§ 7301. Liability for nonreceipt or misdescription; "said to contain"; "shipper's weight, load and count"; improper handling.
§ 7302. Through bills of lading and similar documents.
§ 7303. Diversion; reconsignment; change of instructions.
§ 7304. Bills of lading in a set.
§ 7305. Destination bills.
§ 7306. Altered bills of lading.
§ 7307. Lien of carrier.
§ 7308. Enforcement of lien of carrier.
§ 7309. Duty of care; contractual limitation of liability of carrier.
(a) Liability of issuer for nonreceipt or misdescription.-- A consignee of a nonnegotiable bill who has given value in good faith or a holder to whom a negotiable bill has been duly negotiated relying in either case upon the description therein of the goods, or upon the date therein shown, may recover from the issuer damages caused by the misdating of the bill or the nonreceipt or misdescription of the goods, except to the extent that the document indicates that the issuer does not know whether any part or all of the goods in fact were received or conform to the description, as where the description is in terms of marks or labels or kind, quantity, or condition or the receipt or description is qualified by "contents or condition of contents of packages unknown," "said to contain," "shipper's weight, load and count" or the like, if such indication be true.
(b) Duty of carrier issuer loading goods.-- When goods are loaded by an issuer who is a common carrier, the issuer must count the packages of goods if package freight and ascertain the kind and quantity if bulk freight. In such cases "shipper's weight, load and count" or other words indicating that the description was made by the shipper are ineffective except as to freight concealed by packages.
(c) Duty of carrier issuer when freight loaded by shipper.-- When bulk freight is loaded by a shipper who makes available to the issuer adequate facilities for weighing such freight, an issuer who is a common carrier must ascertain the kind and quantity within a reasonable time after receiving the written request of the shipper to do so. In such cases "shipper's weight" or other words of like purport are ineffective.
(d) Liability of issuer for improper loading.-- The issuer may by inserting in the bill the words "shipper's weight, load and count" or other words of like purport indicate that the goods were loaded by the shipper; and if such statement be true the issuer shall not be liable for damages caused by the improper loading. But their omission does not imply liability for such damages.
(e) Guaranty of shipper.-- The shipper shall be deemed to have guaranteed to the issuer the accuracy at the time of shipment of the description, marks, labels, number, kind, quantity, condition and weight, as furnished by him; and the shipper shall indemnify the issuer against damage caused by inaccuracies in such particulars. The right of the issuer to such indemnity shall in no way limit his responsibility and liability under the contract of carriage to any person other than the shipper.
(a) Liability of issuer for acts of other persons.-- The issuer of a through bill of lading or other document embodying an undertaking to be performed in part by persons acting as its agents or by connecting carriers is liable to anyone entitled to recover on the document for any breach by such other persons or by a connecting carrier of its obligation under the document but to the extent that the bill covers an undertaking to be performed overseas or in territory not contiguous to the continental United States or an undertaking including matters other than transportation this liability may be varied by agreement of the parties.
(b) Other person subjected to obligation of issuer.-- Where goods covered by a through bill of lading or other document embodying an undertaking to be performed in part by persons other than the issuer are received by any such person, he is subject with respect to his own performance while the goods are in his possession to the obligation of the issuer. His obligation is discharged by delivery of the goods to another such person pursuant to the document, and does not include liability for breach by any other such persons or by the issuer.
(c) Recovery by issuer against other persons.-- The issuer of such through bill of lading or other document shall be entitled to recover from the connecting carrier or such other person in possession of the goods when the breach of the obligation under the document occurred, the amount it may be required to pay to anyone entitled to recover on the document therefor, as may be evidenced by any receipt, judgment, or transcript thereof, and the amount of any expense reasonably incurred by it in defending any action brought by anyone entitled to recover on the document therefor.
(a) General rule.-- Unless the bill of lading otherwise provides, the carrier may deliver the goods to a person or destination other than that stated in the bill or may otherwise dispose of the goods on instructions from:
(b) Liability of bailee when instructions not on document.-- Unless such instructions are noted on a negotiable bill of lading, a person to whom the bill is duly negotiated can hold the bailee according to the original terms.
.(a) General rule.-- Except where customary in overseas transportation, a bill of lading must not be issued in a set of parts. The issuer is liable for damages caused by violation of this subsection.
(b) Set of parts constitutes one bill.-- Where a bill of lading is lawfully drawn in a set of parts, each of which is numbered and expressed to be valid only if the goods have not been delivered against any other part, the whole of the parts constitute one bill.
(c) Negotiation of parts of set to different persons.-- Where a bill of lading is lawfully issued in a set of parts and different parts are negotiated to different persons, the title of the holder to whom the first due negotiation is made prevails as to both the document and the goods even though any later holder may have received the goods from the carrier in good faith and discharged the obligation of the carrier by surrender of his part.
(d) Liability for negotiation of single part of set.-- Any person who negotiates or transfers a single part of a bill of lading drawn in a set is liable to holders of that part as if it were the whole set.
(e) Duty of bailee upon presentation of part of set.-- The bailee is obliged to deliver in accordance with Chapter 74 (relating to warehouse receipts and bills of lading: general obligations) against the first presented part of a bill of lading lawfully drawn in a set. Such delivery discharges the obligation of the bailee on the whole bill.
