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Truck Freight Delivery Guide
Truck & Oversized Shipments
What to Expect with Truck Freight Delivery
Large furniture and oversized items may be delivered by truck freight rather than standard UPS or FedEx service. Freight delivery works a little differently, and a few minutes of preparation can help make your delivery go smoothly.
Most freight deliveries arrive without any issue. Here's what to expect and how to protect yourself in the rare case something looks off.
Before You SignPlease inspect your shipment before signing the delivery receipt. The delivery receipt documents the condition of your shipment when it arrives and is very important if a freight-damage claim becomes necessary.
COUNT • INSPECT • PHOTOGRAPH • NOTE DAMAGE • REFUSE VISIBLE PRODUCT DAMAGE
Take photos of any damage even if you are refusing the shipment. Once refused merchandise is taken away by the carrier, those photographs may be our only documentation of how the shipment arrived.
Delivery Options
Know What Service Is Included
Standard truck freight delivery is curbside unless an upgraded service has specifically been included with your order. Additional services should be arranged before your order ships.
Standard Curbside Delivery
Curbside delivery brings your shipment to an accessible point at the delivery address, generally near the curb, driveway, or entrance to the property.
Standard curbside delivery does not include:
- Inside delivery
- Room-of-choice placement
- Carrying merchandise up or down stairs
- Unpacking
- Assembly or installation
- Removal of cartons, pallets, or packing materials
A liftgate is not automatically included with curbside delivery. If a liftgate is not included, the recipient must be prepared to safely unload the shipment from the trailer using appropriate assistance or equipment.
Liftgate Delivery
A liftgate is a platform attached to the truck that lowers freight from trailer level to the ground.
Liftgate service may be helpful when:
- There is no loading dock or forklift at the delivery location
- The shipment is too heavy to safely remove by hand
- You do not have equipment or enough assistance to unload it
A liftgate lowers the shipment from the truck. It does not include bringing the merchandise inside your home.
Inside Delivery
If Inside Delivery has been specifically included with your order, the carrier will generally move the shipment beyond standard curbside delivery to the first accessible, secure area, subject to safe access and the carrier's delivery limitations.
For a residence, this may be a garage, covered entry, or just inside the first accessible doorway.
Inside Delivery is not White Glove or Room-of-Choice Delivery.
Unless specifically included, Inside Delivery does not include:
- Carrying merchandise to a particular room
- Carrying merchandise up or down stairs
- Navigating difficult interior spaces
- Unpacking
- Assembly or installation
- Furniture placement
- Removal of packaging or pallets
The exact placement will depend on the size and weight of the shipment, safe access, and the carrier's equipment and delivery requirements.
White Glove Delivery
White Glove Delivery may be available for some orders and delivery areas. Depending on the service quoted, it may include:
- Room-of-choice delivery
- Unpacking
- Furniture placement
- Light assembly
- Removal of packaging materials
White Glove services vary by carrier and location. If you request White Glove Delivery, we will let you know exactly what services are included in your quote.
Need an Upgraded Delivery Service?
If you need a liftgate, Inside Delivery, White Glove Delivery, or another special service, please contact Iron Accents before your order ships. Availability and pricing vary by shipment and delivery location.
Before Your Shipment Arrives
A Little Preparation Makes Delivery Easier
Make Sure the Truck Can Reach You
Freight shipments may arrive on a large truck or tractor-trailer. Please let us know before shipment if your location has:
- A narrow or steep road or driveway
- A gated entrance
- Low-hanging trees or wires
- Weight-restricted roads or bridges
- Limited turnaround space
- Private or unpaved roads
- Other unusual access conditions
If the carrier cannot safely reach the delivery location, an alternate delivery arrangement may be required.
Measure Your Access
If you are requesting Inside or White Glove Delivery, please measure all required access points before delivery.
- Doorways
- Hallways
- Elevators
- Stairways
- Gates
- Other narrow access points
Make sure the merchandise, including its packaging when applicable, will fit through the required spaces.
