To understand the current rules concerning can be left in your car when shipping it, one need to understand a little bit of the history of auto transport. Back in the 1950’s towing companies often got request for long distance hauls. They had flatbed tow trucks that held only one car at a time. The rate was determined by multiplying a per mile rate by the distance the vehicle had to travel times two to account for the empty trip home for the tow truck. It is easy to see some inefficiency’s in this process, as did these tow truck companies. They began waiting until they had three or four cars going in the same direction and then were able to ship them for much less. By the time they had that many vehicles going in one direction, they had a few to come back so the trucks wouldn’t run empty. Why this is important? Back then your vehicle would sit for up to a week in a tow yard waiting for other vehicles that were going in the same direction. Because the tow companies had many employees and because some vehicles would travel on more than one truck, a policy of no personnel effects left in the vehicles was quickly established. The reason why your vehicle would have to go on more than one truck was; say your car was going from Los Angles to Madison Wisconsin. For this shipment your car would go first to Chicago traveling with 3-4 other vehicles and then placed on a different truck going to Madison. Each time your vehicle was left in a different yard there were more chances for things to disappear out of your vehicle. Today cars rarely go to terminals (tow yards) anymore. In 1998 the industry went through a complete change of method when the Internet allowed companies to group the cars that were to be shipped on a single truck, not in their tow yard, but on their computer. What happens now is; each car carrier picks the cars they want to ship based on the route they run. They will decide which vehicles they will take on this trip and then pick up and deliver all of the vehicles in route without ever visiting a tow yard. Why this is important to what you can leave in your vehicle is that the driver of the car carrier and his company’s policies determine what can be shipped inside the vehicle. When you place your order you should go over what their policy is on things left in the vehicle. Policies vary by company, but, even if they allow belongings in the car during shipping, you should never belongings in the car such as:

1. Food of any kind, because it can attract wildlife when the trucks are parked, which they are about ½ the time your vehicle is on their truck.

2. Liquids of any kind, because they can leak and be mistaken for fuel, which can lead to the involvement of the fire department.

3. Valuables, the insurance the carriers carry only covers the vehicle itself, not the vehicles contents.

4. Things that are fragile, when the carrier hits a pothole so does your car.

5. Explosives.

6. Guns.

7. Ammunition.

8. Money.

9. Flammable Products.

10. Narcotics or any prescription medications.

11. Negotiable and Legal Papers, tax forms that you need to file or receipts for the same purpose.

12. Alcoholic Beverages.

13. Jewelry.

14. Furs.

15. Live Pets.

16. Live Plants.

17. Anything else that could be considered contraband.