Vehicle inspection and the BOL: how to avoid a damage claim

A damage claim rarely starts with actual damage. More often it starts because nobody marked the scratch at pickup and it was spotted at delivery. From there the dispute isn't about the car but about paper: who wrote down what.

What the BOL is and why you need it

The bill of lading is at once a contract of carriage, a receipt for the cargo and an inspection report. It records the VIN, the condition of the vehicle at pickup and its condition at delivery. Signatures from both sides turn it into the document the insurer looks at.

Pickup: the routine that saves months

1. Inspect the vehicle in good light and, where possible, clean: on a dirty body nothing shows, and that works against you.

1. Walk around it and record video of the whole car, then close-ups of every defect.
2. Mark on the BOL every scratch, chip, cracked glass, the condition of the wheels and the bumper.
3. Check the VIN against the document, not against the sticker on the glass.
4. Separately note whether the car starts, whether there are keys and whether the steering works: an inop loads differently.
5. Get the shipper's signature under what you marked.

Shoot so the frame speaks for itself

The frame should show the date and place, the plate or VIN and a wide shot of the car next to the trailer. A standalone photo of a scratch with no link to the vehicle and the time proves nothing.

Loading and the road

• Deck order: heavy and low on the bottom deck, expensive and fragile away from gravel.
• Straps are checked after the first miles: the load settles and tension changes.
• Spacing between cars and to the ramp is the most common cause of small dents.
• Enclosed is chosen where the risk of a stone off the road is unacceptable.

Handing the vehicle over

Unload in good light and without rushing, together with the receiver. Let them walk around the car before signing. If there is damage, it goes into the BOL right away, before signatures – otherwise it becomes your word against theirs. A clean BOL signed with visible damage closes the question against you.

What the BOL must contain

• Date, time and pickup and delivery addresses.
• VIN, make and model of every vehicle.
• Damage marks on the body diagram and in words.
• Condition: starts, has keys, rolls.
• Names and signatures from both sides, not only yours.

The electronic BOL

The electronic form is more convenient than paper: photos attach to the record, the signature is captured on screen, a copy reaches the broker immediately. One rule stays the same – you must have a copy of your own, separate from someone else's app. Access to a carrier's system disappears exactly when the document is needed.

If a claim comes anyway

1. Notify the insurer and the broker straight away, without waiting for the dispute to grow.
2. Gather the file: BOLs from both ends, the pickup and delivery footage, correspondence and the rate confirmation.
3. Admit nothing and pay nothing directly before assessment: the insurer has its own procedure.
4. Check the filing deadlines – the broker's and the insurer's differ and both are short.

Inspection discipline costs ten minutes per vehicle and closes most disputes. For premium and collector cars an enclosed trailer is added on top: how that transport and its photo documentation work is described on the enclosed page.