Wrong Freight

ISSUE

The truck has arrived to make a delivery, but the freight wants to deliver is the wrong freight – it is not the freight that is supposed to be delivered to this location.

ACTION

1. Tell the driver that you think the freight is the wrong freight, and you need to check it out before you unload it.
2. Call us. We will ask whether:
   • The freight is from the shipper from whom you were expecting a delivery;
   • You can tell if the freight it is mis-labelled;
   • You can tell from the labels what the product actually is; and,
   • The product that is on the truck matches the description on the Bill of Lading.
3. Circumstances will indicate whether you or Copper Run is best to call the shipper, for the purpose of reporting the problem.
   Based on that call, one of the following options will be selected for the freight on the truck:
   • You will receive the freight, because it really is for you, it is just mis-labelled;
   • You will receive the freight, perhaps only temporarily while the matter is sorted out;
   • the freight will be delivered elsewhere; or,
   • The freight will be left on the truck for return to the shipper.
4. We will advise the carrier what is happening.
5. If the freight is to be left on the truck to be delivered elsewhere, or to be returned to the shipper, there will be charges assessed, to be determined once the details are completely known.

EXPLANATION

If the freight is the correct freight, but is simply mis-labelled, then there is no shipping error, but the supplier and the purchaser do have to determine whether the incorrect labels present a problem.

If the freight is really the wrong freight, then we have a previously undetected mis-load situation. In this instance, it has been detected by the receiver rather than by the shipper.

As noted elsewhere, mis-loads do happen from time-to-time, especially when there are multiple shipments spotted for near-simultaneous loading, and / or where there is little visual difference between shipments. Sometimes they are not detected until a few days after the incorrect or incomplete shipment has been delivered.

Mis-loads are simple mistakes made by busy humans, but in the dynamic world of inter-city, international freight, correcting the mistakes can sometimes be costly.

IMPACT & TYPICAL RESOLUTION

If the freight really has arrived at its correct destination, but there has just been a paperwork mix-up, there is no impact from either the carrier’s or Copper Run’s perspective.

However, if the incorrect paperwork has been used to clear the shipment through Customs, the importer will have to advise their Customs Broker, so that the clearance can be corrected.

If the freight is at the wrong destination, there will be a delay while the supplier prepares a correct shipment, and there will be costs associated with moving, perhaps holding, and eventually delivering the incorrect freight to its ultimate receiver.

Normally, the freight is in fact the wrong freight, and it is destined elsewhere. The freight you were supposed to receive has not yet been shipped. So there will be additional charges to get the wrong freight it its correct destination, and then there will be an entirely new transaction with its own fees, to get the correct freight to you, its correct destination.