If you’ve never shipped a car before, it could be a daunting task. You want to make sure your car is taken care of while still making sure you’re getting a good deal. However, the first time you do anything in this life, you’re not going to be good at it. You really need to rely on your shipping company to fill the gap. However, your shipping company may glance over some things that may be very important. It’s not their fault. They ship hundreds of cars, and time is of the essence. However, to ship a car like a pro, you should be aware of two very important documents to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. These two documents are the insurance terms and the bill of lading.
The Insurance Terms
Some shipping companies may not include their insurance terms in their quotes, or even worse, not include insurance at all. They do this to make their rates look more affordable. This is a huge red flag that should have you running for the hills. However, just glancing at their insurance coverage could save you huge headaches in the future. You may think your personal insurance will cover your vehicle if anything goes wrong. However, most insurance plans don’t include coverage for when your vehicle is on a shipping or tow truck trailer. That’s why all tow trucks have their own insurance in case anything happens.
You’re going to want to make sure your shipping company has enough insurance to cover your vehicle. If you drive a classic or luxury vehicle, this could be a good amount of money. Not only that, you’re going to want to make sure they have enough insurance to cover all the vehicles on the trailer. Perhaps they have 100k in insurance. That’s nice and all, but if there’s a Tesla on the trailer, then all of a sudden, they don’t have enough insurance. Ask how many cars fit on the trailer and then multiply the value of your car by that. That should be roughly the minimum amount of insurance your shipping provider should have.
Bill of Lading
This may be a new word for many. It’s essentially the receipt you get when you receive your vehicle after shipping. However, it’s so much more than that. When your shipping company first picks up your car, they’ll do an inspection. Here they’ll check for any previous scratches or dings. They’ll note all of this on the bill of lading. If you’ve ever rented a car, you’ve gone through a similar process. Then when they drop off your car, you’ll sign to agree that you’re receiving the car in a similar condition. However, tap the brakes and don’t sign until you perform your own inspection.
The driver may be in a rush to get your vehicle off the trailer and have you sing. However, take the time to perform your own inspection. Check every corner inside and outside of your car to make sure that you don’t have any new dings that weren’t there before. If you do see something, make sure that the driver includes this in the Bill of Lading. This is because insurance companies see this document as law when filing a claim. If it’s not on the bill of lading, it’s like it never happened at all. To avoid headaches and hassles, make sure that you take your time before you sign.
Important Documents Only Work If You Know How to Use Them.
The reason why so many shipping companies glance over these documents is that they so rarely need them. Chances are, your car will arrive without a scratch, and those documents are just part of the procedure. In the rare case you need them, you’ll be glad you took the extra time to familiarize yourself with them.
If you’re looking for a shipping company with live customer support to help walk you through all the important documents for shipping a car, look no further than Alaska Auto Transportation. They include an industry leading one million dollars of insurance right there in their quote. Not to mention, they have friendly drivers who take the time to address any issue or concern you may have. Call today and get an instant quote.
