Shipped Used Car Arrived Damaged? What to Do at Delivery and After

If a used car you bought online or out of state shows up with new damage, write every scrape and dent on the bill of lading before you sign, photograph it with the driver standing there, and then file a written claim with the carrier, because the note on the delivery receipt doesn't count as a claim by itself. That last part catches a lot of people. The car rolls off the trailer at 9 p.m. in a dark parking lot, the driver wants a signature and payment, and you've got about ten minutes to protect yourself.

Inspect before you sign anything

The signature at delivery is your best evidence, so hold off until you've walked the whole car. Consumer Reports' car-shipping guide (updated in August 2026) quotes its auto testing manager, who has shipped and received dozens of test cars and dealt with cars dropped off in the middle of the night, damaged in transit, and missing for weeks. Expect the same mess and plan for it:

• Ask for delivery in daylight or bring a strong flashlight. A carrier that can't fit down your street may ask to meet in a large lot, which CR also mentions.
• Pull out the seller's photos or the online listing pictures and compare panel by panel, including the roof, bumper corners, wheels, and lower rocker panels. I'd check those first because they sit closest to ramps and straps.
• Look underneath and at the front lip for scraping, and check the glass for new chips.
• Photograph the truck and its DOT number, as CR suggests at pickup, and the driver's paperwork.

If you find anything, write it on the bill of lading or delivery receipt in plain words with a location ("6-inch scrape, right rear bumper corner"), and keep your copy. "Subject to inspection" scribbled in the margin isn't much help later.

Figure out who actually hauled the car

Your claim goes to the carrier, and the company you paid may not be the carrier. FMCSA's consumer advisory on auto transporters explains that brokers only arrange transportation, and that interstate brokers and carriers both have to register with FMCSA. Both get an MC docket number, and carriers also get a USDOT number. CR's guide says that if you find an online "car shipper," chances are you're dealing with a broker that marks up a rate and finds someone cheaper to do the job.

So get the carrier's legal name, MC number, and USDOT number off the bill of lading or the truck. CR suggests looking up the carrier's insurance record and complaints on the FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot. Its guide also points out that the mandatory bodily injury and property damage coverage protects the truck and trucking company, not the cars on it. Cargo insurance is what covers your car, and it isn't required. Call your own insurer too; CR notes that if the car is registered and your policy carries comp (the non-collision physical damage coverage), your insurer may cover transport damage.

File a written claim, with a number on it

Federal claim rules for motor carriers sit in 49 CFR Part 370. Under 370.3, a claim has to be in writing, filed with the proper carrier within the time limit in the bill of lading, identify the shipment, assert liability, and ask for a specified or determinable amount of money. The same section says damage notations on delivery receipts or inspection reports, standing alone, are not a claim. That's why the BOL note plus a separate written claim is the combination you want.

Timelines matter. Under 49 U.S.C. 14706, a carrier can't give you less than 9 months to file a claim or less than 2 years to sue, counted from when it disallows the claim in writing. Section 370.5 says the carrier has to acknowledge your claim in writing within 30 days unless it pays or declines first, and 370.9 says it must pay, decline, or make a firm settlement offer within 120 days, with written status updates every 60 days after that if it's still pending. Send the claim with your BOL copy, photos, a repair estimate, and the dollar figure. Honestly, get two estimates, since carriers tend to argue the number.

If the carrier stonewalls, FMCSA's advisory lists a complaint line, 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238), and an online complaint process. File one if you're ignored, but plan on the claim itself, your insurer, or small claims court being what actually gets you paid.

Will transport damage show on a vehicle history report?

Only if someone reports it. Kelley Blue Book's explainer says reports only include reported damage, and that police, insurance, or repair shop data can be vague and won't describe the quality of repairs. A carrier paying a body shop directly, or a cash settlement where you fix it yourself, may never reach a report. If your insurer handles it as a claim, a record could show up later. That's a resale question to think about before you choose how to settle.

The flip side matters at purchase time. Pull a report before the car ever ships, so you know what damage was already on record and nobody can blame the truck for it later. We've seen seller-supplied PDFs where the VIN on the report didn't match the VIN on the dash, so read it yourself rather than trusting the attachment. Our post on unreported accidents and CARFAX explains the gaps in more detail.

When the seller arranged shipping

Read your purchase contract before calling anyone. If the dealer or online retailer arranged and paid for transport, the delivery terms decide whether the car was still their responsibility when it got damaged, and that changes who you send the claim to. CR suggests that when you buy from a faraway dealership, you ask them to help arrange shipping or tell you which carriers they've used. Our out-of-state buying guide and the Carvana checklist cover the return-window side, and online dealer deposit scam checks are worth reading before you wire anything for a car you haven't seen.

Price out the report before the truck, not after

A history report is cheap compared with a shipping bill. CarVins is licensed to sell both CARFAX and AutoCheck history reports, operates separately from CARFAX, AutoCheck, and Experian, and charges for every full report. Guest pricing here has hovered near $5.50 a report while the retail sites ask in the neighborhood of $39.99 to $44.99, so confirm at checkout before you count on either. As of November 2026, that's still the cheapest step in the whole long-distance purchase.

Sources

• FMCSA: Consumer advisory about automobile transporters
• Consumer Reports: How to ship a car
• 49 CFR 370.3: Filing of claims (Cornell LII)
• 49 CFR 370.9: Disposition of claims (Cornell LII)
• 49 U.S.C. 14706: Carrier liability and claim periods (Cornell LII)
• Kelley Blue Book: What a vehicle history report covers