Auto Shipping Glossary: Auto Transport Insurance
Damage to vehicles that are being transported by an auto transport company are rare – in fact, less than 5% of all vehicles transported are damaged in some way, and with hundreds of thousands of cars going across the country it’s a pretty small number all things considered. But insurance is an important part of the car shipping industry, and while most companies have good policies and low deductibles, others…well, others can put their customers in a bind if the customer doesn’t know what to expect. Unfortunately, given the state of regulation over the auto transport industry, some auto transport insurance policies can be pretty outlandish, which is why it’s important to always find out exactly what your deductible will be, how much your vehicle will be insured for (most insurance companies cover vehicles according to their Kelley Blue Book value), and any fine print that might put you in a bind.
All auto transporters are required to give you their certificate of insurance if you ask for it, and this will have all the pertinent information and fine print regarding their insurance policies. You should always request their certificate of insurance when they show up to pick your vehicle up – you may also be able to get a copy before your vehicle is picked up, though for that it would be best to speak to your auto transport representative. Auto transporters don’t like dealing with insurance claims, so sometimes if they know a car has been damaged during transport they’ll try to deliver at night, when you can’t see it. Be wary of this from carriers – sometimes nighttime deliveries happen for no other reason than they got into town after dark, so don’t immediately assume that there’s damage if your carrier happens to deliver when the sun goes down – instead, bring a flashlight. As you and the driver are required to do an inspection at pickup and delivery to look for damages, those that try to hide it will usually rush the delivery inspection – don’t let them. Take your time and make sure that there’s nothing that wasn’t there before. Of course, you should check it against the inspection report that was done at pickup, which the carrier will have on them when they deliver your car. This is the best way to find new damages.
If you are interested in getting quotes to transport your vehicle, you can fill out our free online auto transport quote request form to get a free quote to ship with us. It’s completely free and our online quote calculator is designed to ensure your price will move your vehicle when you need it to. You can also contact us any time toll-free at 800-930-7417 to speak to one of our representatives. They can answer questions, give you a quote, book your shipment, and more. So call or get a quote online today and see what we can do for you.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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