Scrapping Steel Freight from 2-Year Old Load

[edtrans]

Hello,

We are small flatbed company based out of Mississauga specializing in the steel industry.

We have a trailer loaded at one of our staging yards with a custom steel frame (approximately 12,000 lbs). The trailer was loaded back in the autumn of 2012 and the customer couldn't take delivery. As the trailer sat we tried to collect demurrage with no luck. Now that the trailer has sat for over two years do we need to get the customer to sign ownership of the frame over to us so we can cut it up for scrap? Or can we just go ahead and scrap the freight?

Thanks in advance.

 

[theman]

If the customer is not responding to any of your requests, it is likely they are just deferring and they've probably written it off of their books. I would actually send a written notice saying that this is going to happen with a deadline and if no response ... go with it.

 

[whatiship]

Good advice, however best to spend a couple of extra bucks and send your letter "registered" so you have proof they received it.

 

[Jim L]

What was the reason they rejected the freight? If it is not related to your service (a claim of damage), then it is probably forgotten product. Do you still have a business relationship with the person who paid the freight? Is he the shipper or receiver? Did you get paid for the freight?

 

[AccountsReceivable@DRC]

We had a similar situation regarding "abandoned" freight. It was a double broker scenario many years ago. Long story short we found the owner of the freight (paper product) - notified them and provided an invoice. It sat on our dock forever. We invoiced them directly every month for skid storage - no response.

I sent them a letter and email stating a date when the cargo would be disposed. It also went ignored. We dropped it to a recycling center and were done with it. Over a year later the same company contacted us inquiring about the product. I kept all docs on file as well as every invoice issued for storage. I sent it to them and nothing ever came of it. The original paperwork landed on someone else's desk that was a new hire and he was following up on it. Nothing they could do about it and I had the backup.

So keep everything - including issued invoices - for at least a year. And proceed with the scrapping.

 

[edtrans]

Thanks for all the responses.

As near as we can tell it is a steel frame for a custom cottage that didn't get completed. We have a good relationship with the fabricator who built the frame but they want nothing to do with the issue. We didn't get paid for the shipment or the demurrage (I'm a bit embarrassed that we've let it go this long). We do have sporatic records of trying to contact different people to get payment or direction on what to do with the load but nothing consistent like the monthly billings mentioned below.

I think I'll leverage that term "abandoned" and present them with a letter giving them a choice to sign over the load or pay the demurrage (assuming I can find them).

I'll post a follow up to let you all know how it goes.