Parcel Damaged In Transit? Here's Who's Actually Responsible

Author : Craig Kelley | Published On : 29 Sep 2026

A parcel arrives damaged, and the first question everyone asks is whose fault it was. That's usually the wrong question. In goods-in-transit disputes, responsibility almost always comes down to who had control of the parcel at the time it was damaged, not who's ultimately to blame for how it happened.

If you were the one carrying it, that's typically where responsibility lands, even if the problem actually started earlier in the chain, at the warehouse, in packing, or before it ever reached your vehicle. Couriers are often caught out by this. A personal car policy, or a general business policy that wasn't built around commercial deliveries, won't step in to cover that gap.

The fix isn't complicated, but it does need to match how you actually work. Goods-in-transit cover should reflect the highest value load you carry on any given run, not your average day, along with the type of goods you're moving and how they're loaded, stored and handled along the way.

We've put together a full breakdown of how these disputes actually play out on the road and what protection needs to include. Read the full guide on who's responsible for goods damaged in transit.