Moving Companies and Car Shipping: What to Ask First
You are moving across Canada. The furniture is being packed, the house is being cleared out, and your moving company offers to take care of the car as well. One quote, one contact, one less job on your list.
It sounds convenient. But before accepting, ask a question that matters more than the convenience: How, exactly, will my vehicle be transported?
Does the offer mean a purpose-built car carrier, a household moving van, a shipping container, or a booking with another transport company? These are the distinctions to resolve before you agree.
Our opinion is straightforward: choose the vehicle-shipping method on its own merits—not simply because someone has offered to add your car to the furniture quote.
“We can move your car” is not a complete transport plan
There is a difference between selling a vehicle-shipping service and physically performing it.
Some moving companies arrange vehicle transport through third-party carriers. Others may offer to carry a vehicle in the moving van itself. Container-based services can involve loading a vehicle and household goods together using a planned racking arrangement. These are documented service models, not evidence by themselves that a company is doing anything wrong. [1][2][3]
What should concern you is an unexplained service model.
When a quote simply says “vehicle transport included,” you should not have to guess what that means. Is your car travelling with your furniture or separately? Is the company using its own equipment? Is a specialist being contracted? Will the vehicle be transferred or stored along the way?
We believe those questions belong in the sales conversation, not in a hurried discussion after the truck arrives.
One invoice should not mean less information.
A dry van is not automatically an enclosed car carrier
A dry van is an enclosed general-freight trailer. Enclosing a load protects it from direct exposure to the outside, but the presence of walls and a roof does not establish that the trailer is appropriately equipped to load and secure a vehicle. Northbridge Insurance’s dry-van guidance describes general-freight operations, while its auto-hauler guidance separately identifies vehicle hauling as work requiring specialized training. [4][6]
That is the distinction consumers should focus on.
An enclosed vehicle carrier is a vehicle-transport service, not merely a promise that the car will be somewhere indoors. MVS Canada distinguishes open car-hauler transport, specialized enclosed vehicle trailers, and railcars specifically used for automobiles. A general-freight container and an automotive railcar are not the same thing simply because both can travel by train. [5]
A moving van or general-freight trailer can potentially be equipped and operated appropriately for a particular vehicle shipment. The label alone does not prove suitability—or unsuitability.
Our advice is to ask about the actual loading equipment, restraint system, vehicle clearance and operator experience. A reassuring word such as “enclosed” should not end that conversation.
The risks start before the truck reaches the highway
Vehicle transport is not just a long drive. Loading and securing the car require their own expertise. Northbridge’s auto-hauler guidance specifically discusses improper loading, driver training and equipment maintenance as relevant risks. [6]
Loading and unloading
Ask how your vehicle will enter and leave the trailer at both ends of the journey. Will suitable ramps, a vehicle-capable lift or a loading facility be available? Has the operator considered the vehicle’s weight, width, ground clearance and any modifications?
The important question is not simply whether the car fits inside. It is whether there is a workable plan to get it in, secure it, access it when necessary and get it out without damage.
Vehicle-specific instructions matter, too. For example, Tesla’s Model 3 transporter instructions warn that attaching tie-down straps to the chassis, suspension or other body components may cause damage. They also warn against placing straps over body panels or through the wheels. This is a model-specific example—not a universal loading procedure—but it shows why general moving experience is not a substitute for understanding the vehicle being handled. [9]
Keeping the vehicle secured
Canada’s National Safety Code Standard 10 contains a dedicated “Vehicles as Cargo” division. For cars, trucks and vans weighing 4,500 kilograms or less, it specifies restraint at the front and rear against movement in multiple directions and addresses appropriate attachment points. Provincial guidance, including British Columbia’s, directs carriers and drivers to the cargo-securement standard. [7][8]
Closing the trailer doors is not a substitute for meeting those requirements. Nor should a customer accept “we will put it in Park” as the entire explanation of how a vehicle will be secured.
You do not need to become a cargo-securement engineer. You do need an operator who can explain the system being used and demonstrate relevant experience.
Protecting the car from the other cargo
When a vehicle shares space with furniture and boxes, ask two separate questions: how is the car secured, and how are the other goods prevented from contacting it?
For example, a properly restrained car could still be damaged if an inadequately secured item beside it shifts into a door or body panel. That is a foreseeable loading scenario, not a claim about the frequency of damage at any particular mover.
The international IMO/ILO/UNECE CTU Code identifies inadequate securing, overloading and incorrect declarations among concerns associated with poorly packed cargo transport units. It is a non-mandatory global code of practice for container packing and handling by land and sea—not a guarantee that any particular shipment has been prepared properly. [10]
Our view: a mixed load needs a deliberate protection plan, not an assumption that everything will stay where it was placed.
