If a vehicle arrives damaged.
Damage in vehicle transport is uncommon and it is not rare. What separates a claim that gets paid from one that turns into an argument is almost entirely what happened in the four minutes before the truck was loaded, and the four minutes before the driver left the delivery.
What do I do if my car is damaged during transport?
Note the damage on the delivery bill of lading before the driver leaves and photograph it in daylight from several angles. Damage signed for as clean is very hard to claim afterwards. Report it to the carrier in writing within twenty-four hours, and file the formal claim with the pickup and delivery condition reports attached.
In order, and the first one is the one that matters.
- 01
Note it on the delivery bill of lading, before the driver leaves
This is the whole ballgame. A bill of lading signed clean is a written statement that the vehicle arrived undamaged, and undoing that afterwards is very difficult. If you see something, write it on the document and have the driver initial it. If you cannot inspect properly — it is dark, it is raining, the car is filthy — write that on the document too.
- 02
Photograph it there and then
Wide shot showing the whole vehicle, medium shot showing the panel, close shot showing the damage, and one with something for scale. Daylight if at all possible.
- 03
Report it in writing within twenty-four hours
Email, so there is a timestamp. Include the bill of lading number, the date, the vehicle and the photographs.
- 04
Get a repair estimate
From a shop, in writing. A claim without a number attached cannot be evaluated, only argued about.
- 05
File the formal claim
With the pickup condition report, the delivery condition report, the photographs and the estimate. A complete claim is usually resolved quickly; an incomplete one goes back and forth for weeks.
The legal frame, in plain language.
Interstate motor carriers operate under the Carmack Amendment, which makes the carrier liable for loss or damage to cargo in its custody, with a small set of defences: an act of God, an act of the shipper, an act of a public enemy, public authority, or the inherent vice of the goods themselves. That last one matters in vehicle transport — a pre-existing condition that was going to fail anyway is not something the carrier caused.
In practice this means the carrier is responsible for what happened while the vehicle was on its truck, and the two condition reports are what establish what that was. Everything else is commentary.
Miss them and the merits stop mattering.
| Step | Typical deadline | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Note damage on the BOL | Before the driver leaves | A clean signature is a written statement of good condition |
| Notify the carrier | 24 hours (our standard) | Preserves the ability to investigate while the truck and driver are traceable |
| File the written claim | 9 months under Carmack | The federal minimum period a carrier must allow |
| Sue if the claim is denied | 2 years from denial | The federal minimum period after a declination |
Worth knowing before you file.
- Pre-existing damage documented on the pickup report.
- Personal belongings left in the vehicle — cargo insurance covers the vehicle.
- Mechanical failure not caused by the transport itself.
- Normal road film and dust on an open carrier — the vehicle needs a wash, not a claim.
- Damage first reported days later with a clean signed delivery report.
- Aftermarket parts not declared at booking, on some policies.
Our process: report within twenty-four hours, acknowledged within forty-eight, handled under Carmack liability, with the eBOL photographs from both ends as the record. Both sets of photographs go to you as well as to us, which is deliberate — a claims process where only one party holds the evidence is not a process.
Straight answers
How long do I have to file an auto transport claim?
Under the Carmack Amendment a carrier must allow at least nine months to file a written claim, and at least two years to bring suit after a claim is denied. Our own reporting standard is much shorter — twenty-four hours — because the investigation is far easier while the truck and driver are still traceable.
What if I signed the bill of lading and then found damage?
It is harder, but not always hopeless, particularly if delivery was at night or in bad weather and you can show the vehicle was inspected as soon as conditions allowed. This is why writing 'unable to inspect fully, poor light' on the document at the time is worth doing.
Does my own car insurance cover transport damage?
Often it does, and it can be worth claiming on your own policy while the carrier claim proceeds. Ask your agent before shipping. Your insurer may then pursue the carrier itself, which is a fight better fought by an insurance company than by you.
Who pays if the carrier's insurance denies the claim?
The carrier remains liable under Carmack whatever its insurer decides — the insurance is between the carrier and its insurer, not between you and the insurer. A carrier that treats a denial as the end of the conversation is a carrier to avoid.
Read next
Compliance
Authority, insurance limits, safety, ELD tracking, driver qualification and a written claims process. COI and carrier packet on request.
Read onAuto transport
Open car hauling across the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee with photo-documented eBOLs, winch capability and same-day dispatch.
Read onDealer groups
A standing dealer-vendor agreement, one call for trades, auction-to-frontline and customer deliveries, and photos at both ends.
Read onStill want a person to answer it?
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