How to read an LTL weight and inspection certificate
When a carrier corrects your invoice, the weight and inspection certificate is its evidence. Most shippers never ask for it. It is usually one page, and it tells you within a couple of minutes whether the correction is solid.
What is on it
| Field | What it is | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| PRO and date | The shipment inspected and when | The PRO matches your invoice. The date falls between pickup and delivery. |
| Terminal | Where the inspection happened | A terminal your freight plausibly passed through. |
| Pieces | Handling units inspected | Same count as your BOL. A different count means a different shipment, or yours was broken down. |
| Declared weight and class | What your BOL said | Matches your copy of the BOL. |
| Actual weight | The scale reading | Total for the shipment, or per unit. Check which. |
| Dimensions | Length, width and height per unit | Compare each one with your pack-out record. |
| Density and corrected class | The result | Recalculate it yourself from the weight and dimensions on the same page. |
| Inspector or device | Who or what measured | An ID you can cite when asking for calibration records or the scan image. |
Five checks
1. Does the math on the page work?
Take the certificate's own weight and dimensions, calculate density, and look up the class on the scale. If you get a different class from the one printed, the carrier has made an error that needs no outside evidence to prove.
2. Is the height a real measurement?
Heights of 96 inches or more on a pallet you built to 50 usually mean the freight was treated as non-stackable and billed to the trailer ceiling. That can be legitimate if your BOL or labels said do not stack, or if the load was built so nothing could go on top. If neither is true, ask for the image.
3. Which dimension moved?
If length and width match yours and only height grew by a few inches, think shifted cartons or a top layer added at consolidation. If length or width grew, think overhang or a pallet scanned at an angle. If everything is larger by a similar amount, the wrong pallet may have been scanned.
4. Does the piece count match?
Two pallets shipped and one inspected, or the reverse, is the most common sign that the certificate belongs to someone else's freight or that only part of the shipment was measured and then multiplied.
5. Is the weight change believable?
A reweigh 40 lb over on a single pallet is a missing pallet weight on your BOL. A reweigh 400 lb over is a different shipment, a scale problem, or a second pallet you forgot to declare. Work out which before writing to anyone.
If the carrier will not send it
Ask again, in writing, and say that you cannot evaluate the correction without the inspection record. A carrier that corrects an invoice should be able to show what it measured. Refusal or silence is itself worth stating in your dispute.
What makes the certificate hard to beat
A clear scan image of your pallet, with your labels visible, at the dimensions shown. When you see that, the dispute is finished and the problem is at your dock. The useful response is to change how the BOL gets filled out, covered in the prevention guide.
Got a corrected invoice in hand?
Run it through the checker in about a minute, or send us the batch and we will tell you which ones are worth disputing. The audit is free.