How to Prepare Your Car for Shipping
Preparing a car for transport takes about half an hour, and every minute of it either speeds up your pickup or protects you if something goes wrong. Here is the whole checklist, in the order that works.
A few days before
Wash the car, a clean car photographs honestly, and the pickup photos are your protection. Then walk around it with your phone: every panel, the roof, wheels, glass, and the odometer, in daylight, dated. Fix nothing, just document everything. If the car has a slow leak or a weak battery, handle it now, a car that will not start on pickup day becomes a winch job.
Empty it, mostly
Take out valuables, electronics, documents, and anything loose that can slide around. Remove or deactivate the toll transponder, it will happily rack up charges riding past readers on the carrier, and pull the garage remote and parking passes. What can stay and what cannot is covered in detail in our personal items guide, the short version: carriers allow very little, and none of it is insured.
Fuel, alarm, and accessories
Leave about a quarter tank, enough to load, unload, and drive off at delivery, without hauling sixty pounds of extra fuel across the country. Disable the alarm or leave instructions for it, an alarm screaming on a carrier deck for three states is nobody's favorite shipment. Fold in the mirrors if they fold, retract the antenna, and remove roof boxes and bike racks, loose accessories are the most common transport casualties.
Pickup day
You or someone you trust meets the driver, walks the car together, and both of you sign the condition report on the bill of lading. Read it before signing, anything already noted is excluded from a claim later. Hand over one working key, keep a spare, and trade phone numbers, you get the driver's direct number at dispatch anyway. If you cannot be there, any adult can stand in for you, just tell us who at booking.
Delivery day
Walk the car again before signing, in light, against your pickup photos. Anything new gets written on the bill of lading before the driver leaves, that notation is what makes an insurance claim straightforward, explained fully in our insurance guide. Then the balance goes to the driver, and you are done.
Preparation questions
How do I prepare my car for shipping?
Wash it, photograph every panel with dates, empty it of valuables and loose items, remove toll tags, leave about a quarter tank, and disable the alarm. Half an hour of prep covers everything.
How much gas should be in the car when shipping?
About a quarter tank, enough to load, unload, and drive off at delivery. A full tank just adds weight the carrier has to haul.
Should I wash my car before transport?
Yes, a clean car photographs honestly and the pickup photos are your protection. Dirt can hide a scratch that becomes an argument later.
Do I remove my toll pass before shipping?
Yes, remove or bag the transponder, it will rack up toll charges riding past readers on the carrier's route. Pull the garage remote while you are at it.
Should I take photos of my car before shipping?
Absolutely, every panel, wheels, glass, roof, and the odometer, in daylight, dated. Those photos plus the bill of lading are your entire evidence file if anything is disputed.
Can I leave personal items in the car?
Very little, and none of it is covered by carrier insurance. The full rules are in our personal items guide, the safe default is empty.
Do I need to disable my car alarm before transport?
Yes, disable it or leave clear instructions with the driver. An alarm triggering on the deck for hundreds of miles is a real problem for everyone.
What do I do with my keys at pickup?
Hand the driver one working key and keep your spare. The car has to be driven on and off the carrier, so a key travels with it.
Should I get my car serviced before shipping?
Fix anything that would stop it from starting or rolling, a weak battery or a flat turns pickup into a winch job. Full service is not needed, running and steering is.
What happens at pickup inspection?
You and the driver walk the car together and record its condition on the bill of lading, then both sign. Read it before signing, that document defines the car's starting condition.
Do I need to be there when the driver picks up the car?
You or any adult you designate, someone has to release the car and sign the inspection. Tell us at booking who will meet the driver.
What paperwork do I need ready on pickup day?
Usually nothing beyond a signature, the driver brings the bill of lading. Auction and dealer pickups are the exception, where release paperwork matters, covered in our auction guide.