The Pre-Pickup Routine: Preparing a Vehicle So Nothing Goes Wrong

Wash it — then photograph when the truck arrives, not before

Wash the vehicle ahead of time so damage is visible. Dirt hides chips, scuffs and stone rash, and a driver cannot note a defect on the Bill of Lading that neither of you can see. But the photos that count are the ones you take when the truck is there. Pictures taken days earlier cannot be proven to show the car's condition at the moment custody changed hands.

When the carrier pulls up, photograph the front, the back and both sides of the car, plus the roof, the wheels, the windshield, the interior and the odometer. Photograph any existing damage close up with something for scale. Also photograph the driver's truck, the side of the cab showing the DOT number, the license plate, and ask for his driver's license and photograph that too. Confirm it is the carrier we assigned you. This is your responsibility, and this set of images is your entire evidence file if a claim is ever needed.

• Photos of the front, back and both sides at pickup — with the truck in frame
• Side of the cab with the DOT number, and the license plate
• The driver's license, and confirmation it matches the carrier we assigned
• A copy of the Bill of Lading in your hand at pickup and again at delivery

Get your copy of the Bill of Lading — both times

Getting a copy of the Bill of Lading is your responsibility, not ours. You must get one at pickup and another at delivery. If the driver says he will email it, check your email and confirm it arrived before he leaves the property.

If the carrier rushes you and pushes the clipboard at you to sign, that is a red flag and your signal to slow down. Walk around the car with him and inspect it. If there is damage and the driver tells you to sign and he will take care of it, do not take him at his word — write every bit of damage on the document anyway. What is written and photographed is your evidence; a verbal promise is not.

Turn off your toll transponder

Remove or fully deactivate any SunPass, E-ZPass, PikePass or similar device before pickup. A transponder left active on a truck deck will register at gantries the whole way across the country and bill your account for tolls you never drove through.

Tolls, tickets and citations incurred while the vehicle is in transit remain the vehicle owner's responsibility. Sliding the device into its shielded pouch is not enough on every system — take it out of the windshield and put it in your luggage.

Fuel, fluids and mechanical checks

Leave roughly a quarter tank of fuel. That is enough for loading and unloading without adding unnecessary weight. Check tire pressure, top off the battery charge, and top up fluids so the driver can start and move the car without troubleshooting.

Any active leak needs to be disclosed. A vehicle dripping oil on the deck can damage the car parked below it, and the carrier may refuse the load at the door.

Strip it down

Remove toll tags, parking passes, garage remotes, dash cams, loose electronics and anything in the trunk you would miss. Retract or remove aftermarket antennas, fold mirrors, and secure or remove spoilers, bike racks and roof boxes.

Personal items are not covered by cargo insurance. Carriers are licensed to move vehicles, not household goods, and loaded weight affects DOT compliance at the scales.

• Quarter tank of fuel
• Toll transponder removed and deactivated
• Alarm disabled or instructions written down for the driver
• Two sets of keys — one travels, one stays with you
• Photos of every panel, plus the odometer