Wash the vehicle a day before pickup. A clean surface makes the condition inspection honest and fast, and the photos taken at pickup become your protection at delivery.
Leave about a quarter tank of fuel, remove personal items and toll transponders, fold in the mirrors, and note anything that does not start, roll, or brake normally. Non-running vehicles can absolutely be moved, but the driver must know in advance to bring the right equipment.
Photograph the vehicle from all four corners plus close-ups of any existing marks, with the date visible on your phone. At delivery, walk the same corners before signing. In the rare case something happened on the road, that ten-minute habit is what makes the claim simple.
Mechanical honesty is the part that saves the most trouble. A weak battery, a slow leak, a parking brake that sticks: none of these prevent transport, but every one of them changes how the driver loads the vehicle. Telling us in advance costs nothing; discovering it on the ramp costs everyone an hour.
Think about clearance if the vehicle is lowered. Splitters and low bumpers survive loading when the driver knows to bring race ramps or a trailer with a shallow angle. That is a one-line note at registration that prevents the most common cosmetic damage in the industry.
On personal items: the practical and legal answer is to remove them. Cargo insurance covers the vehicle, not the belongings inside it, and added weight in the trunk is weight the carrier never agreed to move.
Finally, be reachable on pickup and delivery days, or name someone who is. A released vehicle with a signed condition report and a present adult is a five-minute handoff; an empty driveway is a rescheduled one.