Car Hauler Inspection Reports

1. What is the Inspection Reports for Car Hauler?
2. Of what importance is a car hauler inspection report?
3. How to conduct the perfect car hauler inspection

What is the Inspection Reports for Car Hauler?

A car hauler inspection report refers to a comprehensive document stating findings of an inspection of the car being transported. This comprehensive report is included in the bill of lading/ BOL. A BOL, on the other hand, is a document offered to a client by a transporting company as an acknowledgment of the cargo. It acts as the receipt of the transaction carried out. In this case, the car hauling/transportation.

Every car transporting company including A-1 Auto Transport Inc. is required to perform a comprehensive car inspection at first contact with the car being hauled to a certain destination. The car hauler inspection report is specifically called like that as the inspection itself is undertaken by a car hauler. In most cases, the transport driver is the designated personnel as he is the one that gets into contact with the vehicle.

The inspection is done in a thorough manner, ensuring everything from the paint job to the wheel caps are accounted for. Any damage found, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, is taken into account. This also includes the tire pressure.

Traditionally, the car hauler inspection report has been paper based. It used to be a couple of sheets with an illustrative drawing of a vehicle facing front, left, right and back. The driver would carry out a thorough inspection of the vehicle, circling on the sheet the areas that are damaged. Thanks to advanced technology, we today have digital cameras and other portable optic data capturing devices. Such devices are used to take records of detail on a digital BOL. This has opened up doors to more accuracy as photos of the car’s pre-transport condition can be compared with the post-transport one. A-1 auto transport drivers always perform a thorough digital BOL before transporting your vehicle.

Of what importance is a car hauler inspection report?

It provides a clear outlook of the pre-transport condition of the vehicle to both the owner and the car hauling company. This is of primal importance as every nook and corner of the vehicle is inspected for scratches, cracks, dents or any other damages are known in detail by both the car owner and the car hauler representative. The findings of the car hauler report can be compared to the destination and any claim of damage by the car owner can be settled.

Car hauling companies specifically carry out this car hauler inspection to protect themselves from having to pay for damages not incurred during the transportation. In most cases, the driver is the first person to be blamed for any damages that the car owner claims was inflicted on the car. If the driver cannot present proof that the damage was not caused when the vehicle was in his custody, then the auto transport firm is legally bound to pay the quoted damages.

How to conduct the perfect car hauler inspection.

1. Take photos

Utilizing the digital resources available to present the most accurate representation of the vehicle’s condition can be all the arsenal you need to protect your car hauling company. Although smartphones have quite impressive cameras, a good professional camera is recommended. This is because capturing the very minute details like a scratch on the paint job can be difficult owing to the reflective surface of the vehicle. Also, it is recommended to take photos from different angles including close-ups to provide you with a 3D-like look of the extent of the damage found prior to the transportation.

1. Accurately record and mark the damages

Simply marking all the damages without keeping in mind the accuracy and relevance will not just cut it. You need to go into detail to ensure the most accurate representation of the vehicle’s pre-transport conditions. The driver doing the car hauler inspection needs to know the difference between a scratch, a dent, a crack and a chip. The slightest misrepresentation of the condition could lead the auto transport company losing a case in court incase it is sued for damages. A-1 auto transport drivers and personnel are professional and are well educated on the definitions.

1. Get a signatory

It is advised that a neutral party, sometimes even a stranger of sound mind, counter checks the car hauler’s inspection report with the actual car to verify that the findings are correct and truthful. This is important in the event of disagreements between the car owner and the auto transport company.

1. Accurately fill out all required documents

Findings of the car inspection report should be duplicated on other relevant forms filled out such as the gate-pass documents to a terminal such as a harbor. The consistency of the findings on multiple documents builds your case.