For an everyday move you need very little paper. The driver needs the keys and a person to sign the bill of lading at each end. Auctions, leased cars and some sales need a few documents more.
For an everyday move
The keys, the pickup and delivery addresses, and a person at each end who can sign the bill of lading. The driver does not take the title, and does not need it. Ownership is not checked at the roadside, because the car is cargo, not a vehicle being driven.
Keep the registration and your insurance card in the glove box, where they live anyway. A driver may ask to see them to match the plate and VIN to the order, and that is all. You do not need to send us any document to book. The order itself is the agreement you sign online and the bill of lading the driver completes.
The bill of lading
The bill of lading is the receipt and the condition report in one. The driver completes it at pickup, recording the car's condition panel by panel, the odometer and the fuel level, and you or the person you name signs it. At delivery the driver completes the delivery side and you sign again.
The signature at delivery is the one that matters. Under the agreement, damage not noted on the bill of lading at delivery, before the driver leaves, waives the claim. So walk around the car first, write down anything new, and then sign. Signing with damage noted records it. Signing a clean report says the car arrived as it left.
Both sides of the bill of lading, with the driver's photos, go on your order page, so you have the record without keeping paper. Keep the paper copy anyway until the car has been home a few weeks.
From an auction
Yards release a car only against their own paperwork, usually a gate pass or release with your buyer number and the lot number, and only once the car is paid for in full. At Copart each car has its own Gate Pass PIN. At IAA and Manheim the release is tied to your buyer account. Send the release to your coordinator when you book, and the driver shows it at the gate.
Leased or financed
If a lender or leasing company holds the title, you can still ship the car, and the driver needs nothing extra. Check your contract for rules on moving the car out of state or changing the address it is kept at. Some ask you to tell them first. The leased and financed guide covers the detail.
The transport agreement
You read and sign the transport agreement online when you book. It sets out who does what, Trustline as the broker and the carrier as the company responsible for the car in transit, and the rules on fuel, personal items, inspection, claims and payment. It is public, so you can read it before you ask for a price. The signed copy comes to you by email and stays on your order page.
Trustline CarriersLicensed broker · MC 1661496
