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The Truck Interior Is Dirty

ISSUE

The truck has arrived for loading, and it is dirty inside.

ACTION

  1. Do not load the truck.
  2. Call us: we have specified a clean, dry, odour-free truck.
  3. We will need you to give us a description of the dirt, as we will have to tell the carrier. If possible, take pictures and send them to us.
    NOTE: A truck being dirty on the outside, or an unholy mess inside the tractor, may not be good advertising for the carrier, but it is not grounds for rejecting the truck. It is only the inside of the cargo van that matters.
  4. You have 2 options:
    • Load the truck anyway: if you are loading food product, or anything else that could be damaged by dirt, we strongly recommend that you do not load the truck; or,
    • Reject the truck: this is well within your right, and there will be no fee charged provided that you speak with us before you make your decision, and that you provide pictures that show the dirt.
      If you choose to reject the truck, you have 2 options:

      • You can agree to load the truck if the driver has it washed out (this can only be done if the truck is currently empty) and comes back with the trailer clean and dry. Most large truck stops have wash-out facilities, but the entire process will take a minimum of 2 hours; or,
      • You can reject the truck outright: this is entirely your choice.
    • NOTE: If you decide to load a dirty truck, knowing that it is dirty:
      • you have seriously jeopardized, if not eliminated, your ability to make any claim for cargo loss or damage if that loss or damage could be potentially attributed to the dirty condition that you observed prior to the time of loading;
      • you run the risk that your cargo could be contaminated by coming into contact with the dirt;
      • you run the risk that your shipment could be rejected by the receiver due to potential contamination, particularly if you are shipping food-grade product.
  5. We will contact the carrier with the information you have provided. If you are willing to re-consider the truck if it is washed out and comes back clean and dry, we will tell the carrier that it has an option to have the truck cleaned. If the carrier accepts the option, we will give you an estimated time of arrival for the truck’s return. If the carrier elects not to have the truck washed out, we will source a new truck for you.
  6. If you choose to reject the truck outright, we will confirm this with the carrier, we will tell them why (this is where the photographs are particularly important), and we will source a new truck for you.
  7. There is no fee charged when a truck that arrives with a dirty interior is rejected, provided that we are involved at the time of the rejection and can have pictures that prove the issue.
  8. Do not discuss the matter with the driver yourself, and do not feel obliged to explain your decision to the driver. If the driver wants to debate the matter, ask him to call his dispatcher.

EXPLANATION

There is no legitimate explanation for arriving at a shipper’s with a truck that is too dirty to be loaded. While this rarely happens, when it does, it is usually a situation where the trailer has been previously loaded with a product that leaves behind residual pieces, dust, or an odour, and the driver or carrier has not seen fit to have the trailer cleaned. Often, a wash-out is all that is required.

IMPACT & TYPICAL RESOLUTION

If you decide to load the dirty truck, there will be virtually no time impact, but there is the possibility that the receiver could reject your shipment. And remember that it would be difficult for the receiver to make a claim related to trailer conditions that you have already accepted on your receiver’s behalf.

If you decide not to load the dirty truck, we will source you a replacement truck as soon as possible. Depending on the time of day and the availability and proximity of other trucks, this may or may not delay your shipment pick-up until the next day, which in turn may or may not affect your shipment delivery date – we will let you know.

Normally, a dirty truck is initially rejected, it is washed and, after it dries, it is loaded. Because washing and drying takes hours rather than minutes, the shipment may delayed one business day approximately 50% of the time.