How to accept cargo at your warehouse: what to check on unloading

Cargo is accepted in two passes. First, while the driver or the station representative is still there, you look at what can be seen from outside: the seal, the tarpaulin or container, the number of packages, the condition of the packaging. Then you open the packages and check the contents against the order. Anything that does not match is recorded in writing: in the waybill for the carrier and in the acceptance report. A signature "accepted without remarks" is easy to give, but hard to dispute afterwards, when you need to prove that the damage was done in transit and not during unloading.

Before opening: while the carrier is still there

This stage is short, but it decides who is held responsible for damage in transit.

• The seal. Compare the number on the seal with the number in the waybill. See whether it is intact. If the seal is broken or is not the right one, photograph it before it is cut.
• The truck or container. Torn tarpaulin, dents, signs of leaks, a wet floor. Cargo that traveled in damp conditions can look intact from outside.
• The number of packages. Count the crates, pallets and rolls against the packing list. Not the pieces inside, but the packages themselves: their number is also in the waybill.
• The packaging. Broken crating, shifted pallets, torn film, crushed corners. Mark and photograph each such package.

If something is wrong, write it in the waybill before you sign. The carrier is responsible for what happened in transit, but only if the damage is recorded in time.

What the carriage rules say

For road transport, the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR) applies. Uzbekistan has been a party since 1995. Under Article 30, the consignee notes visible damage or shortage no later than at the moment of delivery. Hidden damage, which cannot be seen from outside, is notified in writing within seven days, excluding Sundays and public holidays. If no reservations are made, the cargo is presumed to have arrived in the condition recorded in the consignment note.

Rail has its own procedure. It is set by the Agreement on International Railway Freight Communications (SMGS). Discrepancies and damage are certified there by the carrier's commercial act, which has its own article in the Agreement. How and when it is drawn up at your station, ask there before you sign for receipt.

Check the exact conditions and time limits against the text of the convention and your own consignment note. If you are not named as the consignee in the consignment note, the person named makes the notations.

After opening: checking against the order

Open one package at a time. Photograph the process itself: before opening, the opened packaging, the contents. Photos not tied to a package prove little later, so the frame should include the package number or label.

What to check:

1. The marking. The number on the product, the nameplate, the tag. Check against your request and the specification to the contract, not against "how it was last time".
2. The quantity inside the package. Pieces against the packing list.
3. Completeness. For a unit or machine: everything listed in the specification, such as fasteners, control panel, spare parts, documents.
4. Visible condition. Dents, chips, corrosion, signs of moisture on metal and on fabric.
5. Documents in the crate. Passport, manual, diagrams. Their absence is also a discrepancy.

You do not need to test how a unit works at unloading. The acceptance stage answers the question "is it the right item, the right quantity and is it intact". How the unit works becomes clear after installation and start-up.

What goes into the report

Be specific: "package 7 of 12, crating broken at the end, photos 7-1…7-4", not "packaging damaged".

What the law says

Under the Civil Code of Uzbekistan (Article 446), the buyer must inspect the delivered goods and check the quantity and quality within the period set by law, the contract or custom. The supplier is notified of any non-conformity found in writing and without delay. If the goods arrived through a carrier, they are checked against the transport and accompanying documents.

If you refuse to accept a lot under the law or the contract, you still have to keep the goods and notify the supplier immediately (Article 447). You may not throw out the disputed goods or put them into use.

What not to do

• Do not sign "no claims" until the packages are counted and the packaging is inspected.
• Do not throw away the packaging of a damaged package before the decision on the claim.
• Do not install a disputed part on a machine. After installation it can no longer be told apart whether it is a defect or traces of installation.
• Do not delay the notification: in writing and at once.

How we do it

• The cargo reaches your warehouse. The acceptance report is signed there and closes the delivery: the count against the specification, the condition of the packaging, discrepancies, signatures of the parties.
• We check the lot at the plant before shipment on four points: part number, dimensions, lot, packaging. With the report of that inspection it is easier to compare the acceptance at the warehouse.
• A defect recorded in the acceptance report gets replaced: the contract obliges the manufacturing plant to supply a replacement. We chase it.