When shipping a vehicle, your greatest concern may be that your delivery will arrive in good condition. Whether you are shipping across the country or across the ocean to another country, you may wonder whether or not shipping companies check the condition of vehicles. The condition of your vehicle may also determine how your vehicle will be transported along with whether or not your vehicle is covered for damage.
In this guide, you will learn all about how shipping companies check the condition of cars during transport, why it’s important, and what you can do to ensure that your car is properly prepared for transport and protected along the way. We can help you navigate through this process.
We step up to ensure your car remains safe and in great condition while in tow so it arrives at its destination just as it left.
1. Why Verifying Car Conditions is Important
For understanding how to check the condition of a car, we first need to understand why it is important.
1. To Prevent Disputes and Ensure Transparency
If you photograph the car’s condition, it may help if damage occurs during transport because you and your shipping company will have an agreed-upon record of its condition before shipment. It also protects you against being held liable for pre-existing damage. Photographs must be clear and descriptive.
2. To Protect Your Vehicle During Transit
If the shipping company knows the car’s condition, this will help it determine whether the car needs special handling or is in a condition for required extra care in loading and unloading.
3. For Insurance Purposes
Many companies will carry out a damage report on the shipping vehicle. This ensures that the shipping company knows that the vehicle is adequately insured and that, in the event that the vehicle is damaged during shipment, there is proof as to the condition of the vehicle for an insurance claim.
2. How Do Shipping Companies Verify Car Conditions?
Now that we know about why it is so important, let us look at how we go about verifying the condition of the car.
1. Inspection Before Pickup
The shipping company will inspect your vehicle before the vehicle is loaded onto the transport truck. The truck driver or another shipping company employee will typically do this. The inspection typically involves these items:
- Exterior Condition: The inspector will walk around the vehicle and note on the shipping paperwork scratches, dents, previous repairs, and rust.
- Interior Condition: Some companies also check the vehicle interior for loose items or debris. These objects can be thrown around during transit. Not all companies do this.
- Tires and Underbody: An inspection of the tires determines if they have proper inflation and the underbody has no damage.
- Functional Check: Although the company may perform a brief functional check to see if the car starts or if any obvious problems exist with the car.
2. Documentation and Photos
- As well as the inspection of your car, there will be a photographic record of the car as it was before shipping in the event of any dispute over the state of the vehicle.
- Front, rear and side photos will then be taken to cover the entire exterior.
- Before transport, shots of any preexisting damage may be taken from multiple angles for documentation purposes.
3. The Bill of Lading (BOL)
The Bill of Lading (BOL) is the official car shipping document which includes all relevant information and the condition report. After the inspection is complete both you and the driver will sign the BOL, documenting the condition of the car at the time of pickup.
The BOL is also a contract between you and the shipping company, detailing when your vehicle will be picked up and delivered, and any special arrangements that have been made for transporting your car.
3. What Should You Do to Prepare Your Car for Inspection?
Although the shipping company will perform the inspection, there are a few things you can do to prepare your car for a trouble-free condition verification:
· Clean Your Car
If the vehicle is clean, it is easier to inspect closely for damage; washing and waxing the vehicle helps highlight scratches and dings, and protects the paint from road grime.
· Remove Personal Items
It is common for shipping companies to require items be removed from the car. Loose items inside a car can move while on the shipping route and become damaged or shift to a point where they cause loading problems. Also, shipping companies are not responsible for items left in the car.
· Document Any Existing Damage
Before your car is picked up by the shipping company, document any preexisting scratches, dents, etc. with date and time stamped photographs or video. Ensure that these cover wear and tear of the car and its condition before shipping. This will serve as evidence against any further damage caused during shipment of the car.
· Make Sure Your Car Is Running Properly
If your car does not run, let the transport company know. The shipping company may need special equipment to load and unload the vehicle in order for it to be properly transported. Additionally check that the vehicle can be driven up onto the truck and ensure that your car is in as good a condition as possible to do so.
4. How Car Shipping Auto
Handles Car Condition Verification
Here at Car Shipping Auto, we are experts in verifying the condition of the car before shipping, in order to offer our customers peace of mind.
1. Thorough Pre-Shipping Inspections
We provide thorough pre-shipping inspections to document any damage already present on your car to offer complete transparency about the car’s condition before transport. Our team has a wealth of experience carrying out thorough inspections.
2. Clear Documentation and Photos
If you ever need documentation, we take a ton of photos, we also keep careful records and notes on each car that we transport, so you will have everything you need.
3. Real-Time Communication
We keep you informed of updates during the transport process. In the event a problem occurs, you will know first, and we will help solve the problem. Our staff that is friendly and knowledgeable will be happy to answer any questions or concerns for you.
5. Conclusion: The Importance of Car Condition Verification
To summarize, inspecting cars matters to the car shipping process because it clarifies car condition, protects the car during transit, and records its official condition. At Car Shipping Auto
We hope you realize we take this seriously and do everything to protect your car during the process.
To learn more of how to ship your car and to trust a professional, reliable transport company to transport it, call us today so that we can check your vehicle’s condition, document it, and transport it.
