What Items Cannot Be In My Vehicle During Auto Transportation?
Though most auto transport companies will allow you to put a few items in the trunk of your vehicle while it is being shipped, most of the time it’s straight-up illegal to ship household items in your vehicle while it’s on an auto shipping truck, but that has to do with licenses and who’s allowed to haul what and making sure no one steps on anyone else’s toes.
This makes sense – carpenters don’t usually do electric work on a home, because there are a lot of regulations that govern electricians and carpenters and really anyone in any industry.
Carpenters don’t do electric work because they’re not allowed to, because it’s not their job; if they want to do electric work, they need to have the proper licenses and training and certification. Auto transport works much the same way in that regard.
Then again, there are few things that you actively cannot put in a car that’s being shipped, as long as the carrier is okay with it and you understand that they are’t liable for any damages to any items in your vehicle – that’s a big part of this, so keep that in mind.
That said, you can’t put things such as firearms, ammunition, explosives, fireworks, and certain household chemicals into the back of your truck while it’s being shipped, because those are incredibly dangerous things that can also be volatile if mishandled and deadly if grossly mishandled.
Firearms, ammunition, fireworks and explosives are fairly straightforward – in the wrong hands, or handled improperly, or jostled a bit too much, all those things can cause serious problems for car transportation companies including explosive, fiery death.
While most people aren’t stupid enough to pack a bunch of guns and dynamite into the back of their truck, there have been instances of things that aren’t allowed in car that’s being hauled actually being in those vehicles, and what happens next is usually the one thing that does happen that led to it being banned.
Like household cleaners. Improperly stored household products can cause chemical reactions when mixed, which can lead to poison gas (bleach and ammonia, anyone?) or even explosive materials. While completely inert and relatively harmless on their own, mix certain components together and you have a recipe for a smoldering hunk of twisted metal.
There are a lot of items that aren’t allowed to be shipped by car transport companies, and it’s usually the same basic list that the post office and even regular, run-of-the-mill moving companies forbid. Pets and people, household plants and food are all big no-no’s, as people, pets and plants are all living things and can die if they aren’t taken care of, and food tends to spoil over time.
These, along with those explained earlier, are the most common things that auto transporters and household movers don’t allow, and you can get their full lists by either discussing it with those shippers directly. Most auto transport companies will let you have a certain limit of non-perishable items in the trunk of your vehicle, but they tend to say nothing valuable, since you are responsible for any damage to items inside the vehicle.
If you need a quote to ship a vehicle, don’t hesitate to fill out our free online quote request form. If you do, you’ll get a free quote to ship your vehicle right away. We work with only top-rated carriers who are fully licensed and insured. You can also call us toll-free at 800-930-7417 to speak to one of our live agents, who can answer your questions and give you a free quote to ship your vehicle.
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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