So you’re ready to ship your car. You found a shipping company, you planned your dates, and you submitted all your information. It’s finally happening and you’re already ready for it to be over. Many think that once you’re all set, it’s all out of your hands. However, there are some important things to note before your shipment goes out to make sure you have everything you need. To make sure you’re ready to ship your car, there are a couple of documents that you should pay extra attention to. For the most part, you may never need to worry about them, which is why most shipping companies may just glance over these forms. However, if anything does go wrong, you’ll be glad you took the extra time to familiarize yourself with these two very important documents.
Insurance Terms
You may think that your insurance will cover your car. Unfortunately, your insurance only covers your vehicle while it’s being driven. Not while it’s on a tow truck. This is why tow truck drivers have their own separate insurance. This is the same for auto shipping companies. It is a huge red flag if they do not include insurance right there in their quote. Unfortunately, many shipping companies may not include insurance to make their shipping prices look more attractive. However, it is important to check to see that they do in fact have insurance and then check to see how much they cover.
This is especially true if you ship your vehicle on a trailer that has multiple cars on it. A shipping company should have enough coverage to cover every vehicle on the trailer. So even if they have enough insurance for your vehicle, they need to have ten times that amount to cover every vehicle on the trailer. Shipping a vehicle is safer than driving it yourself, but there may be an incident, and you want to make sure your vehicle is covered.
The Bill of Lading
This document is what the insurance company will use to determine if the shipping company’s insurance will cover your vehicle. Before your car goes on the trailer, the driver will conduct an inspection. They’ll check to see if there is any prior damage to your vehicle. Everything they see they’ll note in the Bill of Lading. Make sure to go over that with them when they load the vehicle. When your car arrives, the driver may be in a hurry, but now is the time for you to do your inspection.
After the vehicle arrives, you’ll sign the bill of lading. This acts as a receipt of delivery. However, don’t sign anything until after you do your inspection. Check your vehicle. Are there any new dings or dents? Is there a new crack in the windshield? It may be difficult to note since, more often than not, your car will arrive with a healthy layer of dirt. This is especially true if you opt for open transport, but make sure that you do a thorough inspection. If you see anything, make sure your driver notes it in the bill of lading. Only then can you sign. The next step is to set up a claim with your driver’s insurance company. At this point, the insurance company will see that there is new damage that wasn’t there in the original inspection.
Important Documents that Save you Time and Money
More often than not, all of this will prove unnecessary. Your car will arrive safely without a scratch. There will be no need to go through the insurance, and no one will check the bill of lading. Shipping companies ship hundreds of vehicles, which is why they barely mention these two documents. It’s almost a waste of time for them. However, if you do need to file a claim, you’ll be glad you spent the extra time now. Waiting until there’s a problem will take much longer to prove the issues. You’ll have to find photos of your vehicle and prove they were taken before the shipment. You’ll have to talk to insurance companies. You’ll have to do all of that, and you still may not win your claim. Then you’ll surely have to get a lawyer involved, and all of that costs time and money.
If you’re still looking for a shipping company, give Bakersfield Car Transport a call. They offer instant quotes with industry leading insurance rates included right there in the quote. Their friendly customer service representatives will go over the bill of lading and any other documents you might need.
