When you buy restaurant furniture, your products will be shipped to you by freight line. Receiving freight can be very confusing for anyone unfamiliar with commercial freight line delivery. There are many issues involved, such as specific delivery dates, damaged freight, freight paperwork, and more. Since receiving freight can be rather complex, below are the 4 top things you need to know when receiving freight. The more you understand about freight and the delivery process, the better the experience will be for you. 
1. Have a receiving person available
Some freight lines will let you make a delivery appointment for a specific date, however, there is almost always an expensive charge for this service. Since freight lines usually do not make specific appointments, having someone available during normal business hours is important. Someone needs to be available at the delivery address two days before the anticipated delivery and two days after the delivery date. It is not uncommon for freight lines not to hit their target deliver date, due to many issues such as driver issues, traffic and weather. Truck lines miss their point to point time schedule far more often than airlines miss their take off times. It may seem unfair, but added re-delivery charges will apply if no one is there when the freight line attempts delivery. Knowing this ahead of time, you can ensure you receive your goods by having a receiving person on hand and being flexible with the delivery dates.
Another reason to have a flexible receiving person on hand is that truck drivers are not responsible for unloading trucks; that is the customer’s responsibility. Some freight lines offer inside delivery, which is where the driver brings items off the truck into a location. There is a fee for this service and inside delivery must be scheduled in advance. If your furniture shipment involves many items or heavy freight, lift-gates at delivery are recommended if you don’t have a loading dock.
2. Inspect your items at the time of delivery
When the freight truck arrives, the driver’s goal is to quickly deliver your furniture and leave. The driver will have a bill of lading, which is your delivery paperwork, for you to sign. The driver may be in a hurry and pressure you to quickly sign the bill of lading. The bill of lading, once signed, gives the freight line a release from being responsible for any damage, even if they caused the damage. If any of the goods are damaged, it must be noted as “damaged during shipping” on the delivery paperwork. The customer should not sign off on any paperwork until the inspection is over. The driver should wait until all the items have been inspected. Some drivers may even try to intimidate an unexperienced dock person to just sign the bill of lading. In this case the dock person should call a manager, or the vendor who shipped the merchandise. The customer has the right to refuse any clearly damaged item, and the person doing the shipping is responsible for the damaged freight no matter who signs for it.
3. Take pictures of any damaged goods
Pictures of any damaged restaurant chairs, tables, or any other furniture, is very important evidence to support freight claims. If any products or missing, or if part or all of the shipment is incorrect, this should also be noted on the paperwork. All freight issues should be reported the same day, and failure to do so may result in denial of claims. No items will be accepted for returns or refunds without prior written authorization, and having pictures will make your case stronger. If your vendor provided the shipping, then all documentation, including pictures, should be turned over to the vendor, so they can file a freight claim.
4. Keep the original packaging including pallets
To make a claim of damaged freight, keep the original packaging because the freight line needs to see all the evidence before they will pay for any damage incurred. This can be difficult as many times there just is no room to store packaging, especially in the same original condition as when it arrived. The shipping party should guide you on how long to keep the packing material.
Hopefully, all your freight arrives on time, and without any damage. But knowing the above steps will give you the knowledge of what to do if something does go awry when receiving your freight.
