What is an EIR (Equipment Interchange Receipt)?
The receipt signed when a container, chassis or trailer changes hands at an intermodal gate: what it records, how recorded images replace damage notes, and how long a damage bill can arrive afterwards.
Reviewed September 2026 against the UIIA effective May 5, 2026
Short answer: An EIR is the document, on paper or electronic, that confirms a container, chassis or trailer changed hands between the parties to an intermodal interchange, and records its condition at that moment. Under the UIIA, the parties execute one at every interchange, and damage can be described on the EIR itself or shown in date- and time-stamped images taken at the gate (UIIA, definitions 15 and 26, section D.2.a).
What an EIR records
The Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement (UIIA) is the interchange agreement administered by the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) and signed by equipment providers, motor carriers and facility operators. It defines the Equipment Interchange Receipt as "a document confirming the interchange of Equipment between Parties to this Agreement, or their agents," and adds that the physical condition of the equipment "may be described by either Party within the EIR or via Recorded Images taken at the time of Interchange" (definition 15). An interchange is "the transfer of physical possession of Equipment" (definition 18), and equipment covers trailers, chassis, containers and associated devices, but not tractors (definition 13).
Section D.2.a sets the rule: at the time of interchange, the parties or their agents "shall execute an Equipment Interchange Receipt and/or exchange an electronic receipt equivalent," which describes the equipment and any damage observable on it at that time, reasonable wear and tear excepted (UIIA, D.2.a).
So an EIR answers two questions for one moment in time: which piece of equipment moved from one party to the other, and what condition it was in when it moved.
Paper EIR vs recorded images
| UIIA section | What it says |
|---|---|
| D.2.b Electronic EIRs | Allowed if the provider or facility operator gives the motor carrier an electronic way to describe the equipment's condition at interchange, and that description becomes part of the electronic EIR. |
| D.2.c Copies | Each party is entitled to a copy of the EIR, or its electronic equivalent, without charge. |
| D.2.d Recorded images | If recorded images are taken at interchange, damage is not written on the in-gate or out-gate EIR. The receipt instead carries the words "Damage is captured on Recorded Images", and the images are available to each party for 1 year from interchange without charge. |
| Definition 26 Recorded Image | "A date and time stamped electronic image, which depicts the physical condition of the Equipment." |
Source: UIIA agreement, effective May 5, 2026, definitions 15, 18, 26 and section D.2.
How long a damage bill can arrive after the gate
Section E.3.c of the UIIA sets deadlines for repair invoices. If a party is not invoiced within them, "the right of the Invoicing Party to recover such charges will be lost" (UIIA, E.3.c).
| Type of interchange | Repair invoice due no later than |
|---|---|
| Manned standard gate, or interchange between motor carriers | 165 calendar days from the date of interchange at which the damage was documented |
| Gate transactions using recorded images | 120 calendar days from the date of interchange at which the damage was documented |
| Repairs made during the interchange period | 90 calendar days from the date of the repair. A provider's addendum may set a shorter window, but no less than 45 days. |
Source: UIIA, E.3.c(1)–(3), revised 09/01/25. The windows don't apply to equipment placed on hold because it was involved in an incident that could lead to a claim or litigation (E.3.c(4)).
The UIIA also says what has to come with a damage bill. Repair invoices must include the factual documentation behind the provider's decision that the motor carrier is responsible, and for a gate transaction using recorded images, that documentation must include images showing the equipment's condition at that interchange (E.3.a). For per diem invoices, the provider has to give the motor carrier the evidence reasonably needed to support the invoice, for example EIRs or electronic equivalents (E.6.e).
The practical point: a question about damage can come back months after the equipment left the terminal. Anyone who may be asked what the unit looked like while they had it should keep dated records for at least that long.
Where a receiving warehouse fits
The UIIA's parties are the provider, the motor carrier and the facility operator that have signed the agreement (definition 22). The EIR is executed between them at the interchange, for example when a drayage carrier pulls a container out of a marine terminal. A warehouse or DC that receives that container at its dock, and has not signed the UIIA, is not a party to that EIR. The container is still in the motor carrier's interchange period while it sits at your door, because that period runs until the equipment is interchanged back to the provider or to another authorized motor carrier (definition 19).
What a warehouse can do is keep its own record of the unit at its own gate. It isn't an EIR and it isn't legal advice. It is your evidence of what arrived and what left, if anyone later asks where a dent or a missing part appeared. A simple routine:
| When | What to record |
|---|---|
| Gate in | Date and time; the full container number (check it with the free container number checker) and chassis or trailer number; the carrier's SCAC; the seal number, typed from the seal itself; photos of every side, the doors and the seal |
| Gate out | Date and time; the same numbers; the new seal number if one was applied; photos of every side and the doors again |
| How long to keep it | At least 165 days from gate in, to cover the longest UIIA damage-billing window above. Your gate in happens on or after the terminal interchange, so 165 days from your own date covers it. |
This page summarizes the UIIA's public text. The agreement itself, and any provider's addendum, govern. For charges on the equipment rather than damage, see the free detention and free time calculator.
FAQ
What does EIR stand for in shipping?
EIR stands for Equipment Interchange Receipt. The Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement (UIIA) defines it as a document confirming the interchange of equipment between the parties to the agreement, or their agents. Equipment there means trailers, chassis, containers and associated devices, but not tractors.
Does an EIR describe the cargo?
No. Under the UIIA, the EIR describes the equipment and any damage observable on it at the time of interchange, reasonable wear and tear excepted. It is about the container, chassis or trailer, not the freight inside.
How long after an interchange can a trucker be billed for container damage?
Under UIIA section E.3.c, repair invoices must be issued no later than 165 calendar days from the date of interchange at a manned standard gate or between motor carriers, 120 calendar days for gate transactions using recorded images, and 90 calendar days from the date of repair for repairs made during the interchange period (a provider's addendum can shorten that last one to no less than 45 days). If the invoice is late, the right to recover the charge is lost. Equipment placed on hold because of an incident is an exception.
Does a warehouse need to sign an EIR?
Usually not. The UIIA parties are the provider, the motor carrier and the facility operator that sign the agreement, and the EIR is executed between them at the interchange. A warehouse that receives a container from a drayage carrier and has not signed the UIIA is not one of those parties. It can still keep its own dated gate-in and gate-out record with photos.
Keep your own gate record.
In Vantage, the guard logs each container or trailer at the gate on a phone, and the number is read on the device. Every record gets a timestamp, and a photo whenever the camera is used. The Free plan is $0 for 3 users, 1 yard and 100 gate transactions a month with 30 days of history, and includes the live yard map and door board. No card. Lite keeps 180 days of history, longer than the 165-day UIIA damage window.
Related: digital gate log app · logging trailer check-in at the gate · container number checker