Watch for the Delivery Call
Once your shipment reaches the carrier's local terminal, the carrier will normally contact you by phone, email, or text to arrange a delivery appointment.
Please respond promptly when the carrier contacts you. Once freight is available at the local terminal, delays in scheduling or accepting delivery can result in storage or other carrier charges.
Freight deliveries are generally scheduled Monday through Friday during normal business hours, and someone must be available to receive the shipment.
Please make sure we have a current daytime telephone number where you can be reached.
If Someone Else Will Receive Your Shipment
If you will not personally be available for delivery, please make sure the person receiving the shipment on your behalf is a responsible adult who is authorized by you to accept it and has read these delivery instructions.
The person receiving the shipment should count, inspect, photograph, document, and — when appropriate — refuse damaged merchandise before signing, just as you would.
Please do not have a neighbor, employee, contractor, building representative, family member, or other person receive a freight shipment unless they understand these responsibilities.
A delivery receipt signed by someone you have authorized to receive the shipment documents the shipment's condition at delivery.
Additional Freight Carrier Charges
Freight carriers may charge for services or delays outside the delivery originally arranged. Most customers will never encounter these charges, but we want you to know what can cause them so they are easy to avoid.
Additional carrier charges may include:
- Storage at the freight terminal
- Redelivery or additional delivery attempts
- Excessive driver waiting or detention time caused by delivery-site delays
- Changes to the delivery address or destination after shipment
- Liftgate, Inside Delivery, or other services requested after shipment
- Charges resulting from an inaccessible delivery location
- Return transportation when a shipment cannot be delivered or is refused for reasons unrelated to freight damage
When these charges result from circumstances within the customer's control, the customer is responsible for the carrier-assessed charges.
This may include being unavailable for a scheduled delivery, failing to respond to the carrier's attempts to arrange delivery, providing incomplete or incorrect delivery information, failing to disclose access restrictions, requesting a destination change after shipment, or requesting additional delivery services.
Customers will not be responsible under this provision for additional charges caused solely by an error by Iron Accents or the freight carrier, or for charges arising solely from a properly documented refusal due to freight damage when the customer has followed our freight-damage instructions.
Please contact us as soon as possible if you anticipate a problem receiving your shipment. Addressing an issue before delivery can often help avoid unnecessary carrier charges.
When the Truck Arrives
Before You Sign the Delivery Receipt
Please take a few minutes to check the shipment carefully. These simple steps can make a major difference if something has been damaged in transit.
1
Count
Compare the cartons, boxes, pallets, or pieces received with the number shown on the delivery receipt.
If anything is missing, write the shortage on the delivery receipt before signing.
“Delivery receipt shows 4 cartons — only 3 cartons received.”
2
Inspect
Walk around the shipment and look carefully at the cartons, pallet, wrapping, straps, corners, edges, and any exposed merchandise.
Look for:
- Crushed or torn cartons
- Punctures or holes
- Broken pallets
- Broken or missing straps
- Bent or exposed merchandise
- Scrapes or impact marks
- Anything that looks unusual
3
Photograph
If you see damage or anything unusual, take clear photographs before the shipment is moved and before the driver leaves.
Whenever possible, photograph:
- The entire shipment as it arrived
- The pallet
- The damaged carton or packaging
- Visible merchandise damage
- The shipping label
- Crushed, torn, punctured, or broken areas
4
Document
Write any damage or shortage specifically on the delivery receipt before signing.
“Carton crushed on lower right corner.”
“Pallet broken; carton torn and crushed.”
“Chair leg exposed through damaged carton.”
Please do not simply write “Subject to inspection.” Describe what you actually see.
5
Refuse Visible Product Damage
If the merchandise itself is visibly damaged, photograph and document the damage, then refuse the damaged piece or shipment.
If several separate cartons are being delivered and only one is damaged, you may generally accept the undamaged cartons and refuse only the damaged piece.
