If the supplier's pre-load photographs show a sound load and yours show damage on arrival, it is a freight claim. If the damage is visible in both sets, it is a product claim.

This is the practical reason to ask suppliers whether they photograph loads before shipping. Photographs on both sides usually settle the question in one email rather than three.

What a good claim email contains

Order number, delivery date, what is wrong, how many units, photographs attached, the noted bill of lading, and what you would like done — replacement, re-grade or credit.

Claims written that way tend to get resolved quickly. Claims that arrive as a description of frustration without a count take much longer, through no fault of the person who is understandably frustrated.

Things that cannot be assessed

Once material has been used, cut, modified or disposed of, nobody can evaluate what was wrong with it. This is standard across the industry and it catches people out.

If you believe a load is defective, set it aside intact until the claim is resolved. If you need the material urgently, photograph thoroughly first and say so in the claim.

Takeaway: Photograph on arrival, note it on the bill of lading, and raise it within five business days.

Reference

The tables this post refers to

Construction reference for the figures discussed above.

Construction, thickness and typical working capacity
Construction	Thickness	Typical max weight	Stacking	Typical use
Single wall C	5/32" (4.0 mm)	65 lb	Not for bulk	Lids, layer pads, dividers
Double wall BC	9/32" (7.1 mm)	900 – 1,200 lb	1 high loaded	General bulk under 1,200 lb
Double wall CC	5/16" (7.9 mm)	1,000 – 1,300 lb	1 high loaded	Slightly better cushioning than BC
Triple wall BCC	7/16" (11.1 mm)	2,200 – 2,500 lb	2 high loaded	The bulk workhorse
Triple wall ACC	1/2" (12.7 mm)	2,400 – 2,700 lb	2 high loaded	Dense product with cushioning need
Five wall AAC	5/8" (15.9 mm)	3,000 lb+	3 high, matched pallets	Castings, stampings, export

FAQ

Common questions on this subject

Short answers to common questions. If yours is not covered, ask it on the form and a partner supplier in our network can answer it with your quote.

All 33 answers

How much do used gaylords cost?

Pricing is set by the partner supplier who quotes your request. Grade, wall count, height, quantity and freight all move the number, and freight is usually the biggest variable, so ask for it as a separate line.

Can used containers be used for food?

It depends on your process and your requirements. With food, a liner is the contact surface, and container origin matters. Check current regulations and your customer's specification, and say what you need on the form.

What areas do you serve?

Gaylord Boxes takes requests from across the United States. Availability depends on partner suppliers near your dock, and freight distance affects the price.

What happens if a load arrives damaged?

Photograph it before unbanding, note the exception on the bill of lading before signing, and raise it with the supplier straight away. Claims, returns and credits are handled by the partner supplier who fulfilled the order, under their terms.

Can you match a competitor's price?

Pricing is set by the partner supplier who quotes your request. When comparing quotes, check that both are graded per unit, both include freight, and both are quoting the same wall count: those three differences explain most gaps.

Are used containers safe for food handling?

The board is not the food-contact surface; a liner is. Whether a used container suits your food process depends on its history and your own requirements, so check current regulations and your customer's specification, and say so on the form.

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