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Should I Remove Personal Items from My Car Before It’s Shipped?

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Home  |  Car Transport   |   Should I Remove Personal Items from My Car Before It’s Shipped?

The car shipping industry has exploded in recent years and people are now able to purchase cars from anywhere in the world and have them shipped. They are also able to ship their own vehicle if they are moving or relocating for work. While this is an incredibly convenient service, there are a few things to keep in mind before you ship your vehicle. While most people are only concerned with getting their vehicle safely to its new destination, you should also consider what it is inside your vehicle before sending it on its way. Many people forget about removing their personal items prior to shipment, but that’s exactly what you need to do. While it might be tempting to take advantage of the space inside your car to ship some personal items, it is not worth the risk. You should never ship your vehicle with personal belongings inside and here’s why…

Potential for Damage

No matter how careful the driver is, items may shift during transport. This means that any items inside the car could be subject to damage. This is especially important for people who are moving and might consider packing a few items inside their car. If your personal belongings do get jostled around and broken during transport, the transport company’s coverage does not include items inside the car which means you will be out of pocket for any damage or repairs. Save yourself the hassle and pack all personal belongings in a moving van instead.

Risk of Theft

Auto transport drivers don’t drive straight through from one destination to another. They typically make frequent stops and a car packed with loads of personal items is a huge risk for theft. Even if you haven’t packed valuables, people passing by might see all your stuff and try to break into your vehicle. Again, insurance will not cover the items located inside the vehicle so you will be responsible for any lost or stolen items. 

Weight Limits

Car shipping transport trucks must adhere to certain weight limits so if your car is packed with heavy items then it can be an issue for the driver. There is a chance your vehicle will not be able to be delivered if it is over the weight limit. 

Items That Should Be Removed

In addition to not packing personal items, you should take the time to remove any items that might already be inside your vehicle. You may store items in your glove box such as money, jewelry, or even a handgun. Be sure to check your trunk as well for things like golf clubs or other equipment. You even want to remove GPS systems if they are portable, chargers, and all other personal items.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Honest Answers to Your Car Shipping Questions

Yes, we always ask for your specific pickup and delivery addresses, if the carrier can get right to the addresses you provide, they will. If the addresses that you give us are not safely accessible for a Multi-car carrier, however, you will need to make arrangements with the driver to meet at a nearby location where the carrier can safely get in and out.

People do it all the time (rarely for free) but the official answer is no.

Not what you wanted to hear, we know, but that is the honest answer.

We are not licensed to broker the shipment of household goods and, likewise, no car carrier that operates in the USA is licensed to transport them from state to state either. Despite what you might be being told by other car shipping companies you may speak with.

Remember, at the end of the day we're all salespeople, and the true answer to this question is not a great selling point.

You will hear a lot of companies tell you that you can put up to 100 pounds of items in the trunk, but that is not entirely true. That fact is that items of that amount are fairly common and the department of transportation is probably not going to split hairs and fine the trucker over items of that amount, provided they are not over their weight limit. They could fine them, however, if they see a vehicle stuffed full of personal items so the car carrier will most likely try to negotiate something with you to cover themselves against any costs they could incur. It's not something we can build into your contract though.

We have a short and helpful video on this topic in our user videos.

Only in rare cases and car carriers will usually charge a premium to make it happen.

All dates given by car carriers are typically estimates and projections.

For this reason (and to keep your cost down) we ask that you build in some flexibility and give us the earliest possible date you would be WILLING to release the vehicle, even though it may not be your preferred date.

We'll put you in direct contact with your car carrier and the driver will also typically call you the afternoon or evening before your pick up and delivery (they won't just show up unannounced, and if they do we want to hear about it). However, car carriers are out on the road battling traffic, weather and any number of other factors that can and do throw them off of their pickup and delivery projections from time to time.

If the projected dates we give you come and you are unable to make contact with your carrier, please call our office immediately so that we may help resolve the situation.

The average transit time from pick up to delivery on any vehicle going coast to coast will average 7 to 10 days. From there you can figure your transit time based on how far your vehicle is traveling, i.e. from either coast to the Midwest might average 3-7 days.

Yes!

Even better, we do not even ask for payment until we have you confirmed for pickup by a safe, reliable, fully insured, direct car carrier. If for any reason you do not ship your car with the carrier that we arrange for you, there is no fee.

The fees paid directly to the carrier however, (in most cases, their fees are not paid until your vehicle is delivered) are not directly controlled by us, so any requests for a refund of the carrier's portion would need to be addressed with the carrier directly.

Of course! And you are always backed by our Damage Free Guarantee policy.

Part of what you pay us for is to verify that the car carrier that we put you on is covered by the proper amount of insurance and that everything is up to date.

There is never any additional cost to you for this coverage, and their insurance is always primary.

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