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If it’s your first time shipping a car, you may have a lot of questions. Your shipping agent will have the answers to all of your questions and more. With free online quotes, easy shipping arrangements, and tons of transport options, it’s never been easier to ship your car. However, there are some things that your shipping provider may glance over. Shipping companies ship hundreds of cars, and time is of the essence, so some protocols are not used as often as others. For things like the insurance terms and bill of lading, you’ll only need these important documents if things go wrong. However, if you take the extra time to understand them, you’ll be glad you did in the unlikely event of an incident.

Insurance Terms

If your shipping company does not include insurance in their quote, that’s a red flag. If they don’t include insurance at all, you should run for the hills. Some cut-rate shipping companies don’t include insurance to make it look like their prices are much lower. They may tell you that your current insurance will cover your vehicle during shipping, but this is unlikely. Your current insurance rarely covers vehicles while in transport. That’s why tow truck drivers need to carry additional insurance for cars they tow, and your shipping company needs to have insurance. A quick call to ask for the insurance terms can save you huge headaches down the line.

You should check the insurance terms and make sure they carry enough insurance to cover the cost of your vehicle and some. Open transport trailers can carry up to 10 vehicles. This means your shipping company should have enough insurance to cover your vehicle times ten. If you drive a luxury vehicle or think that there might be some on the trailer, then you’re going to need even more insurance.

Bill of Lading

Your shipping company may refer to the bill of lading as a receipt of shipping. However, it’s so much more than just a receipt. If you’ve ever rented a car, you already know how the bill of lading works. When your driver arrives to pick up your car, they’ll perform an inspection. They’ll check for any prior damage and report it on the bill of lading. When your car arrives, you sign, but don’t sign just yet. What you’re signing is essentially stating that your car arrived in the same condition that you picked it up. Before you sign, do your own inspection. Make sure there are no additional dings or scratches anywhere. If there is, make sure it’s written on the bill of lading.

The reason it’s so important is that the insurance company will look at the bill of lading as law. If it’s not there, it basically doesn’t exist. This will make claiming any damages that much harder in the long run.

Important Documents Only Work if You Know How to Use Them

It’s no fault of shipping companies to glance over these documents. Most of the time, they’re never used and strictly protocol. The chances of anything happening to your vehicle while transporting it are very slim. However, it’s not impossible. This is why, for that slim chance something does go wrong, you’re prepared.

If you’re still looking for a shipping company, give Boston Car Transport a call today. They include industry-leading insurance rates right there in their quote. You can go online and get a free quote delivered instantly to your inbox. Or give them a call at (857) 302-3744 to start the shipping process.