Our Terms and Conditions list the items that may never travel inside a vehicle we arrange transport for:
- Explosives, guns, ammunition and weapons of any kind
- Flammable products, including spare fuel cans and propane
- Live pets and live plants
- Contraband, drugs or narcotics
- Alcoholic beverages
- Any illegal goods
What happens if prohibited items are found
Law enforcement or the carrier can confiscate or dispose of the items, or the vehicle itself, and the order can be canceled in full with no refund. Any fines, fees or damages arising from the violation are the customer's responsibility.
Items that are allowed, within limits
One suitcase or bag up to 100 lbs in the trunk or cargo area is allowed on a road shipment if you declare it, at your own risk and uninsured. Factory-installed equipment, a spare tire and a jack are fine. Vehicles shipped by sea must be completely empty apart from factory equipment.
When in doubt, take it out. Nothing left in the car is covered, and a driver can refuse the load if the contents look unsafe.
Why the list exists
Most of it tracks federal law rather than company preference. Hazardous materials carried by highway are regulated under 49 CFR Part 177, and a car hauler is not placarded, trained or insured to carry them; a spare gas can or a propane cylinder in a trunk puts the whole load and the driver in breach. Firearms and ammunition are governed by a patchwork of federal and state law, and a carrier that does not know what it is transporting across state lines cannot comply with any of it. Alcohol crosses state and sometimes county lines with their own rules.
Live plants and animals are refused for welfare and agricultural reasons, and every ocean carrier to Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico refuses them at the terminal. Contraband and illegal goods need no explanation, except to say that Section 3g of our Terms and Conditions makes the consequences fall on the customer alone.
Things people do not realize are on it
- Aerosol cans, lighter fluid, paint and solvents are flammable products.
- A full jerry can for a lawn mower is a flammable product.
- Fireworks are explosives.
- A partly used propane cylinder for a camp stove is a flammable product.
- Nitrous or CO2 cylinders are pressurized gas.
- Prescription medication is not contraband, but it is a personal item at your own risk and should travel with you.
What the Terms say: explosives, guns, ammunition, weapons, flammable products, live pets, live plants, contraband, drugs or narcotics, alcoholic beverages and any illegal goods are prohibited; on discovery the items or the vehicle may be confiscated or disposed of, the order may be canceled without compensation, and the customer is responsible for all resulting fees, fines and damages (Section 3g).
Firearms in more detail
Even where you may legally own and transport a firearm yourself, the carrier is not you. Federal transport protections such as 18 U.S.C. 926A apply to a person transporting a firearm, not to a trucking company carrying a car with one inside, and the car may pass through states with very different rules. Ship firearms through a licensed dealer or carry them yourself under the applicable law. The same goes for ammunition, which is also a hazardous material under the highway rules.
What happens at the truck
Drivers look in the trunk and the cabin when they note the declared bag. If they see a prohibited item, they can refuse the load, which after carrier acceptance counts as a cancellation under Section 10a with the minimum fee and a possible dry run fee. If an item is found later, at a weigh station or inspection, the consequences in Section 3g apply and the carrier's problem becomes yours.
Ocean shipments are stricter still
Section 3f requires a vehicle shipped by sea to be completely empty except for factory-installed equipment. Shipping lines inspect at the terminal and refuse vehicles that fail, and a refused car misses its sailing. Our Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico pages list the lines' current rules.
The simple rule
If it burns, explodes, breathes, grows, intoxicates or is illegal anywhere the truck might drive, it does not go in the car. If you are unsure about a specific item, ask us before pickup rather than asking the driver on the day; the article on personal items, linked below, covers what is allowed.
What is allowed, for comparison
Factory equipment, the spare tire and jack, floor mats, a fitted child seat base and the one declared bag under Section 3d, kept in the trunk and below 100 pounds. A roof box or bike rack must come off under Section 3b even though its contents are harmless, because the rack itself is a loose accessory. If you are preparing the car for a long season away, the snowbird page lists what to take out, and the door to door page explains the handover at which the driver will look.
