15 Things to Remove From Your Car Before Shipping

Every year, we see the same avoidable mistakes happen at pickup. A customer is ready to hand over the keys, the driver arrives right on time, and then — the car is full of personal items. GPS units still mounted to the windshield. A gym bag stuffed in the back seat. A garage door opener clipped to the visor. Sometimes even loose change scattered across the dashboard.

These situations create real problems. And they cost real money.

Here's the thing most shippers don't realize: carrier insurance covers your vehicle during transport. Your personal belongings inside that vehicle are a completely different story. If your laptop gets stolen while your car sits on a truck stop lot overnight, you have very little recourse. The carrier is not liable for your personal property.

Over 20 years of coordinating vehicle shipments at Furious Auto Shipping, we've compiled exactly what needs to come out of the car before the truck arrives. This is your definitive guide to preparing your car for shipping. Follow it, and your pickup day will go smoothly.

Why Thorough Car Prep Actually Matters

Let's address this upfront. You might be thinking: "It's just stuff inside my car. What's the big deal?"

The big deal is legal, financial, and logistical. When a carrier loads your vehicle onto a multi-car trailer, that truck becomes a moving storage unit on public highways. DOT (Department of Transportation) regulations strictly limit what commercial carriers can transport. Personal belongings, household goods, and certain liquids fall outside the boundaries of a standard auto transport carrier's operating authority. If a carrier is caught hauling unauthorized goods, the consequences can include fines, permit violations, or even impoundment.

Beyond the regulatory angle, think practically. Your car shifts during transit. A heavy suitcase slides. A loose bottle of windshield wiper fluid leaks. A set of golf clubs punches a hole through your rear seat. We've seen all of it.

Taking 20 minutes to properly clear your car saves you from a headache that could cost hundreds of dollars to fix. So let's get into it.

The 15 Things You Must Remove Before Your Car Gets Picked Up

1. All Personal Electronics

This one is non-negotiable. Remove every single electronic device from your vehicle before the carrier arrives. This includes:

• Smartphones, tablets, and laptops
• Portable GPS units and dash cameras
• Bluetooth speakers and headphones
• USB drives and external hard drives
• Portable gaming devices

Electronics are the single most stolen item from vehicles in transit. They are small, highly resalable, and impossible to track once they leave your car. Don't assume the truck is locked. Many open carriers expose the interior of vehicles to some degree at truck stops, rest areas, and delivery terminals.

2. Important Documents

Pull out any financial or legal documents stored in your glove box or center console. Registration and insurance cards for the vehicle are fine to leave — you'll need to leave one copy of the vehicle registration in case the driver needs it during transit. But anything personal comes out:

• Social security cards or birth certificates
• Bank statements or credit cards
• Passports or travel documents
• Prescription medication documents

Identity theft is real. Never leave identifying financial documents inside any vehicle that is leaving your physical custody.

3. Cash and Valuables

This seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people leave emergency cash stashed in their center console or glove box. We've had customers report $200 to $500 missing after delivery — cash that had been sitting in cubbies for so long they forgot it was there.

Check every compartment. Check under the seats. Check the trunk pockets. Take out every cent.

4. All Loose Items in the Cabin

Loose items become projectiles during transport. When a carrier brakes sharply at highway speeds, everything that isn't secured by a seat belt or a storage slot becomes a flying object. A metal water bottle can crack a window. A can of aerosol spray can rupture and cover your interior. A box of tools can gouge your upholstery.

The rule is simple: if it isn't bolted to the car, it comes out. This includes:

• Water bottles, travel mugs, coffee tumblers
• Loose change (which can scratch surfaces)
• Books, magazines, and notebooks
• Umbrellas and bags
• Children's toys and car seats

Pro Tip: Set a clear plastic bin next to the car the night before pickup. Walk through the vehicle systematically — front seats, back seats, trunk — and drop everything into the bin. You'll be surprised at how much is hiding in your car. Then do one final pass in the morning before the driver arrives.

