How to Prepare Your Car for Shipping: A Complete Checklist

Why preparation matters

The driver has a schedule, a trailer holding other people’s cars, and a Bill of Lading to fill out in a few minutes on the curb. A car that is clean, documented, light and easy to load gets on the truck quickly and comes off without disputes. A car that leaks, will not start, or is packed to the roof can be refused on the spot, and a refused pickup usually costs you a fee and a new wait.

One week before pickup

1. Confirm the details with your broker. Vehicle, addresses, contact numbers, and whether the car runs. If anything has changed since you booked, say so now.
2. Check for leaks. Look under the car after it has sat overnight. Carriers can refuse a vehicle with an active fluid leak because it drips onto the cars on the lower deck.
3. Fix anything that affects loading. Tires need enough air to roll, and the brakes and steering have to work even on a non-running car.
4. Schedule a wash. Dirt hides scratches, and an accurate pickup inspection is what protects you at delivery.
5. Decide what stays in the car. Most carriers allow around 100 pounds of items below the window line, at your own risk and outside the cargo insurance.

The day before

1. Fuel to about a quarter tank. Enough to drive on and off the trailer, not enough to add needless weight.
2. Remove or secure loose parts. Antennas, bike racks, cargo boxes, custom spoilers and loose trim should come off or be firmly fastened.
3. Pull toll tags, parking passes and garage openers. A toll tag keeps billing you as the truck passes gantries.
4. Empty the car of valuables and documents. Keep the title, registration and insurance card with you, not in the glovebox.
5. Disable the alarm. If it cannot be disabled, write down the procedure for the driver.
6. Fold in the mirrors and retract the antenna where the car allows it.
7. Photograph the car. Every panel, the roof, the wheels, the windshield, the interior and the odometer reading, using a phone that timestamps images.

At pickup

1. Walk the car with the driver and watch what gets marked on the Bill of Lading.
2. Compare the driver’s notes to your photos and speak up about anything missing.
3. Hand over one working key, plus the wheel lock key if the car has locking lug nuts.
4. Sign, take your copy, and note the driver’s name and the carrier’s name on it.

Federal rules require the carrier to issue that receipt or bill of lading (49 CFR Part 373), so do not release the car without one. The printable version of everything above lives at the car shipping checklist.

Special cases

Cars that do not run

An inoperable vehicle needs a carrier with a winch, and not every truck has one. Disclose it when you book. The winch surcharge, a flat $150 in the HaulFare price model, covers the extra loading time and equipment. If you do not disclose it and the driver arrives without a winch, the pickup fails and you pay a dry-run fee. The car also has to roll, steer and brake so it can be pulled up the ramp safely, which means a seized brake or a flat tire has to be dealt with first.

Electric vehicles

EVs ship on the same trailers as everything else. A few things help:

• Charge to roughly half. That covers loading, unloading and a short drive at delivery without hauling a full battery’s worth of weight.
• Turn off sentry, camera and alarm modes that drain the battery or trigger on movement.
• Give the driver the key card or fob and a note on how to put the car in neutral or transport mode.
• Tell the broker it is an EV. Weight and length affect how the driver plans the trailer.

Low, modified or high-value cars

Ground clearance and ramp angles do not mix well. Enclosed trailers usually have lift gates instead of ramps, which is the safest option for lowered cars and the standard choice for collector vehicles. See enclosed transport for what that service includes.

What to leave in and what to take out

Keep: the spare tire, jack and factory tools, a child seat if it is bolted in, and up to about 100 pounds of soft items in the trunk or below the window line.

Remove: anything hazardous (fuel cans, propane, aerosols, loose batteries), firearms, medications, electronics, cash, documents, and anything you would be upset to lose. Nothing inside the car is covered by the carrier’s cargo policy, and hazardous materials on a commercial truck are a federal violation the driver will refuse to risk.

The three things people forget

1. The toll tag. It keeps charging your account until it comes out of the windshield.
2. The wheel lock key. Without it, a flat on the trailer cannot be dealt with.
3. The photos. Without a dated set from pickup, a delivery dispute becomes your word against the driver’s.

Choosing the right carrier for the car

Preparation covers your side. The other half is a carrier with active authority, current insurance and a clean safety record, which you can confirm in the FMCSA SAFER and Licensing and Insurance systems or through the company verifier. Book through a broker that shares those details before pickup. A request through our quote form goes to one licensed auto transport broker, so ask it for the assigned carrier’s name and MC number.

HaulFare is a price guide and referral service, not a broker or motor carrier. Quote requests go to our licensed transport partner, an FMCSA-licensed auto transport broker, who arranges transport with FMCSA-registered carriers. HaulFare receives a referral fee from our licensed transport partner; you pay HaulFare nothing.