Tag: trading assistance

Under the common law of common carriage, carriers often have to prove freedom from negligence and shipper error to avoid responsibility for claims involving fresh produce.

The party alleging a guaranteed arrival time should be prepared to prove its allegation with clear and convincing evidence.

Trouble loads aren’t much fun. They can be inefficient and frustrating. On the other hand, handling trouble loads is part of buying, selling, and transporting fresh produce. Doing it well limits headaches, waste, and financial losses—and may help preserve valuable business relationships.

Given the perishability of the strawberries and the number of truckloads shipped, it’s no surprise that Blue Book Services receives a number of claims involving strawberries each year. But in 2022, we seemed to have an unusually high number.

The Problem: Buyer attempting to hold seller to last week’s offer. The Key Point: If not expressly defined, the seller’s offer is good for a “reasonable time.”

Information assessed by Blue Book Services supports serving notice of observed suspicious trading activity occurrences.

The Problem: Breach of “good delivery” claimed against a carrier. The Solution: Recognizing that carriers are responsible for proper transportation, not suitable shipping condition.

Temperature control issues are an everyday fact of life in the fresh produce industry for vendors and carriers alike.

Blue Book's Vice President of Trading Assistance Doug Nelson joined Freight 360's Nate Cross and Benjamin Kowalski on their podcast to talk about produce trading and transportation guidelines, what happens when loads are rejected, salvage values, and some general produce tips for transportation professionals.

Blue Book Services has provided trading guidelines and best practices throughout its long history. Today, the Trading Assistance team provides collection and dispute resolution services tailored to the fresh produce industry, and helps you evaluate the creditworthiness of trading and transportation partners.