A vehicle transport contract contains very important information on it regarding the shipment of your vehicle. Make sure you understand and agree to the terms and conditions of the contract before you sign on that dotted line. If any issues or questions arise with the transport of your vehicle, both you and the car shipping company have the contract to refer back to for information.
Insurance
Before you sign your vehicle transport contract, make sure you have verified the transport company’s cargo and liability insurance information. You will want to see this information in writing and mentioned somewhere within the contract, before you sign it. If your car incurs damage during transport, you want to make sure that you are not stuck paying for the damages on your own.
You should know that all vehicle transport companies must carry at least the minimum amount of cargo and liability insurance; it is the law. However, sometimes the minimum coverage may not be enough to cover your vehicle if damaged at some point during transport. In addition to the carrier’s insurance coverages, it is recommended that you speak with your own private car insurer about your car’s insurance coverage to see if your personal policy covers your car while in transport as well.
Pick-up and Delivery Dates
Vehicle transport companies can only give a window of time that they will be there to pick up or deliver your vehicle. Because there are so many things that go into transporting vehicles, giving a definite pick-up and delivery date is next to impossible. However, this does not mean that you should wait months for the delivery of your car either.
Make sure that the vehicle transport company specifies a certain delivery period, in writing, in your contract. Giving five to seven extra days past the estimated delivery date is what most transport companies will work with. If your car is not delivered within that time-period, you can hold the transport company accountable for it. That is, if this information is written and agreed upon in the contract. Some vehicle transport companies will offer a shipping discount to their customers or will offer some other incentive such as a rental car to compensate for delivering a vehicle late.
Hidden Vehicle Transport Fees
If you plan to have your car shipped terminal-to-terminal, make sure that the transport company explained all the fees, if any, to you. Most of the time, people choose to have their cars delivered to the terminal because they think it is the cheaper alternative to door-to-door shipping. To their surprise, when they pick up their car from the terminal, they find there are more fees associated with having their car delivered to a terminal than they thought. These fees may include processing fees, and storage fees that add up each day your car sits at the terminal.
Contracts are there to protect you, the consumer, and the company that is providing the service. To protect yourself, make sure that whatever deal you make with the vehicle transport company is noted on the shipping contract, before you sign it and hand over your car keys to them.