(a) Destination bill procured by carrier.-- Instead of issuing a bill of lading to the consignor at the place of shipment a carrier may at the request of the consignor procure the bill to be issued at destination or at any other place designated in the request.
(b) Substitute bill procured by issuer.-- Upon request of anyone entitled as against the carrier to control the goods while in transit and on surrender of any outstanding bill of lading or other receipt covering such goods, the issuer may procure a substitute bill to be issued at any place designated in the request.
An unauthorized alteration or filling in of a blank in a bill of lading leaves the bill enforceable according to its original tenor.
(a) Charges and expenses covered by lien.-- A carrier has a lien on the goods covered by a bill of lading for charges subsequent to the date of its receipt of the goods for storage or transportation (including demurrage and terminal charges) and for expenses necessary for preservation of the goods or incident to their transportation or reasonably incurred in their sale pursuant to law. But against a purchaser for value of a negotiable bill of lading the lien of a carrier is limited to charges stated in the bill or the applicable tariffs, or if no charges are stated then to a reasonable charge.
(b) Persons against whom lien effective.-- A lien for charges and expenses under subsection (a) on goods which the carrier was required by law to receive for transportation is effective against the consignor or any person entitled to the goods unless the carrier had notice that the consignor lacked authority to subject the goods to such charges and expenses. Any other lien under subsection (a) is effective against the consignor and any person who permitted the bailor to have control or possession of the goods unless the carrier had notice that the bailor lacked such authority.
(c) Loss of lien.-- A carrier loses his lien on any goods which he voluntarily delivers or which he unjustifiably refuses to deliver.
(a) Sale of goods to enforce lien.-- The lien of a carrier may be enforced by public or private sale of the goods, in block or in parcels, at any time or place and on any terms which are commercially reasonable, after notifying all persons known to claim an interest in the goods. Such notification must include a statement of the amount due, the nature of the proposed sale and the time and place of any public sale. The fact that a better price could have been obtained by a sale at a different time or in a different method from that selected by the carrier is not of itself sufficient to establish that the sale was not made in a commercially reasonable manner. If the carrier either sells the goods in the usual manner in any recognized market therefor or if he sells at the price current in such market at the time of his sale or if he has otherwise sold in conformity with commercially reasonable practices among dealers in the type of goods sold he has sold in a commercially reasonable manner. A sale of more goods than apparently necessary to be offered to ensure satisfaction of the obligation is not commercially reasonable except in cases covered by the preceding sentence.
(b) Satisfaction of lien prior to sale.-- Before any sale pursuant to this section any person claiming a right in the goods may pay the amount necessary to satisfy the lien and the reasonable expenses incurred under this section. In that event the goods must not be sold, but must be retained by the carrier subject to the terms of the bill and this division.
(c) Carrier may purchase at public sale.-- The carrier may buy at any public sale pursuant to this section.
(d) Rights acquired by good faith purchaser.-- A purchaser in good faith of goods sold to enforce the lien of a carrier takes the goods free of any rights of persons against whom the lien was valid, despite noncompliance by the carrier with the requirements of this section.
(e) Disposition of proceeds of sale.-- The carrier may satisfy his lien from the proceeds of any sale pursuant to this section but must hold the balance, if any, for delivery on demand to any person to whom he would have been bound to deliver the goods.
(f) Rights under section not exclusive.-- The rights provided by this section shall be in addition to all other rights allowed by law to a creditor against his debtor.
(g) Alternative methods of enforcing lien.-- The lien of a carrier may be enforced in accordance with either subsection (a) or the procedure set forth in section 7210(b) (relating to enforcement of lien of warehouseman).
(h) Liability of carrier for noncompliance.-- The carrier is liable for damages caused by failure to comply with the requirements for sale under this section and in case of willful violation is liable for conversion.
(a) Duty of care.-- A carrier who issues a bill of lading whether negotiable or nonnegotiable must exercise the degree of care in relation to the goods which a reasonably careful man would exercise under like circumstances. This subsection does not repeal or change any law or rule of law which imposes liability upon a common carrier for damages not caused by its negligence.
(b) Contractual limitation of liability.-- Damages may be limited by a provision that the liability of the carrier shall not exceed a value stated in the document if the rates of the carrier are dependent upon value and the consignor by the tariff of the carrier is afforded an opportunity to declare a higher value or a value as lawfully provided in the tariff, or where no tariff is filed he is otherwise advised of such opportunity; but no such limitation is effective with respect to the liability of the carrier for conversion to its own use.
(c) Provisions for presenting claims and instituting actions.-- Reasonable provisions as to the time and manner of presenting claims and instituting actions based on the shipment may be included in a bill of lading or tariff.
The complete Pennsylvania Statutes are not yet available on the web. However, selected portions have been made available and can be accessed by CLICKING HERE. These statutes, though available instantaneously over the web, may not be the current law. Court decisions overturning them, later statutes amending them, and a host of other factors come into play when interpreting them. They are provided here as a resource. They should provide some information about the state of the law. However, a competent lawyer, who from other sources will research the law to insure what is current, should always be employed in matters of importance.