This is a situation in which the law says “no”, but since it’s such a common request and there’s no harm to it, we are mostly okay with it. The license given to carriers by the FMSCA does not permit the transportation of items inside the vehicles besides the items commonly found in vehicles, e.g., a car seat, radio, spare tire, registration papers, etc. For this reason, neither Carnections nor the carrier we assign to ship your vehicle can nor will be held responsible for loss, theft or damage of anything inside your vehicle. So you put items inside your vehicle at your own risk. The vehicle itself is covered for loss and damage, but goods inside it are not.
Because carriers aren’t legally allowed to carry items inside your vehicle during the transport, they risk a hefty fine for doing so. Carriers also try to keep the total cargo weight to a minimum to save on gas. For these two reasons, we leave it to the individual driver’s discretion as to whether they will allow items inside your vehicle and any fee for doing so. In our experience, drivers are usually okay with less than 150 lbs kept to the rear or trunk of your vehicle and they will usually not charge you any additional fee. If they do charge anything it will be around $100-$200. However, if you pack your vehicle full of goods and if it weighs much more than 150lbs, the fee can go higher. We’ve seen charges as high as $250-$400. The carrier is also more likely to refuse to transport your vehicle.
If items are inside your vehicle, please inform the driver and work out the exact fee (if any) before he loads it onto his truck. Also keep in mind that the fees are usually negotiable. If you fail to inform the driver of goods inside your vehicle, you may be faced with a large unexpected charge at delivery.