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What to do about auto transport hidden damage after a clean bill of lading

This is general information, not legal advice.

Auto transport hidden damage is damage you find after you signed a delivery bill of lading with no damage written on it. The steps below are a record of what to write down, which papers to read, and which documents to gather.

Document it as soon as you see it

  1. Take photos and a short video of the damage. Include a wider shot that shows where the mark sits on the vehicle, then a closer shot.
  2. Keep the original photo and video files. The timestamp on the file is the time the camera recorded.
  3. Write down the date and the clock time you first saw the damage.
  4. Write down where the car has been since delivery: the address, whether it was parked or driven, and whether anyone else had the keys, including a shop.

Notify the carrier and the broker in writing

  1. Send a short written note to the carrier and a short written note to the broker. Use the email or portal you have already used with them, and keep a copy of each note.
  2. Include the vehicle year, make, model, and VIN, the bill of lading or order number, the delivery date, the date you first saw the damage, and a plain description of what you see.
  3. Send the photos with the note, or say that you have them and can send them. Do not guess when the mark happened.
  4. Send the notes soon. Any time limit for that notice is printed in your contract, your bill of lading, or the carrier claim terms. This page does not set a number of days.

Concealed-damage notice terms

The contract, the bill of lading, and the carrier claim terms are the papers that say how concealed damage is reported for your shipment. Read those. They are what set the notice steps for this move.

  1. In the broker contract or order and in the bill of lading, look for concealed-damage or hidden-damage notice terms.
  2. In the carrier claim terms, look for the same topic: where a notice or claim is sent, and any number of days printed there.
  3. The broker terms and the carrier terms can name different steps. Save a copy of each page you use, with the date you saved it.

Documents to gather

  • Pickup photos
  • Pickup bill of lading and delivery bill of lading, including the delivery copy you signed with no damage written on it
  • Pickup and delivery inspection reports, if you have them
  • The broker contract or order
  • The carrier claim terms
  • Photos and video of the damage you found later, with the original file timestamps
  • Your written note of where the vehicle has been since delivery
  • The written notes you sent the carrier and the broker, and the date you sent each one

FMCSA complaint route

  1. A complaint to FMCSA is separate from the written note you send the carrier or the broker.
  2. The public place to submit that complaint is the National Consumer Complaint Database: https://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov/.
  3. FMCSA also publishes a carrier search for licensing and insurance filings. That search is a public filing record. FMCSA carrier and insurance filing search. A company snapshot by name, USDOT number, or MC number is at FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot.
  4. Save a copy of what you submit and any confirmation number the site shows you.

The $29 Evidence Pack is a ZIP of 10 printable PDFs. One is a facts-only timeline with date lines for delivery, damage discovery, photos of the damage, and the day the carrier or broker was notified. Another is a BOL organizer: a checklist of pickup and delivery BOL copies to collect, with lines for damage noted on each BOL and whether the signature and date are legible. Another is a photo exhibit guide: a shot list for overview angles, close-ups with a scale reference, and VIN, odometer, and license-plate photos.

Get the $29 Evidence Pack

Other guides

  • Damage at delivery — Inspect before you sign, take photos and video, and write down the driver's name and truck number.
  • Bill of lading notation — How to note damage on the delivery bill of lading, and why a clean signature makes it harder to show the damage.
  • Claim denied — Ask for the denial reason in writing, request the carrier insurance certificate, and use the FMCSA complaint route.
  • Claim filing window — Check your contract, bill of lading, and the carrier claim terms for the filing window, and gather the documents before you file.