Who Actually Pays If Your Car Is Damaged in Transit

The carrier carries the coverage

Every carrier we dispatch holds active cargo insurance and operating authority we verify before your vehicle is assigned. On open carriers that limit is two hundred fifty thousand dollars; on enclosed it is one million. That policy — the motor carrier's — is what responds to transport damage.

We are a licensed broker. We arrange transport, vet the carrier, and coordinate any claim on your behalf. The carrier performing the move is responsible for damage to the vehicle and for injury to persons while it is in their custody.

What cargo insurance covers

Damage that occurs while the vehicle is in the carrier's care: loading and unloading incidents, tie-down damage, road debris strikes, and collision or fire involving the transport truck.

• Covered: transit damage, loading and unloading damage, carrier accidents
• Not covered: personal items left in the vehicle
• Not covered: pre-existing damage recorded on the pickup BOL
• Not covered: mechanical failure not caused by transport
• Not covered: acts of nature such as hail or flood in some policies
• Not covered: tolls, tickets or citations incurred in transit

What weakens a claim

Signing a clean delivery BOL, having no pickup photos, waiting a week to report, moving the vehicle through a car wash before documenting, or repairing the damage before an adjuster sees it. Each of these hands the insurer a reason to question the timeline.

If something happens

Note the damage on the BOL before signing, photograph it immediately from multiple distances, and call us the same day. We supply the dispatch record and carrier insurance details, file with the carrier's insurer, and follow the claim through to resolution.