AuctionLogistix editorial guide, published September 26, 2026. IAA’s official “Vehicle Pickup and Delivery” guidance was reviewed on September 26, 2026. Its Tow App workflow is a platform-specific example, not a universal auction rule. This is operational education, not auction policy, legal advice, carrier-compliance advice, or a promise of pickup, delivery, pricing, or availability.
Sources:
A proposed load order is not a release confirmation
A buyer can sensibly decide which auction vehicles should be collected first and still have no basis to call the full group ready. The order may be based on destinations, reported condition, storage exposure, receiving capacity, or a carrier’s equipment plan. It does not prove that every stock number is paid, released, located, checked in, or available to leave. Treat the manifest as a control sheet, not a promise. It should make each vehicle’s current facts visible and show where a proposed sequence depends on an unresolved detail. That keeps a practical planning choice from spreading through the team as an unsupported dispatch instruction.
Build one row per vehicle before grouping the move
Start each row with identifiers another person can verify: VIN when available, auction stock or lot number, year, make, model, sale or branch reference, and confirmed physical pickup site. Then add separate fields for buyer-side release state, facility appointment or check-in state, reported keys and mobility facts, destination contact, and the source and time for each material update. Do not let one vehicle’s clean record cover for another unit with a missing location or unresolved release access. A lane summary can count ready and pending vehicles, but the unit row remains the record that supports the claim.
Let the facility control its own pickup workflow
IAA’s published pickup-and-delivery guidance describes the Tow App as giving a transporter stock details, helping define a load order for multiple vehicles, and supporting scheduled pickup and check-in. It also describes visibility into title instructions and outstanding storage charges for scheduled vehicles. Those are useful examples of why a multi-unit plan has both a sequence and facility-controlled prerequisites. They do not mean every auction uses the same app, queue, title process, appointment rule, or release condition. Keep the applicable facility instruction with the relevant unit and follow the auction’s current process rather than copying a general workflow into a carrier note.
Separate the four decisions that usually get merged
For every vehicle, distinguish four different decisions: the buyer’s preferred pullout position; the facility’s current pickup or check-in instruction; the release-access status; and the transport side’s coordination status. A vehicle may be first in the desired order but still pending release. Another may have facility check-in completed while its destination contact has not confirmed a receiving window. A third may have a clear pickup record but no carrier arrangement. A compact status line can keep this honest: “Unit 3: preferred second; facility check-in pending; release access pending; transport planning requested.” The point is clarity, not a bigger spreadsheet.
Use exceptions to control the group
Do not hide open details in a notes column. Give every exception an owner, evidence checked, next action, and last-updated time. Examples include an unconfirmed physical pickup site, a title-handling instruction that has not been reviewed, keys reported absent, mobility unknown, a conflicting release message, or a destination that cannot confirm space. The group can still be planned around those exceptions, but it should not be described as pickup-ready until the relevant unit facts support that label. If a status changes, append a dated update instead of replacing the prior statement. That creates a usable trail when a driver-facing handoff needs to be corrected.
Make the driver-facing version smaller, current, and controlled
A working manifest is not automatically the document a driver needs. Once the proper facility process and release handoff are in place, give the active pickup team only current operational facts: unit identity, confirmed site, current appointment or check-in instruction, reported key and mobility status, known loading exception, destination contact, and a last-mile question contact. Keep controlled release credentials in the approved channel, not in a broad multi-unit sheet. The driver does not need stale planning alternatives; the coordinator still needs the full exception record. Splitting those views limits confusion without stripping out material information.
Run a manifest check before the group moves from planning to execution
Before treating a multi-unit pullout as executable, review every row: can the exact vehicle and physical site be identified; is the current facility instruction available; is release access confirmed or clearly pending; are vehicle facts reported rather than assumed; is the proposed sequence only a proposal where it has not been confirmed; and can the named receiver accept the unit? If any material fact is missing, keep that vehicle visible as pending and name the next owner. This guide does not guarantee facility release, load order, carrier availability, pickup timing, delivery timing, or price. It helps the buyer and transport team preserve a factual file while they plan the move.