What to Do If Your Car Got Damaged During Shipping?

car damaged during shipping

Brantley Kendall

03 Sep 2024 2 months ago


Was your car damaged during transport? Having something like that happen to you can sting, particularly if your vehicle has high sentimental or financial value. Nevertheless, there are steps you can take to mitigate the damage that was done to your car. First off, however, you’ll want to create a detailed record of the damage that was sustained. Once you’ve got that noted down, contact your car transportation company immediately and inform them of the damage – they’ll help you file a claim for car damage during shipping. For more practical information on the topic, read the article below.

How to Avoid Getting Your Car Damaged During Shipping

Prevention is always better than the cure. No matter if you’re shipping a luxury car or just your daily driver, you probably have a good reason behind it, and the last thing you want to happen is for the car to become damaged during shipping. It’s frustrating, it raises your costs and forces you to fumble around with even more paperwork during an already busy time.

As such, knowing how to prepare a car for shipping will be crucial in preventing avoidable damage. Here’s how to do it right:

  • Remove any extra items from inside the car, like accessories, luggage, or ski racks.
  • Check the tire pressure, fluid levels, and ensure proper battery charge.
  • Take photos of the car before transport ahead of time in case you need to provide proof the damage wasn’t already there.

Bear in mind that this covers only the basic steps. Your chosen car carrier might provide you with further instructions to follow to prevent the car from sustaining damage in transit.

Measures Employed by Transport Companies to Prevent Car Damage During Shipping

You might be thinking there’s not much of a difference between driving vs. shipping a car in terms of safety. While being prudent is always recommended, the notion that relying on an external company to do the job is somehow more dangerous isn’t true.

So, how safe is it to ship a car, actually? Generally speaking, you can expect the service to be safer than not. Here’s why:

Experienced Drivers

Top shipping companies like Sakaem Logistics only rely on the services provided by reputable drivers. These are true experts familiar with different road conditions, driver tendencies, and other external factors that make them qualified to transport multiple vehicles over both long and short distances.

Secure Haulers

Open car shipping remains one of the safest methods to get your car from point A to point B. After being loaded onto the truck, the vehicle is fastened securely in place according to procedure. It can’t roll or slide off, and is placed on the truck bed in such a way that other cars on the road have no way of bumping into it.

Need even more security? When booking car transport, go for enclosed car shipping to safeguard your car even more effectively.

Additional Support

Should something go wrong, the car shipping company will always have your back. If your car gets damaged during transport, the blame lies on the driver and their employer subcontracted by the shipping company. Therefore, you can expect their full support since it’s just as much in their best interest as yours to settle the matter quickly and efficiently.

What to Do When Your Car Was Damaged During Transport?

If your car was damaged during transport on an interstate, for example, after it arrives, contact your shipping company immediately. Take photos as evidence for later comparison and note the damage in detail on the Bill of Lading. Remember to do this while in the presence of the driver, who will likely need to fill out his or her own protocol according to employer policy. You want to avoid having conflicting statements.

Acting swiftly and diligently ensures that the insurance claiming process goes over smoothly. To that end, it’s also recommended you act as open as possible with the car shipping company you hired to transport the car for you.

The Takeaway

What to do when your car gets damaged during transport? Take shots of the damage and record them on the Bill of Lading. Keeping your own record of your car’s condition before it was taken away helps tremendously. But above all, always choose a reputable car shipping broker like Sakaem Logistics. We help thousands of customers transport their prized vehicles across the country safely and on time. Contact us today for a free quote, and let us craft a tailor-made solution just for your needs.

You may also read: What Is the Best Way to Ship a Car?


Brantley Kendall