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Overages, Shortages and Damages (OS&D)
Definition
Overages, shortages and damages (OS&D) is the receiving record of freight that arrived over the expected count, short of it, or damaged.
What it means
Receivers log OS&D against the bill of lading, whose required fields include the number of packages and a description of the freight,[1] and write exceptions on the delivery receipt at the time of delivery. A shortage of whole packages is a loss, not damage, and is best noted separately.
An OS&D notation is evidence, not a claim. Under the federal claim rules, bad order reports and notations of shortage or damage on delivery receipts do not, on their own, meet the minimum requirements for filing a claim.[2] What a claim must contain is covered in freight damage claims.
Example
A trailer delivers 22 pallets against 22 on the bill of lading, but two have crushed top tiers. The receiver writes "2 of 22 pallets damaged, top tier crushed" on the receipt, has the driver initial it and logs the damaged cartons by SKU on its OS&D report.
Related
Related terms
- Bill of LadingA bill of lading (BOL) is the document a carrier issues for freight it receives: a receipt for the goods and...Glossary
- Carmack AmendmentThe Carmack Amendment (49 U.S.C. 14706) is the federal law that makes interstate motor carriers liable for...Glossary
- Shipper Load and CountShipper load and count (SLC or SL&C) is a bill of lading notation meaning the shipper loaded and counted the...Glossary
- Freight ReworkFreight rework is the physical correction of a shipment that a carrier, receiver or retailer will not accept...Glossary
- DevanningDevanning is unloading freight from a shipping container, also called stripping or container unloading.Glossary
Related freight problems
Related guides
Sources
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, “49 CFR § 373.101, Motor carrier bills of lading,” Federal regulation. Accessed September 2026.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, “49 CFR § 370.3, Filing of claims,” Federal regulation. Accessed September 2026.
General operational information, not legal, customs or regulatory advice. Rules and rates change; confirm current requirements with the agency, carrier or contract that governs your shipment.