Why conclude an auto transport contract
When it comes to cargo transportation, not only domestic but also outside the country, such an expensive product as a car requires increased responsibility. After all, a long journey is fraught with dangers of damage, difficult weather conditions, improper or insufficient fixation of the car and even theft. And, although the driver bears responsibility on the way, and the carrier in general is responsible, the customer must insure himself. This is what the contract for the car carriage is intended for.
Why is the contract so important?
If the cargo consignor, that is, the service customer, does not conclude a car transport contract and sends the car through the transport company, he is at great risk. The fact is that in case of non-fulfillment of the obligations imposed on the company, the sender is not entitled to demand the fulfillment of all agreements related to the delivery of a valuable cargo.
Without signing an official transportation document, there is a high contract risk being recognized as incomplete with the appropriate legal force. Accordingly, if the carrier does not complete the task within the agreed time frame, the customer will not have any legal tools to influence the situation.
Key points of the agreement
How to protect yourself as much as possible when working with a shipping company? Sign a correctly drawn up contract. Ideally, it should contain a number of points:
- The subject of the contract is the transportation services provision for the purpose of delivering a particular cargo, which is entrusted to the carrier at a specific point with further transfer to a specific person authorized to receive the transported cargo. The sender (who is also the customer) is obliged to pay for such a service. There are also nuances here. The subject of the contract is not legally established, and the contract is not considered concluded if the document does not contain: cargo key characteristics (name, quantity, weight, dimensions, etc.), the date of departure/delivery of the car, as well as the place of acceptance and car delivery.
- Data of the cargo consignor, as well as the carrier company name and its details.
- Car delivery time and calculation type.
- A clear description of the transport that will be used for the goods carriage.
All of the above conditions can be established both directly by the contract and in its annexes (with a mandatory reference in the contract).
Important: the contract for transportation must be confirmed by the bill of lading.