These terms govern the services United Freight Solutions provides to you and form a binding agreement between us. Sections 9, 13, 18 and 20 limit our liability, give us rights over your goods, require you to indemnify us, and affect how disputes are resolved. Please read those in particular.
Where you have signed a separate written contract, rate agreement or storage agreement with us, that document takes precedence over these terms to the extent of any conflict.
This document is a template and is not fit to publish as written. It is a contract of carriage: it determines your exposure when freight is lost or destroyed, your right to hold customer goods against unpaid invoices, and where you can be sued.
A transportation attorney must draft or review it against your actual bills of lading, your tariff, your insurance policy and your operating authority. Search for ufs-todo to find every block needing input and [ to find every placeholder.
By requesting a quote, tendering a shipment, storing goods with us, or using this website, you agree to these terms. If you are agreeing on behalf of a company, you confirm you have authority to bind it.
These terms apply alongside the terms printed on our bill of lading, air waybill or warehouse receipt for a given shipment. Where a transport document, applicable convention or mandatory law conflicts with these terms, that document or law prevails.
We provide air freight, sea freight, land transport, pet relocation and warehousing, together with customs brokerage where we hold the necessary licence.
We may perform services ourselves or engage carriers, agents, terminals or subcontractors. Where we do, we remain your point of contact and your shipment stays on our reference number. We select subcontractors with reasonable care.
Transit times, sailing schedules and flight schedules are estimates unless we have expressly agreed a guaranteed service in writing.
Counsel must state clearly whether you contract as a carrier (assuming carrier liability) or as a freight forwarder / broker (arranging transport as agent) — and for which services. That distinction drives your entire liability position and must match your operating authority and your bills of lading.
Quotes are based on the information you give us and are valid for [X] days unless stated otherwise. They are not binding until we accept your booking.
We may re-rate a shipment where the actual weight, dimensions, commodity, classification or service required differs from what you declared. We will tell you before applying a material increase where practicable.
Charges that may apply in addition to the base rate include:
Duties and taxes we advance are billed at cost with the supporting receipt. Unless agreed otherwise, all charges are in US dollars.
A booking is accepted when we confirm it in writing and issue a reference number. We may decline any booking, and may refuse or return goods that don't match what was declared or that we're not lawfully able to carry.
Cancellation charges may apply once equipment has been dispatched or space booked. Our cancellation terms are set out at [CANCELLATION POLICY LINK].
You warrant that, for every shipment:
Inadequate packing is one of the most common causes of damage and is a basis on which a claim can properly be declined. If you're unsure whether packing is adequate for the mode, ask us before you tender.
We do not carry cash or bearer instruments, illegal goods, unlicensed firearms or ammunition, human remains, live animals outside our pet relocation programme, or anything sanctioned for the destination. Explosives and certain infectious substances are refused outright.
Many hazardous materials move perfectly well under IATA or DOT rules with the correct packing, marking and declarations. Tell us the commodity and provide the safety data sheet and we'll confirm before you commit.
Tendering prohibited goods without disclosure is a breach of these terms. We may refuse, hold, return or dispose of such goods and report them where the law requires, and you remain liable for all resulting costs.
Replace this with the actual prohibited and restricted list your operations and insurers work to. It should align with your carriers' conditions of carriage and your cargo policy exclusions — an item your insurer won't cover should not be accepted here.
You must make the goods available at the agreed time and provide safe access, suitable loading facilities and any site-specific requirements. Waiting time beyond the free period is chargeable as detention.
Delivery is complete when the goods are tendered at the delivery address and a receipt is signed. Any damage, shortage or discrepancy must be noted on the delivery receipt at the time of delivery. A clean signed receipt is treated as confirmation the goods arrived in apparent good order, and materially weakens any later claim.
If delivery cannot be completed because nobody is available or access is refused, we may return the goods to a terminal and charge redelivery and storage.
Our liability for loss of or damage to goods is limited by the law or convention applicable to the mode of transport, and by the terms of the transport document issued.
| Mode | Liability governed by |
|---|---|
| Road, US domestic | Carmack Amendment, 49 U.S.C. § 14706, and our bill of lading |
| Air, international | Montreal Convention limits per kilogram |
| Ocean, US import/export | COGSA, limited per package or customary freight unit |
| Warehousing | UCC Article 7 and the warehouse receipt |
These statutory limits are usually far below the actual value of your goods. They are calculated by weight or by package, not by what the cargo is worth.
If you want to be covered for full value, you must either declare a higher value in writing before the shipment moves and pay the applicable charge, or purchase all-risk cargo insurance under section 10. We recommend the latter for anything of significant value.
To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, including lost profit, lost production, lost contracts, market loss or reputational harm, however caused.
Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud.
Counsel must set the actual monetary limits — per pound, per package, per shipment and in aggregate — and confirm they are enforceable and consistent with your bills of lading, your operating authority and your insurance. Carmack in particular restricts how a carrier may limit liability; get this wrong and the limitation may simply not hold.
Also confirm whether you are contracting as carrier or as forwarder for each service, since the applicable regime differs.
