You file an XPO freight claim form through the carrier’s online portal at ltl.xpo.com: pull up the shipment, open the Actions menu, and select “File a Claim.” Federal law gives you at least nine months from delivery to submit a cargo claim, and XPO has 120 days to pay, deny, or make a firm settlement offer in writing. The claims that pay out are the ones filed quickly, with the right documents attached and a dollar figure that matches the invoice.
Where to File
XPO runs cargo claims and overcharge claims through separate channels, so start by identifying which one you have. A cargo claim covers lost or damaged freight and is filed inside the customer portal, not on a downloadable PDF. Log in at ltl.xpo.com, go to the Shipments tab, and either use the Claims call-out box or find the shipment, click the three-dot Actions menu, and choose “File a Claim.”1XPO. Filing Claims – XPO
An overcharge claim — a billing error on weight, class, or accessorials — uses a separate downloadable form available on XPO’s claim forms page, and the invoice must be paid before you file.2XPO. XPO Claim Forms If your issue is a missed Guaranteed or Guaranteed by Noon window, that is a service refund request on a different form, with a much tighter 15-day deadline from delivery.3XPO. How to File Claims and Refunds The rest of this article focuses on cargo claims, which is what most shippers mean when they talk about a freight claim.
Documents to Gather Before You Start
Open the online form only when you have everything in hand. A partial submission with documents trickling in later gives the adjuster reasons to ask questions instead of approve the file. You will need:
- The original bill of lading, which proves XPO accepted the freight and describes what was tendered.
- The signed delivery receipt, including any exceptions the receiver wrote at delivery — shortages, crushed cartons, wet packaging, damaged pallet corners. A receipt signed “clear” with no notations weakens any claim for visible damage.
- The vendor invoice showing the actual cost of the goods. Carriers reimburse based on purchase price or fair market value, not retail markup or lost profit.3XPO. How to File Claims and Refunds
- Photographs of the packaging and the product itself, taken at delivery or as soon as damage is discovered, showing the extent of the damage and, where possible, the pallet or trailer.3XPO. How to File Claims and Refunds
- A repair or replacement estimate. If the goods can be repaired, a quote often moves the claim faster than a full replacement demand.
Filling Out the Cargo Claim
The portal ties the claim to your shipment through the PRO number, a nine-digit tracking number assigned to each freight bill and printed as a barcode label on the shipment.4XPO. How to Track LTL Shipments Opening the form from the Shipments tab fills the PRO number in for you. If you type it manually, verify every digit; a wrong number sends the claim into limbo.
When you describe the loss, be specific and factual. “Three cartons crushed on the south side of the pallet; contents (ceramic tiles) shattered” tells the adjuster something useful. “Damaged goods” does not. Describe what you see, not what you suspect happened in transit.
Enter the claimed dollar amount from the vendor invoice for the damaged or missing items only, not the whole shipment. If 4 of 20 cases on a pallet were crushed, claim the invoice value of those 4. Report the weight of the affected items alone as well, since XPO’s liability is calculated per pound. Inflating either number is the fastest way to trigger a denial or stretch out the investigation.
The Liability Cap That Catches Most Shippers
XPO does not automatically owe you the invoice value of your goods. Under XPO’s tariff, maximum liability per pound depends on the freight’s NMFC class and ranges from $0.10 to $5.00 per pound per piece, capped at $100,000 per shipment.5XPO Logistics Freight, Inc. XPO Logistics Freight, Inc. – Naming Rules, Regulations, Rates and Charges for Accessorial Services Household goods and used or refurbished items sit at the bottom of that range: $0.10 per pound. A 50-pound piece of electronics worth $2,000 under Class 50 at $3.00 per pound would pay out at $150, not $2,000.
Closing that gap requires declaring excess value on the bill of lading before the shipment moves. XPO charges 1% of the declared value above the default liability limit, with a $55 minimum, added to the freight rate.6XPO Logistics. XPO Logistics Freight Rules, Regulations, Rates and Charges – Tariff CNWY 199 A separate pricing agreement with XPO may set different liability terms; those terms control over the tariff, so check your agreement before assuming defaults apply.7XPO. Understanding and Calculating Excess Liability
The practical consequence: if you didn’t declare excess value before shipping, the payout is capped at the per-pound limit no matter how clean your documentation is.
Deadlines You Cannot Miss
Under 49 U.S.C. § 14706(e), a carrier cannot require a filing period shorter than nine months from delivery for a cargo claim.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 U.S. Code 14706 – Liability of Carriers Under Receipts and Bills of Lading XPO’s bill of lading or your contract may match that minimum or extend it; check which applies to your shipment. File sooner regardless. Pallets get discarded, inspection evidence disappears, and the adjuster’s job gets harder every week.
Concealed damage runs on a tighter clock. National Motor Freight Classification rules call for reporting hidden damage to the carrier within five business days of delivery. After that, the burden shifts to you to prove the damage occurred in transit rather than after. Call XPO as soon as you find it, request a carrier inspection, and leave the freight where it is until the inspection happens.
Overcharge claims have 180 days from receipt of the original invoice, and the invoice must be paid before you file. Claims received after the 180-day cutoff will not be processed.3XPO. How to File Claims and Refunds
After You Submit
Once the portal transmits your claim, you get an acknowledgment of receipt. Save it. That acknowledgment is your proof the claim was filed inside the legal deadline.3XPO. How to File Claims and Refunds
Federal regulations give XPO 120 days from receipt of the claim to pay it, deny it, or make a firm written settlement offer. If the investigation runs longer, the carrier must notify you in writing of the delay and continue sending status updates every 60 days until the claim is resolved.9eCFR. 49 CFR 370.9 – Disposition of Claims
Track the file through the same portal where you filed. You can view status and upload additional documents if the adjuster asks for them.1XPO. Filing Claims – XPO Check it regularly. The 120-day clock keeps running if the adjuster asks for a missing invoice and you take two weeks to respond, and the carrier can decline the claim for insufficient documentation.
If XPO Denies the Claim
Read the denial letter carefully before anything else. Common grounds are late filing, missing documentation, no exception noted on the delivery receipt, and a claimed amount above the carrier’s liability cap. If the problem is a documentation gap, resubmit with the missing evidence.
For overcharge claims, XPO allows a rebuttal: return to the overcharge claim form on the portal, select “Rebuttal of claim” as the reason, and reference the original claim number.3XPO. How to File Claims and Refunds
If internal dispute resolution fails, federal law preserves your right to sue. A carrier cannot contractually require a lawsuit period shorter than two years, measured from the date XPO sends written notice that it has disallowed any part of your claim.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 U.S. Code 14706 – Liability of Carriers Under Receipts and Bills of Lading Larger claims, or claims where the carrier disputes liability or valuation, often justify bringing in a transportation attorney or a third-party claims specialist.
Your Duty to Mitigate
Filing a claim does not let you set damaged freight aside and forget about it. Under the Carmack Amendment, both shipper and carrier are expected to take reasonable steps to minimize the loss. That means separating damaged items from undamaged ones, storing the damaged goods so they don’t deteriorate further, and cooperating with the carrier on salvage.
If you don’t mitigate — leaving water-damaged inventory in an unventilated warehouse until mold finishes it off, for instance — the carrier can argue the extra loss is yours, not theirs, and the payout will reflect only the transit damage. You are not, however, required to accept repaired goods if the damage has made them unsaleable, even where the carrier offers to pay for the repair.