One of our drivers picked up a chassis at POMTOC in July and drove straight to a Doral warehouse without walking the equipment first. Two weeks later, the terminal billed us $1,200 for a bent landing gear leg. Our driver never touched the landing gear. Nobody could prove that, because the interchange report he signed at the gate listed no exceptions.
What an Interchange Report Covers
An Equipment Interchange Report, most people in the yard just call it an EIR, is the document that transfers custody of a container and chassis from the terminal to the trucking company at pickup, and back again at return. It records the equipment's condition at that exact moment. Whoever holds the equipment when damage gets noticed pays for it, unless the paperwork proves otherwise.
The EIR isn't optional and it isn't a formality. Terminals at PortMiami and Port Everglades generate one every time a truck crosses the gate with a container or chassis. Most drivers glance at it, sign, and move. That habit is expensive.
Why the Report Outranks Your Memory
A driver's word about pre-existing damage carries no weight against a signed document. If the EIR at pickup shows no exceptions and the equipment comes back with a dent, a crack, or a bad tire, the terminal's system assumes the carrier caused it during the interchange period. The burden sits on the driver to prove otherwise, and by then the truck has usually made three more runs.
This is why UIIA agreements put the responsibility for noting damage squarely on whoever takes possession. The terminal isn't going to volunteer that a chassis already had a busted mud flap. The driver has to catch it and get it written down before pulling off the lot.
What to Check Before You Sign
A full walk-around takes under two minutes and covers the parts that generate the most disputed charges.
Photos That Hold Up in a Dispute
Writing "pre-existing damage noted" on the EIR helps. A timestamped photo helps more. Every driver's phone has a camera, and every photo file carries a timestamp the terminal can't dispute.
- Shoot all four corners of the chassis and container, not just the damaged spot
- Include the container number or chassis ID plate in at least one frame
- Get a wide shot showing the equipment still on the terminal lot, not after it's moved
- Photograph the printed EIR itself, showing what was checked or noted
Text the photos to dispatch immediately, or upload them if your carrier uses a tracking app with photo capture. A photo sitting unsent on a phone that gets dropped, cracked, or wiped does nothing for you three weeks later.
Noting Exceptions on the EIR
Most paper and digital EIR forms have a damage or exception field. Write the specific defect, not a vague note. "Damage" written alone means nothing if a dispute goes to review. "Landing gear crank stiff, does not retract fully" gives a claims adjuster something concrete to match against a repair invoice later.
If the gate system is fully digital and doesn't give you room to add detail, ask the gate clerk how to flag an exception before you accept the equipment. Some terminals require a supervisor to walk out and confirm damage before it goes on record. That takes a few extra minutes. Skipping it costs more.
When the Gate Clerk Rushes You
Gate lines back up during vessel bunching, and clerks push drivers through fast. A rushed gate clerk waving you forward doesn't override your right to inspect equipment before accepting it. Pull past the immediate gate lane if there's a designated inspection area, and do the walk-around there instead of holding up the line at the booth itself.
If a clerk refuses to let you note an exception or won't wait while you check a specific spot, get dispatch on the phone before you sign anything. A five-minute delay costs less than a chassis damage bill you can't dispute.
Return Inspections Matter Too
The same rule applies in reverse at drop-off. Walk the equipment with the gate clerk present, point out anything that happened during the move, and make sure it lands on the return EIR before you drive off. A driver who drops equipment and leaves without confirming the condition on paper has no defense if the terminal claims new damage after the fact.
Keep your own copy of every EIR, pickup and return, for at least a year. Digital photos and PDF copies stored in a shared drive beat a glovebox full of paper that gets lost in a cab swap.
The Two-Minute Habit
Before accepting any container or chassis: walk all four sides, check tires and lights, test the landing gear, photograph anything unusual, and get it written on the EIR with specific language before you sign. Do the same at return.
At One A Trucks, we train every driver on this walk-around because a signed EIR with no exceptions is the terminal's best defense in a billing dispute, and it should never be your fault that nobody looked first.