Car shipping checklist on delivery day

Inspect the car, write exceptions on the delivery copy, and only then pay what the contract says is due. Print this page. You do not need an email to use it.

Receiver's name: ________
Amount the contract says is still due: ________
Carrier name on the dispatch: ________
MC or USDOT: ________

Before the truck arrives#

• [ ] You have the pickup condition notes and the pickup photos on your phone.
• [ ] You have the contract page that states the balance due at delivery.
• [ ] You know you will not pay a different figure in cash that is not on that page. The risk is described in a price increase when the car is already on the truck.
• [ ] The meeting point is one the truck can actually reach. If it changed, the company confirmed it in writing.

When the driver is there#

• [ ] The carrier name on the truck and on the bill of lading matches the dispatch.
• [ ] You can see the car. If a panel is still on the trailer, you have not finished the inspection.
• [ ] You walked the same circle as pickup: front, each corner, both sides, rear, roof, glass, wheels, interior, trunk. The shot list is photos and the condition record.
• [ ] New marks are written on the delivery copy in words. How to do that line is noting damage on the bill of lading.
• [ ] You did not sign a blank damage section.
• [ ] You photographed every page you signed.
• [ ] Odometer and VIN match the pickup notes, or you wrote the difference on the form.

Payment, after the notes#

• [ ] The amount you pay is the balance on the contract, not a new total spoken at the curb.
• [ ] You get a receipt that names the company.
• [ ] You did not pay a second amount "off the paperwork" to speed unloading.

Blanks if this car is not a plain sedan#

• [ ] Items that were allowed in the trunk are still there. List: ________
• [ ] Keys returned, including wheel-lock or spare. Count: ________
• [ ] Electric or other special note from the carrier: ________

The same day, after the truck leaves#

• [ ] You looked at the car again in daylight if the delivery was dark.
• [ ] Any new damage you missed is already in an email to the carrier, with photos. Do not rely on a later phone call alone.
• [ ] Papers are in one folder: order, dispatch, pickup form, delivery form, photos.

A longer narrative of the same day is the day the truck delivers the car. The pickup list you should already have used is the pre-pickup checklist. RideShipper does not inspect the car and does not decide a damage claim.

Say this before you pay#

Read the balance on the contract out loud and compare it to the amount the driver names. If they match, pay that amount and get a receipt with the company name. If they do not match, stop. A new number is not the last line of this checklist. It is a reason to call the company on the contract before any money moves. The car can stay on the truck while you make that call only if you are willing to treat the situation as a hold. If you are not, say you will not pay a new figure and ask to speak to dispatch. Write the time and the names.

Do not trade a clean signature for a faster unload. The signature is the record under the bill of lading. Money you pay after a clean signature is hard to tie to a dent you add the next morning. Inspect, write, sign, then pay. That order is the whole page.

If you are receiving someone else's car#

You need the pickup photos, the amount due, and a phone number that the shipper will answer. You do not need to renegotiate the route. If the driver offers a different price, you call the shipper. If you cannot reach them, you do not invent a yes. Note the offer, refuse the new number, and tell the shipper as soon as you can.

Keys, a wheel lock, and any trunk list are part of the inspection. Count them before the truck leaves. A missing key is a line on the form, the same as a missing hubcap. Small items get lost in claims when nobody writes them down at the curb.