What Happens If I State The Wrong Weight On My Shipment?

As freight logistics professionals, we frequently hear,  "I Don't Know What The Weight Is." When shipping freight knowing the weight is very important. More importantly the weight will greatly effect your cost to ship.

All freight quotes are determined by weight and class, while some use weight, class, and dimensions for the shipping rate. If you were to guess on the weight, you would be guessing on your rate. The problem with guessing is sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, money that is. Not all shipments are weighed due to time constraints, so only one or two out of ten shipments are weighed. Here are some questions I encounter every day.

What happens if my shipment weighs more than what is stated on the Bill Of Lading? The party who paid for the shipment gets to pay for the additional weight when the freight carrier or freight logistics company sends them the bill or a re-bill. Re-bills are not bad when the weight is off a small amount, but if the weight is grossly understated it is time to worry. I have seen re-bills in the thousands of dollars.

What happens if I am told the wrong weight by the person I purchased an item from? It is the responsibility of the person paying for the shipment to have the correct weight. I would make sure to do some research online or make some calls to get as close to the actual weight as possible.

Will I get a refund if my weight is under than what is stated on the Bill Of Lading? In most instances the answer is no. If you were the freight carrier and weighed a shipment that was under weight, would you give a refund or just let that one pass by?

How can I get proof of what my shipment weighed? After the freight carrier weighs a shipment, a document called a certified weight check is issued. This is proof that your shipment was weighed, when it was weighed, which scale was used, and how much it weighed.

How can I weigh all my boxes? Easy, get on a scale and weigh yourself, than pick up a box and stand on the scale again, calculate the difference and keep a running total.