Car Arrived With Damage? Inspection Checklist & What to Do

Your car just rolled off the truck. Before you sign anything, you notice a scratch on the bumper you don’t remember being there — or worse, a dent, a cracked mirror, or fluid leaking underneath. Your stomach drops. What do you do in the next five minutes?

This is the single highest-anxiety moment in the entire car shipping process, and it’s also the moment most first-time shippers are least prepared for. What you do in the first 15 minutes at delivery — and the first 48 hours after — determines whether a damage claim gets paid quickly or drags out for months. This guide walks you through exactly what to do, step by step, whether your car arrives in perfect shape or with a problem you need to document.

Before the Driver Leaves: The 15-Minute Inspection That Protects Your Claim

Auto transport damage is rare — the vast majority of vehicles arrive in the same condition they left in. But the few minutes you spend inspecting the car before the driver drives away are the most important minutes of the entire shipment. Once the driver leaves, your leverage to prove damage happened during transport (rather than before or after) drops sharply.

• Walk around the car with the driver. Don’t inspect alone and don’t rush. A professional driver expects this and will walk with you.
• Use your phone flashlight, even in daylight. Raking light at a low angle reveals scratches and dents that ambient light hides completely.
• Photograph every panel systematically: front bumper, hood, roof, trunk, rear bumper, all four doors, both side mirrors, all four wheels/tires, and the windshield.
• Photograph the odometer. This documents mileage at delivery.
• Compare against your pre-shipping photos. You took photos before pickup, right? If not, see our car preparation checklist for next time — but even without them, document what you see now.
• Mark every discrepancy on the Bill of Lading — even something as small as a two-inch scratch. If the driver says it’s “normal wear and tear,” write it down anyway. You are not accusing anyone of anything; you are documenting condition for the record.
• Sign only after every discrepancy is noted. Never sign a clean Bill of Lading if you see damage, even if the driver seems to be in a hurry. For a full walkthrough of what the Bill of Lading actually is and why it matters this much, see our Bill of Lading guide.

Why this matters so much: signing the Bill of Lading without noting damage is generally treated as acceptance of the vehicle’s condition. It is the single most common reason legitimate damage claims get denied — not fraud, not bad luck, just a rushed signature.

You Found Damage — Now What? The First 48 Hours

If you spot something wrong during the walkaround, don’t panic — but do move deliberately through this timeline.

Hour 0 (At Delivery)

• Note the damage on the Bill of Lading in writing, in detail.
• Take clear, well-lit photos of the damage from multiple angles, with a phone that date-stamps images.
• Get the driver’s name and the carrier’s MC number. It should be printed on the truck door and on your paperwork.

Hour 0–24

• Contact your broker immediately — don’t wait until the next business day if you can help it.
• Send your photos and a written description of exactly what you found and where.
• A broker who verified carrier insurance before dispatch should be able to start the claims process right away.

Hour 24–48

• Get a written repair estimate from a licensed body shop.
• Do not authorize repairs yet. The carrier’s insurance adjuster typically needs to inspect the damage first, and repairing before that inspection can complicate or void your claim.
• Keep your communication factual and professional. Threatening legal action or a bad review in these first 48 hours rarely speeds things up — most carriers and brokers want to resolve legitimate claims without a fight, and a cooperative tone gets you to resolution faster.

Who Pays? Broker vs. Carrier vs. Insurance

Understanding who is actually responsible avoids a lot of confusion during a claim:

• The carrier’s cargo insurance is the primary coverage for damage that happens during transit. This is the policy that should pay out.
• The broker’s liability generally covers errors in the brokering process itself — such as failing to verify a carrier’s insurance before booking them — not the physical damage.
• Your personal auto insurance typically does not cover damage that occurs during commercial transport. Don’t assume your own policy is a backstop.

The typical claims chain looks like this: you report the damage to your broker → the broker reports it to the carrier → the carrier’s insurance adjuster reviews the claim and photos → a settlement offer is made → you accept it or negotiate. A reasonable timeline from claim filing to settlement is roughly 30–60 days. If a carrier’s insurance turns out to be lapsed or nonexistent, that’s a serious red flag — which is exactly why verifying a carrier’s or broker’s MC number and active insurance before booking matters so much. See our guide on how to verify a broker’s FMCSA license for that process.

Documentation Checklist: What the Insurance Adjuster Actually Needs

Claims move faster — and pay out more reliably — when you can hand the adjuster a complete file. Gather:

1. Pre-shipping photos — dated, showing all panels, taken before the carrier ever touched the car.
2. Post-delivery photos — dated, showing the damage, ideally from the same angles as your pre-shipping photos.
3. The signed Bill of Lading with the damage explicitly noted at delivery.
4. A written repair estimate from a licensed body shop.
5. Your written account of when you noticed the damage and what, if anything, the driver said about it.
6. Broker and carrier contact information, including the MC number.

Missing any one of these weakens your position. The strongest claims are the ones where dated pre-shipping photos clearly show the damage simply wasn’t there before the car left. For the deeper mechanics of filing and negotiating a claim once it’s underway, see our companion guide, Car Shipping Damage? Exactly What to Do (And Who Pays) — that page covers the claims process itself; this page covers the inspection moment that makes or breaks that process.

How Best Care Auto Transport Approaches the Inspection Moment

We built our process around the idea that the delivery inspection is the moment that matters most, not an afterthought:

• Before shipping — we point every customer to a pre-shipping photo checklist so there’s a clear “before” record.
• Carrier assignment — we verify every carrier’s active insurance and MC number before your load is ever dispatched.
• If damage occurs — our team walks you through every step above, from the first photo to the final settlement. We don’t disappear after you’ve paid; we’re here until the car has arrived safely and any issue is resolved.

Best Care Auto Transport, MC 1170337. Phone: (224) 414-2700.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to report damage after my car is delivered?

Report it immediately, at delivery, on the Bill of Lading — this is the strongest possible documentation. If you discover something you missed after the driver leaves, contact your broker and the carrier as soon as possible; most carrier insurance policies have a limited window (often a matter of days) to file a formal claim, so don’t wait.

Should I refuse delivery if my car arrives damaged?

Refusing delivery entirely is rarely necessary or practical for cosmetic damage — document it thoroughly on the Bill of Lading instead and let the claims process work. Refusal is generally reserved for severe, undrivable, or safety-related damage, and should be discussed with your broker in the moment if it happens.

What if the carrier says the damage was pre-existing?

This is exactly why pre-shipping photos matter so much. If you have dated photos showing the car’s condition before pickup and the damage isn’t in them, you have strong evidence it happened during transit. Without pre-shipping photos, this dispute becomes harder to resolve either way.

Does my personal auto insurance cover damage during shipping?

Generally no. Personal auto insurance is typically written for you operating the vehicle, not for commercial transport. The carrier’s cargo insurance is the primary coverage for damage that happens while your car is on their truck.

What’s the difference between this inspection checklist and filing an actual damage claim?

This page covers the inspection moment — the first 15 minutes at delivery and first 48 hours after, which determine how strong your documentation is. Our damage claim guide covers what happens next: submitting the claim, working with the adjuster, and negotiating a settlement.