The short answer
Preparing a car for transport takes about 45 minutes. Wash the exterior so existing damage is visible, photograph every panel in daylight with a timestamp, leave about a quarter tank of fuel, remove toll tags and personal items, disable the alarm, fold the mirrors, and have a spare key plus your ID ready for the driver. Everything else — plates, insurance, registration — stays with the vehicle.
- Leave roughly 1/4 tank of fuel: enough to load, unload and drive away, light enough to keep the carrier under axle weight limits.
- Photograph all four corners, the roof, the wheels, the odometer and the interior before pickup — those photos are your evidence in a damage claim.
- Carriers are not licensed to haul household goods; loose items in the cabin are not covered by cargo insurance.
- A non-running vehicle needs to be declared before booking — winch loading changes the carrier and the price by about 30%.
One week before pickup
- Book the shipment and confirm your first available date. Standard pickup runs 1–7 business days from that date; expedited narrows it to 1–5.
- Tell us up front if the car is lowered, oversized, modified, or not running — a surprise at the curb is what turns a pickup into a reschedule.
- Check that your registration and insurance are current. The carrier's cargo policy covers transit, but law enforcement still expects a legal vehicle.
- Arrange a backup contact who can hand over keys if you can't be there.
Two days before pickup
- Wash the car. Road film hides chips and scratches and makes the pickup inspection unreliable for both sides.
- Fix or note active leaks. Fluids dripping onto the vehicle below is the single most common carrier refusal.
- Top off coolant, brake fluid and tire pressure; low tires are hard to load onto a ramp.
- Retract or remove the antenna, fold the mirrors, and remove bike racks, spoilers, and roof boxes.
The morning of pickup
- Take timestamped photos of all four corners, the roof, both bumpers, each wheel, the windshield and the odometer.
- Empty the cabin and trunk. Remove toll transponders, garage remotes, parking passes, chargers and sunglasses.
- Drop fuel to about a quarter tank.
- Disable the alarm, or write the disarm sequence on a note for the driver.
- Have a working spare key ready. The driver keeps one key for the whole trip.
What stays with the car and what does not
Plates, registration and your own insurance stay on the vehicle. Personal property does not: carriers are licensed to move vehicles, not household goods, so anything loose in the cabin travels uninsured and can add weight that triggers a DOT issue at a scale. If you must leave something, keep it under 100 lbs, in the trunk, out of sight, and tell the driver so it goes on the Bill of Lading.
At the curb with the driver
The driver performs a walk-around and marks existing damage on the Bill of Lading. Walk it with them, compare it against your photos, and do not sign until the diagram matches what you can see. That signed document is the baseline for any claim later, so an extra five minutes here is worth more than anything else on this list.
Frequently asked questions
- How much gas should be in the car for shipping?
- About a quarter tank. It is enough fuel to drive on and off the trailer and to a gas station after delivery, without adding weight that pushes the carrier over legal axle limits.
- Can I leave personal items in the car?
- We ask you not to. Auto carriers are licensed for vehicles, and cargo insurance does not cover household goods. If something has to travel, keep it under 100 lbs, in the trunk, and tell the driver so it is noted on the Bill of Lading.
- Do I need to be there at pickup?
- You or an adult you designate must be present to hand over a key, walk the inspection and sign the Bill of Lading. The same applies at delivery.
- What does it cost to ship a car?
- Most US moves land between $600 and $1,800 depending on distance, vehicle size, trailer type and season. You can price your exact route in about 30 seconds and pay $0 today — your card is charged only when the vehicle is physically picked up.