5. Aftermarket Accessories That Stick Out

Certain aftermarket accessories create height, width, or clearance issues during transport. Carriers have strict height restrictions — typically around 7 feet — for vehicles loaded onto multi-car trailers. If your vehicle has accessories that push it beyond those limits, the driver may refuse the load or charge an additional oversized fee.

Remove before shipping:

• Roof racks and cargo carriers (unless permanently mounted and low-profile)
• Bike racks and kayak mounts on the roof
• Oversized antennas or aftermarket antennas that extend beyond the roofline
• Truck bed covers that add significant height if not flush-folding

6. Toll Tags and E-ZPass Transponders

This is one of those "insider knowledge" items that most first-time shippers overlook completely. Your EZPass, SunPass, TxTag, or any other electronic toll transponder is actively scanning for toll plazas as your vehicle rides on the carrier truck. If the carrier drives through a toll lane, your transponder may register the charge and deduct it from your account — even though you didn't drive through the toll yourself.

We've had customers get billed for tolls in states they've never even visited. Remove your transponder, put it in a shielded bag, or place it in the glove box face-down to prevent accidental scanning. Better yet, just pull it out entirely and put it in your purse or briefcase.

7. Parking Passes and Garage Card Readers

Related to the toll tag issue: remove parking garage access cards, university-issued parking permits, and employee parking badges from your visor or windshield mount. These have no monetary value to a thief, but if they allow building access, you've created a security risk.

8. Prescription Medications

Never leave prescription medication in a vehicle during shipping. This includes:

• Pills or capsules stored in the glove box or console
• Emergency EpiPens
• Any controlled substances
• Medical supplies or syringes

Beyond the obvious security concerns, most prescription medications have strict temperature requirements. A car sitting baking on an open trailer in summer heat can reach 150°F inside. That kind of temperature will degrade medication efficacy rapidly.

9. Firearms and Ammunition

This is actually a federal issue. Carriers do not have the authority to transport firearms or ammunition. If a driver discovers a firearm during the vehicle inspection, they have the right — and often the legal obligation — to refuse the load. You could lose your spot and your deposit if this is discovered on pickup day.

Always remove all firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories from the vehicle before your transport date. No exceptions.

10. Flammable or Hazardous Liquids

Carriers are prohibited from transporting hazardous materials by federal DOT regulations. This applies to your car's interior as much as its trunk or cargo area. Remove:

• Extra fuel containers or jerry cans
• Propane tanks (even small camping canisters)
• Containers of gasoline, paint thinner, or acetone
• Large bottles of aerosol products

Speaking of fuel — your vehicle's gas tank should be at approximately one-quarter full (25%) for transport. A full tank adds unnecessary weight to the carrier truck and can create liability issues. An empty tank is also problematic because the driver needs enough fuel to load and position the vehicle on the trailer. The quarter-tank rule is the industry standard for a reason.

11. Custom Seat Covers and Accessories

If you have valuable or fragile aftermarket accessories inside the cabin — premium leather seat covers that are not permanently installed, steering wheel covers, floor mat sets, or custom shift knobs — it's worth deciding which to leave and which to pull out.

Anything that can be easily removed and is worth more than $50 should come out. During transit, vehicles shift. Things slide. What was perfectly positioned when the truck left your driveway may look very different when it arrives at the destination.

12. Child Car Seats and Booster Seats

Remove child safety seats. All of them. Car seats are not only personal property (not covered by carrier insurance), but they also add weight during transit and can shift unpredictably. More importantly, if a car seat shifts and strikes an interior surface repeatedly during a multi-day haul, it can cause seat upholstery damage that is difficult to prove was transport-related.

13. Roof Cargo Boxes and Ski Racks

If your vehicle has a roof cargo box — the kind that adds 12 to 18 inches of height above the roofline — you almost certainly need to remove it. Roof boxes routinely exceed the height clearance of multi-car carrier trailers. A driver who shows up and discovers a rooftop cargo box may be unable to load the vehicle, resulting in a failed pickup.

