Car Transport Insurance
While you're collecting your car transport company estimates and you're in the process of selecting an auto transport company, one of the items you'll want clarified is the amount of insurance coverage that will be provided by the car transport service while the car is in their custody.
Although the majority of car shipping experiences with trusted car transport companies are completed without a problem, most reliable vehicle transport companies carry a type of cargo insurance that will provide coverage if damages occur or your vehicle is stolen while it's in transit, although nicks, dings and dents may be excluded.
When making your comparisons be sure to check what's covered and not covered with the vehicle shipper's insurance. And, because your own auto insurance may provide some coverage as well, you'll want to know if the car transport company's insurance is primary – will pay for damages or loss before your insurance comes into play – or excess – will only pay amounts not covered by your own auto insurer that are covered by the shipper's insurer.
You'll also want to make contact with your auto insurer to confirm what coverage is available while your vehicle is being shipped.
Once you have a clear picture of what is covered and what is not covered, you might want to consider a supplemental, temporary type of insurance coverage for a particular vehicle shipment. This might be especially true if you are transporting a valuable classic, vintage race car, exotic, antique or other specialty vehicle. Such coverage may be available through your car transport company and added to the cost of your vehicle's transport, or your insurance agent may be able to obtain the coverage for you. In any event, you'll want to compare coverages with the additional costs and make a determination if the additional coverage is going to be worth it for your specific situation.
Find out about all limits and deductibles. Coverage limits could be especially important when you're transporting a specialty vehicle that has a market value far in excess of its book value.
Get copies of policies and any oral agreements or promises in writing in order to avoid surprises later. Insurance agreements and responsibility for damages between you and your car transport company should be included within your auto transport company contract.
Insurance for Personal Effects
You should remove any personal effects from your vehicle before it's transported. Within the USA, this is the law. Your car transport service won't provide insurance coverage for items left in your vehicle because they aren't permitted to accept them in the first place. Your own auto and homeowner's insurance policies probably have very limited coverage for items left in a vehicle being transported.
Don't try to sneak items in with your vehicle – it's just not worth it. Additionally, if you overload your trunk you could cause undercarriage damage that the auto transporter will exclude from coverage. Removing your personal effects is just part of good auto transport preparation.
Moving Company Auto Transport
When you ship your vehicle with a household goods moving company instead of an auto transport company, insurance coverage (if any) could be very different than that provided by car transport services, so you'll want to check into coverage carefully with your mover. You may decide to use a mover instead of an auto transport service, especially if you are shipping a vehicle overseas. GoAutoTransport can get you multiple free estimates for international car transport.
Filing an Insurance Claim
When you pick up your vehicle the driver will go over the car with you to check for any damages. A condition report will be given to you to sign. Make sure you understand and agree with what's on the condition report. If your vehicle is stolen you'll want to be sure that the theft is reported to the police as soon as possible, as this is an insurance company requirement. If your driver reported the theft you'll need to know when and with which law enforcement authority the report was filed and if at all possible secure the incident report number.
If you have reason to file a claim, do so as soon after taking delivery as possible. If you don't include damage on your condition report at the time of pickup, it will be next to impossible to prove the car transport company was responsible for the damages.
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