There’s some confusion about shipping personal belongings along with your vehicle, so we’d like to clear some of that up in the next few sections. While there are some prohibitions on transporting vehicles with personal items in them, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it.
Benefits of Shipping a Car with Belongings
Often, people ship a vehicle as part of relocation. Think about the personal items you need most when you’re settling into a new place - having those items packed in your car is a great way to have easy and quick access to them. Considering the seemingly endless process of preparing for a move, this is something that can save you a bit of time in organizing and packing chores.
Rules and Restrictions for Packing Personal Items
While it’s permissible to ship personal items with a vehicle, it’s also subject to DOT restrictions, so let’s clear it up a little. You can ship up to 100 lbs of personal stuff, but only if it’s secured in the trunk of the car or in the backseat (you can’t pack stuff all the way up to the ceiling, it all has to be below window level).
Anything that’s over 100 lbs would mean extra charges for the weight.
Also, in terms of the legalities, most vehicle shipping companies are licensed only to ship vehicles and not personal items or household goods. Technically, it could result in thousands of dollars in fines, but this is a law that’s rarely enforced.
What the Department of Transportation is a lot more stringent about, though, is gross vehicle weight for commercial trucks. That’s why the 100 lb weight limit is in effect, and any weight over 100 lb will mean extra shipping costs.
- up to 100 lbs free, as long as they are placed in the trunk of the car or on the back seats as an exception, but below window level
- and anything over 100 lbs is paid extra
- Legal implications: DOT regulations regarding weight limits and household goods.
How Does Shipping a Car with Belongings Work?
Along with being sure that the personal items are in the trunk or cargo area, it’s important that they be secured so they can’t roll around or shift during transport. That could mean a duffle bag, a securely taped-up cardboard shipping box, a suitcase or a taped-up Rubbermaid tote.
Steps to prepare your car and belongings for shipping.
- Get plenty of photos of your car before transport for an accurate record of its condition.
- Remove any detachable external accessories like cargo boxes, bike racks, light bars, antennas, and check for any loose pieces of trim.
- Check your vehicle for any fluid leaks: motor oil, coolant, transmission, brake or power steering fluid. A transport driver might refuse to load a vehicle with fluid leaks.
- It’s standard practice to ship vehicles with less than ¼ tank of fuel, saving on curb weight and shipping costs.
- Be sure your personal items are secured and stowed away - if they’re in the back seat, they need to be below the window line (the trunk or cargo area is better).
- Please be sure the battery is fully charged, all tires are fully inflated and all lights work.
Potential Risks When Shipping Personal Items
It’s important to remember that any personal stuff that’s being shipped with your vehicle will not be covered by cargo insurance. Common sense would dictate that you shouldn’t ship anything really valuable this way, or anything with a lot of sentimental value: things like jewelry, photo albums, mementos, firearms, tools, musical instruments, etc shouldn’t be packed and shipped with the vehicle.
Best Practices for a Successful Shipping Experience
- Adhere to the 100 lb weight limit – no more!
- Make sure that your items are securely packed so they can’t shift around in the vehicle and possibly cause damage
- Make sure anything in the back seat is below the window line
- Be sensible about what kind of items you do pack
Importance of documenting the car's condition and packed belongings
At the time of pickup and again at the time of delivery at the destination, you and the transport driver will each perform an inspection of the vehicle for the Bill of Lading. You’ll be asked to sign the Bill of Lading before you take possession of the car again, and it’s important that you look closely before signing - if you detect any damage after the fact, it could make it difficult to file an insurance claim.
It’s a good idea to take photos of the car and the personal items as well for an accurate record of their condition. Remember, though, that personal items are not covered by carrier insurance, so there’s an element of risk involved there.
Safety considerations: Risks of packing certain items in the vehicle.
As mentioned, don’t pack anything that’s really valuable or has a lot of sentimental value. That would also include things like birth certificates, car titles, diplomas or other documents that are impossible to replace. It should go without saying, but it’s also a bad idea to ship hazardous items along with your car, which could include things like drain cleaner or bleach or pesticides (why would you?). Common sense should rule the day here.
Tips on Packing Your Personal Items
- Keep it under 100 lbs
- Make sure everything is packed securely
- Make sure everything is in the trunk or the cargo area, or if it’s in the backseat make sure it doesn’t come up to the window line
- If in doubt, pack your stuff securely and bring it to FedEx or UPS to ship to your destination - you’ll at least have the peace of mind of knowing that your shipment will be covered by their insurance
Selecting the right service with Axis Auto Logistics
So what’s your upcoming auto shipping project look like? What kind of vehicle have you got, what’s your budget, what are your starting point and destination? What are your concerns for the vehicle’s safety and its need for protection and security while it’s en route? At Axis Auto Logistix, we offer options like open car transport, enclosed car transport, white glove service, expedited shipping and door to door transport that can all make it easy for you to personalize your auto shipping order so that it’s a good fit for your specs and your expectations. When it’s time to get your car on the road to its destination (with or without personal items), we’d love to be your preferred resource for that job. We’ve got the right people, the right systems, the right equipment and the right experience for the job - feel free to talk to us via live chat or give our team a call at (864) 249-4838 and find out what we can do for you.