If you sign anything acknowledging the refusal, make sure the damage and refusal are clearly recorded first.
Very Important — Take Photos Even If You Refuse the Shipment
Photograph the shipment, packaging, and visible damage BEFORE the carrier reloads or removes any refused merchandise.
Once a refused shipment leaves with the carrier, we may not have another opportunity to document its condition. Your photographs provide important evidence of how the shipment arrived.
Keep a Record of the Delivery Receipt
Whenever possible, take a photograph or keep a copy of the completed delivery receipt showing any damage, shortage, or refusal notation before the driver leaves.
If the driver uses an electronic delivery receipt, make sure the damage notation has been entered before you provide your signature.
Why Delivery-Receipt Documentation Matters
If visible damage or a shortage is not noted on the delivery receipt at the time of delivery, the carrier may treat the shipment as having been received without visible exception.
Failure to document visible damage or shortages can significantly limit our ability to establish that the loss occurred during transit and may affect the claim or resolution available.
This does not mean that legitimate concealed damage is automatically excluded. Damage that could not reasonably have been seen at delivery should still be reported to Iron Accents immediately and within the five-day reporting period described below.
If Something Doesn't Look Right
What to Do If You See Damage
If Only the Packaging Is Damaged
A dent, scrape, or small tear in a carton does not necessarily mean the merchandise inside has been damaged.
If the packaging shows damage but the merchandise is not visibly damaged:
- Take photographs
- Write the packaging damage on the delivery receipt
- Ask to inspect the contents if reasonably possible
- Inspect the merchandise promptly after delivery
Packaging damage should be documented on the delivery receipt even if the merchandise appears undamaged.
If the Merchandise Is Visibly Damaged
- Photograph the entire shipment, packaging, and visible damage
- Write a specific description on the delivery receipt
- Refuse the damaged merchandise
- Take a photo or keep a copy of the completed delivery receipt
- Contact Iron Accents as soon as possible
Take all photographs before the carrier reloads or removes the refused merchandise.
If the Driver Will Not Wait
Freight drivers may not always be able or willing to wait while a large piece of furniture is completely unpacked.
Inspect the outside of the shipment as carefully as possible before signing. If there is visible packaging damage, photograph it and write it on the delivery receipt.
If appropriate, note:
“Packaging damaged. Driver would not wait for inspection of contents.”
Then inspect the merchandise as soon as possible after delivery.
If You Find Damage After Delivery
Damage that could not reasonably be seen at the time of delivery is often called concealed damage.
If you discover concealed damage:
- Stop unpacking once the damage is discovered
- Take clear photographs of the damage
- Photograph how the merchandise was packaged
- Keep all cartons, pallets, wrapping, foam, straps, and packing materials
- Do not repair, alter, install, discard, or dispose of the merchandise
- Contact Iron Accents immediately
Report Freight Damage Within 5 Days
All freight damage, including concealed damage, must be reported to Iron Accents within five (5) calendar days of the carrier-confirmed delivery date.
Please unpack and inspect your merchandise promptly. Do not wait until you are ready to assemble, install, or use the merchandise.
Keep the merchandise and all original packaging until Iron Accents confirms they are no longer needed.
Unattended Delivery
What If the Shipment Is Left Without You?
Freight deliveries generally require someone to be present to receive the shipment. If your shipment is left without anyone being there to inspect and sign for it, please contact Iron Accents immediately.
Before Moving or Unpacking the Shipment
- Photograph how and where the shipment was left
- Photograph the cartons and pallet from several sides
- Document any visible damage
- Keep all packaging materials
- Inspect the merchandise as soon as possible
If you discover damage, contact us immediately and follow the freight-damage instructions above.
Need Help?
We're Here if You Need Us
If something does not look right when your freight shipment arrives, please call us while the driver is still there whenever possible. We would much rather help you at the time of delivery so we can make the process as easy as possible.
Iron Accents Customer Care
Monday–Friday
10:00 AM–5:00 PM Eastern
