When you are looking to get your car transported to a specific location by a professional auto shipping service, one of the things you must check is the insurance provided to the vehicle. Unfortunately, people who are using this service for the first time may not have a full grasp of the necessity for sufficient insurance. Below, we look at a few things about auto shipping insurance that you must know.
Check The Shipping Service For Insurance
It is mandated that the auto shipping service has the necessary insurance to cover any damages that occur to your car during transportation. However, you should not be satisfied by such rules alone. Be sure to ask the shipping company for proof of insurance. Also, check with them whether their insurance provides coverage for the entire vehicle or only some of its components. And in case both of you have come to any unique agreement, do remember to get them in writing before formally hiring the service.
Primary And Excess insurance
Generally, the auto shipper will offer you two types of insurance – primary and excess insurance. A primary insurance will cover all damages to your vehicle irrespective of whether you already have a car insurance coverage or not. In contrast, an excess policy will only cover the damages that are not covered by your main car insurance. Make sure to ask the auto shipper as to which of these types of insurance is provided. And in case you are transporting vintage or rare cars, you should consider taking additional insurance just to make sure that you are fully protected.
Photographic Evidence
You should take some pictures of the interiors of the car before you hand over the vehicle to the shipping service. And once the shipper asks you to collect the vehicle, you can use these photographs as evidence for any damage you spot on the vehicle. In fact, the auto shipping service themselves will conduct a detailed inspection of the vehicle to assess and record any damage. As far as possible, hire reputed services like Executive Auto Shippers, who will transport your vehicle with utmost care.
Loose Items
If you find any loose items inside the car, then quickly tighten them or remove them from the vehicle completely. Allowing such an item to remain will only pose a danger to your car. If your vehicle moves a lot when being transported, then these lose items can come off and damage the interiors of the vehicle. For example, lose keys might move around, hit the windshield and crack it. To avoid such incidents, it is necessary that you check for any loose items in the vehicle. Possible items that can become loose and pose a threat include things like car keys, CDs, removable electronics like pen drive etc. And if you have a habit of storing spare change inside the car, then make sure to remove all such coins from the car.
Bill Of Lading
When the car arrives at the destination, you will be required to fill in a condition report which mentions the state in which you have received your vehicle. Also known as the Bill of Lading, it is very important that you write down any damage you notice on the car and get it signed by the driver. Only on receipt of the Bill of Lading will you be eligible to receive compensation for the mentioned damage. As such, it is very important that you do a thorough checkup of your car as soon as it is delivered to you.
Complaints
If the auto shipping service has been rude to you or has been reluctant in acknowledging that you need to be reimbursed for the damage they have caused to your vehicle while transporting it, then you should file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau local office. And in case, the vehicle transportation happened across state lines, filing a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation is also encouraged.
Ocean Carriers
If you are shipping your vehicle internationally, then there is one extra thing you need to take into consideration – the ocean carrier. With auto shipping service, you can make them responsible for the damage to your car. But with ocean carriers, it is not true. In fact, ocean carriers can also get away with even losing your entire car itself and can be considered as not being liable for it. Under such circumstances, an international car shipping insurance might prove to be useful. Just remember to inquire about it with the shipping service before you hire them to transport your vehicle.
