The rule in our Terms and Conditions is one suitcase or one bag, up to 100 lbs, confined to the trunk or the cargo area, and declared to Rivalane and the carrier at pickup before the vehicle is loaded.
Why the limit exists
Carriers are licensed to transport vehicles, not household goods. Weight limits on the truck are set by law, and personal items add weight that was not priced or planned. Loose items can also shift and damage the interior.
What is never covered
Personal items of any kind or value are not insured by the carrier or by Rivalane. If you leave something in the car, you do so at your own risk. Do not leave negotiable instruments, legal papers, jewelry, money, antiques or anything valuable in the vehicle.
The carrier can refuse
A driver can decline to carry personal items if doing so would be unsafe or against the law, so declare the bag at booking rather than surprising the driver at pickup.
Shipments by sea
Vehicles going to Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico by sea must be completely empty apart from factory-installed equipment. The shipping lines enforce this at the terminal.
Explosives, weapons, ammunition, flammable products, live plants or pets, alcohol, drugs and any illegal goods are prohibited in any shipped vehicle.
What the carrier is licensed to carry
A car hauler holds motor carrier authority for vehicles. Household goods are a separate regulated category with its own authority and consumer protections, described in the FMCSA's Protect Your Move resources. A trunk full of boxes turns a vehicle shipment into an unlicensed household goods shipment, which is why carriers limit it and why no insurance follows the boxes.
Weight is regulated too. Interstate limits in 23 CFR 658.17 cap a rig at 80,000 pounds, and a nine-car load runs close to that. If each car carried an extra 200 pounds, the truck would be overweight at the first scale, which is a fine for the carrier and a delay for every customer on the load.
Using the allowance sensibly
One suitcase or one bag, up to 100 pounds, in the trunk or cargo area, declared at booking and again to the driver at pickup. Put in it the things you would not mind losing: bedding, towels, off-season clothes, a child's car seat. Keep out anything with resale value, anything fragile, documents, and anything you would need in the first days at the destination, because the car might arrive after you do. Section 3d of our Terms and Conditions gives the driver the right to refuse the bag if it looks unsafe or unlawful.
What the Terms say: one suitcase or one bag up to 100 pounds, confined to the trunk or storage area, declared to Rivalane and the carrier before loading; the carrier may reject it if unsafe or unlawful; nothing left in the vehicle is covered, and the customer bears the risk (Section 3d). No personal property at all in a vehicle shipped by sea (Section 3f).
Items that look harmless and are not
Spare fuel cans and propane cylinders are flammable products under Section 3g. Aerosol cans can burst in a hot trailer. Firearms and ammunition are prohibited outright. Loose tools, a floor jack or a toolbox in the back seat become projectiles under hard braking and are a common cause of interior damage that falls on you under Section 3d. Plants and food attract pests and are refused by every ocean carrier.
Factory equipment and what counts
The spare tire, the jack and tool kit that came with the car, floor mats, a fitted cargo cover and a factory or permanently installed child seat anchor are part of the vehicle and travel as normal. A roof box, a bike rack, a hitch-mounted carrier or a detachable cargo organizer are not; Section 3b requires non-permanent racks and loose accessories to be removed before pickup.
Snowbirds and relocations
The temptation is strongest on a seasonal move, when the car is going to the same place you are. Two checked bags on the flight carry more than the allowance, are insured by the airline, and arrive with you. For a full relocation, a parcel carrier or a licensed household goods mover is insured for contents in a way the car never will be. Our snowbird page covers what else to plan for a car that spends the season away.
If the driver finds more than you declared
The driver can refuse the extra items, charge an additional fee the carrier sets for the weight, or decline the load. A declined pickup after a carrier has accepted counts as a cancellation under Section 10a. None of that is worth the boxes; take them out before the truck arrives and the pickup goes as planned.
A quick checklist
- One bag, under 100 pounds, in the trunk, declared twice.
- Nothing visible through the glass.
- Nothing flammable, pressurized, alive or restricted.
- Toll tags, garage openers and documents with your address removed.
- Factory equipment and the spare left in place.
The open transport page describes the trailer most cars ride on and why the driver checks.
Related questions
- What items are prohibited in a shipped vehicle?
- Are personal items in my car covered by the carrier's insurance?
- How do I prepare my car for shipping with Rivalane?
Go deeper: How to Prepare Your Car for Shipping: A Checklist.
