Car shipping insurance, inspection, and damage claims

The carrier that moves your vehicle carries cargo insurance on it. What that insurance actually covers, and whether a damage claim goes anywhere, depends on two things: how much coverage the carrier holds above the federal floor, and whether the vehicle's condition was properly documented at pickup and delivery.

What federal rules actually require

Under 49 CFR 387.307, a property broker (a company that arranges your shipment through a carrier network rather than driving the truck itself) must hold a surety bond or trust fund of at least $75,000. That bond protects against a broker's financial failure; it is not cargo insurance on your vehicle. Law.cornell.edu, 49 CFR 387.307, read 2026-09-21.

Federal cargo insurance minimums for general property carriers (the category most auto haulers fall under, as opposed to household-goods movers) are low by industry standards, often cited around $5,000 per vehicle or $10,000 per occurrence. In practice, most professional auto transport carriers carry well above that floor; industry guidance puts a common baseline near $100,000 in cargo coverage for open carriers, with enclosed carriers often carrying $250,000 to $1,000,000 given the higher value of what they haul. Sakaemlogistics.com, read 2026-09-21.

We vet a carrier's insurance before dispatch as part of arranging your shipment. We do not carry the cargo insurance ourselves: the assigned carrier does: and we do not invent a coverage figure here; ask for the specific carrier's certificate of insurance before pickup if you want the exact number for your shipment.

The inspection is what makes a claim possible

The bill of lading, or BOL, is the document a carrier fills out at pickup and delivery. It records the vehicle's condition (existing scratches, dents, and other visible issues) and becomes the reference point for any damage claim afterward.

Recommended practice, as described by CarHaulDirect (read 2026-09-21):

• At pickup: inspect in good light, photograph all four sides, corners, wheels, and the roof and undercarriage where visible, and write specific notes on the BOL ("passenger rear door scratch, about 4 inches, above handle") rather than vague ones. Do not sign until the BOL matches what you actually see.
• At delivery: walk the vehicle against your pickup photos and the signed BOL before you sign anything. If you find new damage, photograph it and have it written on the delivery BOL before you sign. Once you sign without noting new damage, the vehicle is treated as delivered in the condition shown.

If you find damage

1. Do not sign the delivery paperwork until the damage is written on the BOL, with your own photos as backup.
2. Contact the carrier (or us, if we arranged the shipment) with the photos and the signed BOL as soon as possible.
3. If the carrier does not respond or the claim stalls, FMCSA's consumer complaint process is the next step for a federally regulated carrier or broker.

Damage not noted at delivery is very difficult to claim later, because there is no documented baseline showing it happened in transit rather than before pickup.

What we do and do not promise

We vet carriers for insurance before dispatch and stay your single point of contact if a claim comes up. We do not adjust or pay cargo claims ourselves: the carrier's cargo insurance is the coverage in force: and we do not guarantee a specific claim outcome or dollar coverage in advance of your shipment.

Sources and review date

• www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/387.307, accessed September 21, 2026.
• sakaemlogistics.com/auto-transport-insurance, accessed September 21, 2026.
• carhauldirect.com: vehicle inspection at pickup and delivery, accessed September 21, 2026.