Freight Claims Subrogation Tracking
When a shipper or its insurer pays out a cargo loss to a customer before the liable carrier's own claim is fully resolved, the right to recover that payout from the carrier — subrogation — transfers to whoever paid it, but pursuing that recovery is a separate, ongoing follow-up process that's easy to let stall once the customer-facing part of the claim is closed. The team that handled the original claim has moved on, the subrogation file sits open with a carrier response pending, and without someone actively chasing it, recovery windows lapse and money that was legitimately owed back never comes in, simply because nobody kept the file moving after the initial urgency passed.
STARTING PRICE
From €299
Standard tier · Multi-step workflow with AI extraction/decisioning and 2-3 integrations.
Get a quote →Saves roughly 3-4 hrs/week for a claims or logistics finance coordinator, plus recovered freight loss payouts.
How the automation works
We open a subrogation file automatically the moment a claim is paid out ahead of carrier liability determination, track the specific recovery deadline and required follow-up cadence for that carrier, and keep escalating unresolved files rather than letting them go quiet after the first request. Each file tracks correspondence, the carrier's liability position, and any partial settlement offers against the full recoverable amount, so a partial offer gets evaluated against the actual loss rather than accepted by default because nobody was tracking what was still owed. Files approaching a statute of limitations or contractual claim deadline are surfaced before that deadline, not after.
Process flow
- 01
Claim paid ahead of carrier resolution trigger
A payout to a customer or insured party made before the liable carrier's claim is fully resolved opens a subrogation file automatically.
- 02
Establish recoverable amount and liable party ai
The recoverable amount and the carrier or party determined liable are established from the original claim and shipment liability documentation.
- 03
Apply follow-up cadence and deadlines ai
A follow-up cadence and the relevant statute of limitations or contractual claim deadline are applied based on the carrier and jurisdiction, so the file has an active timeline rather than sitting open indefinitely.
- 04
Track correspondence and offers integration
Carrier correspondence, liability position and any settlement offers are logged against the file and compared to the full recoverable amount.
- 05
Escalate stalled files ai
Files with no carrier response within the expected window, or a partial offer well below the recoverable amount, are escalated for follow-up or legal review rather than left open with no action.
- 06
Close and reconcile recovery output
Recovered amounts are reconciled against the original payout and reported, with the file closed only once resolved or a deliberate decision is made to abandon a low-value pursuit.
Inputs
- Original claim payout and liability records
- Carrier correspondence and settlement offers
- Statute of limitations and contractual claim deadlines by jurisdiction
- Recovery cadence and escalation rules
Outputs
- Open subrogation file register with deadlines
- Stalled-file escalation queue
- Recovery reconciliation report
- Carrier-level recovery rate history
Works with
Prefer a fully custom build instead of an off-the-shelf integration? We scope both options during your free consultation — most jobs like this one work fine on standard connectors, but higher-volume or non-standard systems sometimes need bespoke API work, reflected in the complex tier.
Where this goes wrong if you get it wrong
- Subrogation files opened without an explicit deadline attached tend to sit indefinitely once the initial urgency of the customer-facing claim has passed — every file needs its specific recovery deadline (statute of limitations or contract term) tracked from day one, not added later when someone remembers to check.
- Accepting a carrier's partial settlement offer without comparing it to the actual recoverable amount lets carriers systematically under-settle subrogation claims, betting correctly that nobody on the shipper's side is tracking the full number closely enough to push back.
- A subrogation right can be weakened or waived by how the original claim correspondence with the customer or carrier was worded — tracking needs to flag files where liability wasn't clearly documented at time of payout, since a weak liability record undermines recovery even when the loss itself is well-documented.
- Treating every low-dollar file with the same follow-up intensity as high-value claims spreads effort thin — the escalation logic should prioritize by recoverable amount and deadline proximity so the files worth the most attention actually get it before they lapse.
Frequently asked questions
How is subrogation different from the original damage claim?
The original claim is filing for the loss itself with the carrier or insurer; subrogation is the follow-on recovery process once a payout has already been made ahead of the carrier's own liability determination, which needs its own tracking and deadline.
What happens when a carrier offers a partial settlement?
The offer is compared against the full recoverable amount established from the original claim, so a below-value offer is flagged for negotiation or escalation rather than accepted by default.
How does it prevent files from lapsing past a deadline?
Each file's specific statute of limitations or contractual claim deadline is tracked from the point it's opened, with escalating alerts as the deadline approaches rather than a single reminder that's easy to miss.
Is it worth pursuing subrogation on small claims?
The system prioritizes files by recoverable amount and deadline proximity, so low-value files can be deliberately deprioritized or closed rather than left open indefinitely consuming attention without a clear recovery plan.