CARMACK AMENDMENT · CLAIM & SUIT DEADLINES

Freight Claim & Carmack Deadline Calculator

Enter a delivery (or expected-delivery) date and this computes the Carmack Amendment's statutory-minimum 9-month claim-filing deadline, plus the 2-year suit deadline once a claim denial date is known.

Shipment dates

What are you dating?

49 U.S.C. § 14706(e)(1): the 9-month minimum runs from delivery, or — for a failure to make delivery — from the date the carrier had a reasonable time to deliver ("expected delivery").

Delivery date

The date the freight was actually delivered (or discovered damaged/short).

Claim denial date (optional)

The date the carrier gave written notice the claim was disallowed (49 CFR § 370.9). Leave blank if the claim hasn't been denied yet — you'll still get the 9-month filing deadline.

Deadlines

Enter a delivery date above to calculate deadlines.

§ These are the statutory MINIMUMS a carrier is allowed to set (49 U.S.C. § 14706(e)(1)). A carrier may not give you less than 9 months to file a claim or less than 2 years from denial to sue — but the bill of lading can give you more. The actual BOL terms control. Always check the governing bill of lading / tariff for the real deadline before relying on this calculator.

Deadline timeline

Visual map from the start date through the 9-month claim deadline and 2-year suit deadline, with today marked.

Source: 49 U.S.C. § 14706(e)(1) (Carmack Amendment minimum claim/suit periods) · law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/14706 + 49 CFR Part 370 (claims investigation/disposition principles, incl. § 370.9 120-day disposition rule) · ecfr.gov/.../part-370 · Companion: Freight claim package checklist

How this tool works

Freight Claim & Carmack Deadline Calculator runs entirely in your browser. Inputs are evaluated with rules and constants taken from cited public data (Freight & logistics). Nothing is uploaded to a server for the calculation itself.

Enter the values that match your load, vehicle, or scenario.
Results update live — treat them as a cited reference, not legal or professional advice.
Open the primary source linked at the top of this page before you rely on a number for compliance.

Use Copy link to share this page (including query parameters when the tool supports them) or Print for a dock/packet copy.

FAQ

Who is Freight Claim & Carmack Deadline Calculator for?

Anyone who needs a fast, cited freight & logistics reference — especially operators who would otherwise dig through a handbook or regulation PDF mid-task.

Do I need an account?

No. Sentinel Tools are free, public, and run in your browser with no sign-up.

How current is the source?

The tool is built from cited public data. Regulations and agency tables can change — use the source link on this page to verify the latest official text.