Shipping containers are not the problem. Improvised vehicle shipping is.
It would be misleading to say that a vehicle should never travel in a shipping container. Canadian providers advertise professionally planned vehicle-and-household-goods container arrangements, including racking. [3]
The question is whether the proposed arrangement is appropriate for your vehicle, your route and the other cargo.
Before accepting a container option, ask who will load it, what vehicle-specific equipment and restraints will be used, how the other goods will be separated or secured, and how unloading will work at destination. Also ask whether every carrier involved accepts the proposed load and which coverage applies to the vehicle.
A professional answer should describe the actual service. “It fits in the container” is not enough.
We would apply the same scrutiny to a dry-van proposal. Neither containers nor household moving vans should be presented as equivalent to specialized vehicle transport without explaining the equipment, procedures and limitations involved.
“Fully insured” does not answer the most important question
The question is not simply whether the moving company has insurance. It is: What protection applies to my particular vehicle during the service I am buying?
Northbridge distinguishes commercial automobile insurance, cargo insurance and commercial general liability insurance. Its guidance explains that cargo insurance can respond to liability for loss or damage to third-party goods, while commercial automobile insurance addresses the company’s vehicles and associated road risks. These are different protections. [11]
A statement such as “we have $2 million in insurance” therefore leaves important questions unanswered. What policy is being discussed? Does it cover the customer’s vehicle as cargo? What limits, deductibles and exclusions apply? Does the coverage respond during loading, transfers and storage, or only in particular circumstances?
Ask for written vehicle-specific coverage information and supporting evidence from the appropriate insurer or insurance broker where necessary. A large headline number is not an explanation of what a claim would actually involve.
Household-goods valuation is not automatically vehicle coverage
The federal Office of Consumer Affairs advises consumers to clarify moving coverage and notes that, without replacement value protection, a mover’s liability is generally $0.60 per pound per item. That is general moving guidance—not a universal settlement rule for every car transported in Canada. [12]
More importantly for vehicle owners, the Canadian Association of Movers treats motor vehicles separately in its liability guidance. It says they must be individually shown on the bill of lading and describes protection limited to the current market value associated with the vehicle’s year, model and condition. [13]
The takeaway is not that every moving company lacks vehicle protection. It is that the protection offered for your sofa does not establish the protection offered for your SUV.
Ask whether the vehicle is accepted under the proposed protection, what value is recorded, how a total loss would be assessed, and whether the applicable limit is per vehicle or shared with other cargo. Find out what damage is excluded and whether you would be responsible for a deductible.
The Canadian Association of Movers also advises customers to make sure their selected protection is clearly recorded and that the mover’s liability and limitations are explained. Those details should be settled before the move, not discovered during a claim. [13]
Do not overlook storage and handoffs
A cross-country relocation may include a gap between leaving your old home and taking possession of the new one. Plan for the possibility that your car and your furniture will not be needed—or available—on the same day.
Ask where the car will wait, who will have custody, whether it can be released separately from the household goods, and what storage or redelivery charges could apply.
Also ask what happens to coverage during that period. Northbridge’s container-transport guidance distinguishes cargo protection during a limited waiting period from warehouse legal liability coverage for longer storage. Its product-specific time limits should not be treated as an industry-wide rule, but the distinction illustrates why “insured in transit” should not be assumed to mean “insured indefinitely in storage.” [14]
This warning applies to vehicle specialists as well as household movers. MVS Canada’s own coverage guidance explains that not every vehicle, type of damage or stage of a shipment is automatically covered, including potential limitations while a vehicle waits at a terminal. [15]
Our recommendation is to contact your own auto insurer before changing or cancelling coverage. Ask what remains protected during transport and storage and what your relocation requires. The federal consumer guidance likewise recommends checking overall transit protection with your insurance provider. [12]
Outsourcing is not inherently a red flag. Unclear responsibility is.
A moving company that uses a qualified vehicle-transport specialist may be making the right decision. Third-party vehicle arrangements are openly advertised by Canadian movers. There is no sound reason to treat the existence of a transport partner as proof of poor service. [2]
Our concern is different: can the company explain who manages the vehicle shipment, how the transport provider and coverage are checked, who supplies updates, and who receives a damage report?
A single point of contact can be useful. But that contact should understand the vehicle service well enough to do more than repeat that somebody else is handling it.
The same standard should apply to a dedicated vehicle-shipping company working with transport partners. Specialization is valuable when it produces informed planning and clear communication—not merely another label on a quote.
Before booking, get these six things in writing
Use the following as a vehicle-specific checklist, whether you book through a household mover or a vehicle specialist:
1. The transport method. Will the car travel on a car carrier, in a household moving van, in a container, by automotive rail service, or through a combination of methods? Will it share space with furniture?