All-risk cargo insurance is available on request and is quoted before the shipment moves. Cover is not automatic — if you don't request it, your goods travel under the statutory limits in section 9 only.
Where cover is arranged, the policy terms, exclusions and deductible apply. Standard exclusions typically include inherent vice, inadequate packing, ordinary wear, delay and consequential loss.
Claims must be filed in writing within the deadlines that apply to the mode of transport. Those deadlines are statutory: miss one and recovery may be barred regardless of the merits. Full details and the filing form are on our Cargo Claims page.
You must give us a reasonable opportunity to inspect the goods and the packaging before disposal or repair. Claims may be declined where damage was not noted at delivery, where packing was inadequate, or where invoices are unpaid.
Claims are settled on documented value evidenced by commercial invoice, less any salvage value.
Established accounts are invoiced on net [X] day terms. New customers and one-off shipments are prepaid. Credit terms are granted at our discretion and may be reduced or withdrawn.
Late payment may attract interest at [X]% per month or the maximum permitted by law, whichever is lower, together with reasonable collection costs.
You may not withhold or set off payment because of a pending claim or dispute, except for a specific invoice line genuinely in dispute and notified to us in writing.
Late-payment interest rates are capped by state law and the permitted maximum varies. Confirm the rate and the terms here match what the FAQ page states, so the two documents don't contradict each other.
We have a general lien over all goods and documents in our possession for amounts you owe us, whether relating to those goods or to any other shipment.
If sums remain unpaid after written notice, we may sell or dispose of the goods and apply the proceeds to the debt, accounting to you for any surplus. You remain liable for any shortfall and for storage accrued in the meantime.
Warehouse liens are governed by UCC Article 7 and carrier liens by separate rules, both with mandatory notice periods and sale procedures. Selling goods without following them exposes you to conversion liability. Counsel must specify the notice period, the method of sale, and how proceeds are applied.
You are responsible for the accuracy of all information provided for customs purposes, including classification, valuation and country of origin, even where we prepare the entry on your behalf.
You are responsible for duties, taxes and penalties assessed on your shipment. Where we advance them, you reimburse us at cost.
You confirm your shipments comply with US export controls, sanctions programmes administered by OFAC, and equivalent rules in the destination country. We may screen parties and refuse or hold a shipment where screening requires it.
Goods stored with us are covered by a warehouse receipt and, where applicable, a separate storage agreement. Storage is charged monthly per pallet position or per square foot as quoted, plus handling in and out.
You must not store prohibited goods, and must disclose anything requiring temperature control, segregation or hazardous materials handling. We may refuse or remove goods that create a risk to the facility or other customers' inventory.
Either party may terminate storage on [X] days' written notice. On termination you must collect the goods and settle outstanding charges; unpaid charges engage our lien under section 13.
Pet relocation is subject to additional requirements because it involves live animals and mandatory veterinary and regulatory documentation.
Liability for injury to or death of a live animal is legally and reputationally distinct from cargo loss, and cargo limits may not apply cleanly. Counsel should address it expressly, and confirm the position is consistent with the honest tone of the Pet Relocation page — customers reading both should not find a contradiction between the warmth of one and the terms of the other.
We are not liable for delay or failure caused by events outside our reasonable control, including weather, natural disaster, port or airport congestion, strikes, civil unrest, war, epidemic, cyber attack, government or customs action, road closure, carrier insolvency or equipment failure not caused by our negligence.
Where such an event occurs we will tell you promptly and work to find an alternative routing. Charges reasonably incurred in doing so may be passed on.
You agree to indemnify us against claims, fines, penalties, damages and reasonable costs arising from your breach of these terms, from inaccurate or incomplete information you supply, from goods that are prohibited or improperly declared, or from any third-party claim relating to your goods.
The content, design and code of this website belong to us or our licensors. You may use the site for legitimate business purposes only, and may not scrape it, interfere with it, or attempt unauthorised access to our portals.
Tracking data, transit times and other information on the site are provided for convenience and may be incomplete or delayed. We don't warrant the site will be uninterrupted or error-free.
How we handle personal information is set out in our Privacy Policy.
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of [STATE] and applicable federal law, without regard to conflict of law rules. Where an international convention governs a shipment, that convention applies.
Any dispute will be brought exclusively in the courts of [COUNTY, STATE], and both parties submit to their jurisdiction.
Counsel should advise whether to use court jurisdiction or binding arbitration, and whether to include a class-action waiver or a contractual limitation period. These choices materially affect your exposure, and consumer-facing services such as pet relocation may be treated differently from business-to-business freight.
We may update these terms as our services or the law change. The version in force when your booking is accepted governs that shipment. Material changes will be notified by email or a prominent notice on this site before they take effect.
If any provision is found unenforceable, the rest remains in force. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it.
Questions about these terms:
If a clause here affects a shipment you're planning, ask before you book. We'd rather explain it up front than argue about it afterwards.
Air, sea, road and warehousing under one manifest. Moving American freight since 1997.
