Everything ready before the truck arrives.
A dealer trade that goes wrong almost never goes wrong on the road. It goes wrong in the ten minutes at the lot, and it is nearly always one of the same five things. This is the list we would like every store to have taped inside the used-car office door.
What does a dealership need ready for a car hauler?
Keys for every unit, a stock or VIN list that matches what is actually on the lot, a signed condition report or photographs, someone with authority present, and clear access with room for a long car hauler to turn. Missing keys and blocked access are the two most common causes of a failed pickup.
Five minutes on the phone saves a wasted morning.
- Confirm every unit runs, or say that it does not'It has been sitting' is not the same as 'it starts'. A dead battery on a unit nobody checked turns a full load into a short one and a two-hour delay. A non-runner needs a winch truck, and not every car hauler carries a winch.
- Count the keysOne key per unit, present at the lot, in a labelled envelope. A missing key means a locked steering column, and a locked steering column means the unit does not load.
- Check the accessA high-mount rig carrying seven to nine cars is a long truck and needs somewhere to turn around. A back lot behind a service drive with cars parked on both sides is not that place. Tell us at booking and we will send a 3-car low pro instead.
- Name a personSomebody at the store who can hand over keys, sign the bill of lading and make a decision. Not 'whoever is on the desk'.
- Give the delivery contact tooThe receiving store needs to know it is coming and who to call. Half of the delivery delays we see are a receiving store nobody told.
Not sure which truck your lot can take? See high-mount, stinger or wedge.
What the driver will do, and what you should watch.
- 01
Walk-around and photographs
The driver photographs every unit from all four corners plus the roof and any existing damage, onto the electronic bill of lading. This is the document that settles any claim later. Watch it happen.
- 02
Condition noted, both parties
Existing chips, scratches, cracked glass and missing trim get noted at pickup. Anything not noted at pickup is presumed to have happened in transit — which protects you, so make sure the notes are accurate rather than generous.
- 03
Keys and paperwork exchanged
Keys collected, bill of lading signed by your person, copy left with you.
- 04
Loading order set by the driver
The driver decides which unit goes where, because weight distribution, axle limits and overall height are legal requirements, not preferences. Heavy units go where the axles can carry them and tall ones where the height allows.
In our experience, in order.
| Problem | What it costs | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| No key for one unit | That unit does not load; the load is rebuilt | Labelled envelope, counted before the truck is called |
| Lot access too tight for the rig | The truck leaves empty or shuttles units out one at a time | Say at booking; we send a 3-car low pro or arrange a nearby staging point |
| Unit is not where the stock list says | Twenty minutes of walking the lot per unit | A stock or VIN list that matches reality, sent with the request |
Photographs are the whole claim process. A dealership that lets a driver load without documenting condition has surrendered the only evidence that matters. It takes four minutes. Insist on it, from us and from anybody else.
Straight answers
How many cars fit on one truck?
Seven to nine on a high-mount rig depending on the mix, three on a 3-car low pro. Bigger vehicles reduce the count because a trailer is limited by weight and height, not by slots — nine full-size trucks will not ride where nine sedans would.
How much notice do you need for a dealer trade?
Inside the Upstate, often same day. For a full high-mount load or a multi-store run, a day is comfortable. For a scheduled weekly run, put it on a standing dealer-vendor agreement, with Net 15 billing for approved accounts, and it stops being a phone call at all.
Who signs the bill of lading?
Somebody at the store with authority to confirm the condition of the vehicles. It is a legal document that decides who pays for damage, so the person signing should have walked around the cars.
What if a vehicle is damaged in transit?
Note it on the delivery bill of lading before the driver leaves, photograph it, and report it within twenty-four hours. The pickup photographs and the delivery photographs are compared side by side, which is why both sets matter.
Read next
Dealerships
A standing dealer-vendor agreement: trades, auction-to-frontline, customer deliveries and recon shuttles, one call, photos at both ends, Net 15 for approved accounts.
Read onDirect, no broker
Why dealers, auction buyers and exporters book Prime Trans directly: an asset-based car hauler, MC 1575910, with its own trucks, one dispatcher and no broker markup.
Read onHigh-mount, stinger or wedge
The three open car-hauler types explained: how many cars each carries, where each fits, and what to tell dispatch so the right truck turns up at your lot.
Read onStill want a person to answer it?
We would rather talk you out of the wrong service than sell you one. Tell us what you are moving.