Checklist

How to Prepare Your Vehicle for Shipping

Prepping your vehicle takes about ten minutes and prevents the two things that cause headaches: damage disputes and delivery surprises. Here's the whole list.

Before pickup

• Wash it. A clean vehicle makes existing scratches and dings visible for the inspection photos — your protection if anything changes in transit.
• Document its condition. Take your own dated photos from every angle. The carrier captures inspection photos too, but your set is extra insurance.
• Leave about a quarter tank of fuel. Enough to load and unload, not so much that you're shipping dead weight.
• Remove all personal items. Carriers aren't licensed to haul household goods inside a vehicle, and loose items can shift and cause damage. Empty the trunk and cabin.
• Disable the toll transponder & alarm. Bag or remove the toll tag so you're not billed in transit, and turn off the car alarm.
• Note any issues. Fluid leaks, a weak battery, low tires, or anything non-running — tell the carrier up front so they bring the right equipment (a winch for an inoperable vehicle).

At pickup & delivery

Do a walk-around with the driver and make sure the Bill of Lading and inspection photos match the vehicle's condition before it loads. At delivery, compare against those same photos before you sign off and pay. On Loadgency this is captured digitally at both ends automatically, so a "was that there before?" question becomes a five-second comparison.

Keys, spares & paperwork

Hand over one working key (keep your spare), and for a non-running vehicle mention whether it rolls, brakes, and steers. That's it — you're ready to ship.