Someone has to meet the truck at both ends. Our Terms and Conditions require the customer, or a designated customer's agent over 18, to be present at the pickup location and at the delivery location.
What happens at pickup
You and the driver walk around the car together and record any existing damage on the carrier's inspection report or Bill of Lading. You sign it, ask for a copy, and hand over the key. Take your own photos from all angles before the car is loaded.
What happens at delivery
You inspect the car again in the driver's presence, compare it with the pickup record, and note any new damage as an exception on the Bill of Lading before you sign. You pay the carrier's balance in an accepted form and keep the signed copy.
If you cannot be there
Name an agent: a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a building manager or a colleague. Tell us who it is in advance, give them the Bill of Lading instructions and, for delivery, the payment. Their signature carries the same weight as yours.
Signing a clean Bill of Lading at delivery, without noting damage, confirms you received the vehicle in satisfactory condition. That is why the inspection has to happen before the signature, whoever is doing it.
Why the Terms insist on it
The Bill of Lading is the carrier's record of the car's condition, and it only works if someone who represents you checks it at both ends. Section 4e of our Terms and Conditions requires the pickup inspection and signature; Section 4d requires the delivery inspection, the notation of any new damage, and a signed copy; Section 4f makes a clean signature a confirmation of satisfactory condition. Federal claims rules in 49 CFR Part 370 and the Carmack Amendment then rest on those two signed records.
The driver also needs a key, a payment at delivery, and a person who can answer questions about the car. None of that works with an empty driveway.
How long you need to be there
Plan for twenty to thirty minutes at each end: ten for the inspection, ten for loading or unloading, and a few for paperwork and payment. The uncertain part is when the driver arrives. Carriers give a window of hours on the day and call when close, because traffic, earlier stops and federal hours-of-service limits move the schedule. Being reachable by phone during the window matters more than standing at the curb all day.
What the Terms say: the customer must be present at the pickup and delivery locations or designate a Customer's Agent, an individual over 18, if unavailable for any reason (Sections 1 and 4b). The agent's inspection and signature have the same effect as the customer's (Sections 4d to 4f).
Choosing and briefing an agent
Pick someone who will be at the address for the whole window and is willing to walk around the car carefully. Give them the pickup photos and Bill of Lading if it is a delivery, the exact carrier payment in an accepted form, and one instruction: inspect and note before you sign. Send us the agent's name and number before dispatch so the driver knows who to call. The agent article linked below goes into detail.
Remote handovers that work
Sellers, dealers, auction yards, body shops, storage facilities and building managers hand over or receive cars for customers every day. The handover works when the business knows the window, has a named person who will do the inspection, and understands that signing clean closes any later claim. Our auction page and storage page describe the usual arrangements at those locations.
Handovers that do not work
Leaving the key under the mat with nobody present. A neighbor who will "keep an eye out" but has not agreed to inspect and sign. A building concierge who will accept a key but not a vehicle. A delivery to a workplace parking lot where the recipient cannot leave a meeting. In each case the driver either waits, which is time the carrier charges for, or leaves, which after acceptance counts as a cancellation under Section 10a or sends the car to storage under Section 7b.
Video calls and photos are not a substitute
A driver may offer to send photos or video of the inspection if you cannot be there. That is better than nothing, but it does not satisfy Section 4b, and a claim based on a driver's own photos is weak. If you truly cannot be present and have no agent, tell us before dispatch; a delivery to a nearby storage facility or dealer that will act as your agent is usually a better answer than an unattended drop. The door to door page explains the handover at the curb.
The legal reason behind the signature
The signed Bill of Lading is the evidence a claim runs on under the Carmack Amendment, 49 U.S.C. 14706, and federal motor carriers must issue it under 49 CFR 373.101. Nobody can sign it for you except an agent you have designated, which is why Section 4b exists.
Related questions
- Can someone else accept delivery of my car for me?
- How does the bill of lading work with Rivalane?
- What should I check when my car is delivered?
Go deeper: Auto Transport Bill of Lading: What Must Be On It.