If the roof box is truly bolted on and you cannot remove it, contact your shipping company before booking to confirm carrier compatibility. Some vehicles require specialized transport under these circumstances.

If this applies to your situation, ask about our enclosed auto transport options, which sometimes accommodate taller vehicles with modifications better than standard open carriers.

14. Spare Keys and Additional Vehicle Keys

Leave one set of keys with the driver. That's it. Pull every other key off the key ring and keep them with you. This includes:

• Spare car keys on the same key ring
• House keys attached to the key fob
• Office or storage unit keys
• Any key that opens something other than the vehicle being shipped

The driver needs one set to load, position, and offload the vehicle. There's no reason for them to have access to your home, office, or storage unit. This is basic security hygiene that people overlook in the chaos of moving day.

15. Any Item Over 100 Pounds in the Trunk

Most carriers permit a small amount of personal items in the trunk — typically up to 100 pounds, kept below the window line. Some carriers allow nothing at all. Always verify your specific carrier's policy at the time of booking.

However, even if your carrier permits 100 pounds, do not place heavy items in the trunk if you can avoid it. Excessive weight in the rear of the vehicle affects the trailer's load distribution. Drivers have the right to refuse a vehicle that is significantly overloaded in the cargo area beyond the terms of the shipment agreement.

The Pre-Shipping Checklist: A Quick Reference

Before your driver arrives, run through this fast checklist:

1. All electronics removed (GPS, dash cam, tablet, etc.)
2. All personal documents out of the glove box
3. Cash and valuables retrieved
4. Cabin clear of all loose items
5. Roof racks and exterior accessories removed
6. Toll transponders removed or shielded
7. Parking passes and access cards removed
8. No medications left inside
9. No firearms or ammo
10. No flammable liquids in the cabin or trunk
11. Fragile aftermarket accessories removed
12. Child safety seats removed
13. Roof cargo box removed (if applicable)
14. Only ONE set of keys on the key ring for the driver
15. Trunk weight under 100 lbs (and cleared with your carrier first)

What You CAN Leave in the Car

Here's what's generally fine to leave in the vehicle during transport:

• The owner's manual and vehicle documentation folder in the glove box
• A spare tire (it stays with the car as part of the vehicle — just confirm it's properly stored in the wheel well)
• The vehicle's factory jack and toolkit (stored in the trunk compartment)
• Permanently mounted features like factory navigation systems, permanently wired dashcams, and built-in roof rails

If you want to learn more about what the vehicle prep process looks like from start to finish, our guide on how to prepare your car for transport covers the full pre-shipping inspection process in detail.

What Happens If You Leave Things Behind?

Let's be realistic. If you leave items in the car and something goes wrong, you have limited options for recovery.

Standard carrier cargo insurance covers the vehicle and its factory-installed components only. Personal items are explicitly excluded in virtually every carrier operating agreement. If you file a claim for a stolen laptop or missing cash, the carrier's insurance will deny it. The broker — including us — cannot override that exclusion.

A customer shipping from Chicago to Phoenix told us she had left a designer handbag under the back seat "by accident." She discovered the theft on delivery. Despite our best efforts, there was nothing we could do. The carrier denied liability. The handbag was gone. It was a $600 lesson in vehicle prep.

Don't learn the hard way. Remove everything.

Ready to Ship? Here's Your Next Step

Now that you know exactly what needs to come out of your car, you're more prepared than 90% of first-time shippers. Solid preparation makes pickup day go faster, keeps your belongings safe, and ensures the carrier can load your vehicle without any surprises or delays.

At Furious Auto Shipping, we walk every customer through the prep process when they book — so you're never going into pickup day blind. Our team is available to answer questions, confirm what your specific carrier allows, and make sure your vehicle gets picked up on time.

Use our car shipping cost calculator to get your instant, transparent quote, and let's get your vehicle on the road safely.