2. The handling plan. Who will load and unload it? What equipment, restraints and relevant vehicle-handling experience will be used? How will nearby household goods be secured?
3. The coverage. Is your specific vehicle eligible? What declared value, limits, deductible and exclusions apply? What protection applies during loading, transport, handoffs and storage?
4. The responsibility for the service. Is the company performing or arranging transport? Who checks the operating carrier’s credentials and coverage, communicates updates and handles problems?
5. The delivery and pricing terms. Is delivery to your address, a terminal or a meeting point? Are dates estimates or contractual commitments? What storage, transfer or redelivery charges could arise?
6. The inspection and claims process. What condition reports and photographs are required? Who signs at handover? Where must damage be reported, and what deadlines apply?
These are our recommended comparison questions, not a claim that every provider must use identical paperwork or offer identical protection.
Do not overlook your own records. MVS Canada’s photo guidance calls for at least 24 high-quality photographs when the vehicle is handed over. Our claims guidance stresses inspecting the vehicle and documenting any new damage before moving it from the delivery point, with prompt written reporting. Other providers may have different procedures; obtain and follow the ones that apply to your shipment. [16][17]
Our recommendation: separate the decisions, even when the move is bundled
We believe Canadians should obtain a vehicle-specific assessment and a separate car-shipping quote before accepting a bundled household-and-vehicle move.
That does not mean you must reject your moving company’s offer. It means you should know what you are comparing.
A lower price is meaningful only after you understand the equipment, service, coverage and responsibilities behind it. Likewise, a specialist’s higher price is not justified merely by calling the service “premium.” Ask both providers to explain the differences.
If the moving company can demonstrate a suitable vehicle service, relevant expertise and clearly documented protection, assess that proposal on its merits. If the answer is simply “we have room in the truck” or “everything is insured,” we would keep looking.
At MVS Canada, we arrange vehicle shipping using options such as open car carriers, specialized enclosed transport and automotive rail service, depending on the shipment. Those services have their own eligibility requirements, coverage conditions and limitations; customers should review them rather than assume that specialization means unlimited protection. [5][15]
Moving your home and moving your car can be coordinated. They should not be confused.
Before adding your vehicle to a household moving contract, request a vehicle-shipping quote from MVS Canada and compare the actual service—not just the total on the invoice.
This article presents MVS Canada’s opinion and general consumer information. It is not a damage-rate comparison or an assessment of any individual moving company. Coverage and responsibilities depend on the applicable contracts, policies, facts and law.
Sources and further reading
- Guardian Transfer & Storage — Moving Your Vehicle. Published example of moving-van and third-party vehicle arrangements; not an allegation about service quality.
- Alliance Van Lines — Services / Vehicle Shipping. Published description of cooperation with third-party vehicle carriers.
- Viamar — What We Move: Cross-Canada Moving Services. Published description of combined container loading with racking and coordinated auto-carrier options.
- Northbridge Insurance — Dry Vans Insurance. Dry-van operations and relevant coverage categories.
- MVS Canada — Shipping a Car. MVS descriptions of automotive rail, open-carrier and specialized enclosed transport.
- Northbridge Insurance — Auto Haulers Insurance. Specialized training, loading, maintenance and auto-hauler cargo risks.
- Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators — National Safety Code Standard 10: Cargo Securement, June 2013. See definition of light vehicle on printed page 10-9 and Division 7 / section 88 on printed page 10-40. Listed as the current Standard 10 edition on CCMTA’s standards page when researched.
- Government of British Columbia — Cargo Securement. Provincial explanation of carrier and driver responsibilities and reference to NSC Standard 10.
- Tesla — Model 3 Owner’s Manual: Instructions for Transporters. Model-specific restraint warnings; not offered as general instructions for all vehicles.
- UNECE / IMO / ILO — Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code). Non-mandatory international guidance; introductory explanation of packing, securing, overloading and declaration risks.
- Northbridge Insurance — Do I Need Transportation Insurance?. Distinctions among cargo, commercial automobile and commercial general liability insurance.
- Government of Canada, Office of Consumer Affairs — Moving Advice. General consumer guidance on moving coverage, released liability and checking with an insurer.
- Canadian Association of Movers — Liability. Vehicle-specific bill-of-lading and current-market-value guidance, and documenting the selected protection.
- Northbridge Insurance — Container Transportation Insurance. Product-specific explanation of cargo waiting periods and warehouse legal liability; not an industry-wide time limit.
- MVS Canada — Insurance, Coverage and Damage Claims. MVS eligibility, coverage limitations, terminal considerations and transport-partner roles.
- MVS Canada — How to Take Photos of Your Vehicle Before Shipping. MVS origin-photo instructions.
- MVS Canada — Damage Claim Information. MVS inspection, damage documentation and reporting procedures.
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