Car Shipping for Travel Nurses and Travel Physicians

As soon as your assignment location and start date are confirmed, contact SAC to begin the booking process. The earlier you book, the better your carrier options and the more competitive your rate. For travel healthcare workers with tight start dates, earlier booking is the most effective way to guarantee your vehicle arrives before you need it.

If your assignment is confirmed just days before your start date, call SAC immediately. We work with urgent timelines regularly and will do everything possible to dispatch a carrier quickly. Last-minute bookings are possible on most routes – they may cost slightly more, but SAC will always present you with the most affordable available option.

Clear everything out of your car before pickup. Medical equipment, scrubs, personal documents, electronics, and any other items left in the vehicle are not covered by carrier insurance. Most carriers will also decline to load a vehicle with visible personal property inside.

For travel healthcare workers who use their cars as a second closet between assignments, this step is worth planning ahead. Do a full sweep of the trunk, back seat, glove box, and all door pockets before the carrier arrives. Pack everything you need for the assignment into luggage that travels with you separately.

Give the car a basic wash before pickup and take time-stamped photos from all angles – front, rear, both sides, wheels, and interior. Note any pre-existing scratches, dings, or chips. This documentation is your baseline for the Bill of Lading condition report and your protection in the rare event of a damage dispute after delivery.

At pickup, review the Bill of Lading the driver completes against your photos before signing. For travel healthcare workers shipping frequently across multiple assignments, maintaining a consistent photo record each time is a simple habit that provides ongoing protection no matter how many times you ship.

If your vehicle has an aftermarket alarm or motion-sensitive security system, disable it before transport. Carrier vibrations during transit can trigger sensitive alarms, drain the battery, and create complications for the driver – especially on long-haul routes to distant assignments.

Standard factory alarms are generally not a concern. If your car has an aftermarket system and you are unsure how to disable it, check with the installer or provide deactivation instructions to your SAC coordinator before pickup day so the driver is fully briefed when they arrive.

Keep the fuel level at approximately a quarter tank before transport. This is sufficient for loading and unloading without adding unnecessary weight. A full tank is not needed and simply adds excess weight to the carrier load.

Make sure there is enough fuel to drive a short distance after delivery. If your assignment housing is near the delivery point, a quarter tank is more than enough to get you to the nearest gas station. For assignments in areas where you are unfamiliar with the local geography, your SAC coordinator can give you a heads up about the delivery location so you can plan accordingly.

Before handing the car over, do a quick check – are the tires properly inflated and does the car start reliably? A vehicle with a flat tire or a dead battery cannot be loaded onto the carrier without special equipment that must be pre-arranged. A 5-minute check before pickup day prevents a significant headache.

If your car has been sitting unused for a while before an assignment – especially if you flew to a previous assignment and left it parked at home – charge the battery and check tire pressure before the carrier arrives. A car that cannot be driven onto the ramp may require inoperable vehicle handling, which adds cost and must be pre-arranged with your SAC coordinator.

Provide your SAC coordinator with accurate pickup and delivery addresses, including any access codes, gate information, or building-specific instructions that apply to your housing at either end of the shipment. Apartment complexes, hospital campus housing, and gated communities all have varying access requirements that the driver needs to know about in advance.

For delivery at hospital campus housing or medical facility residences, check whether the facility has restrictions on large commercial vehicles and confirm any designated drop-off areas. Your SAC coordinator will relay this information to the driver before dispatch so there are no surprises on delivery day – the last thing you need at the start of a new assignment is a vehicle logistics problem.