Certain heists such as Watchdogs and Rats Day 3 have two different vehicles that are generally available at the same time. One is indicated to the player as a loot securing vehicle and the other is indicated to the player as an escape vehicle.
Can loot be secured by taking it with you to the escape vehicle even though the game doesn't offer a "loot secured" text alert?
I see three scenarios that can be tested:
1) Loot is secured in the dedicate loot vehicle
2) Loot is on the ground in the escape area
3) Loot is on a player's back who is in the escape area
Best Answer
Further testing indicates that only Rats Day 3 allows you to skip the loot vehicle by carrying the bags. Dropping the bags on the escape area does not count.
We tested this on Rats Day 3 by taking the cash bags to the escape chopper rather than loot chopper and they did count towards our reward for the mission (listed as bag loot items). Only the bags carried by players were counted. I haven't tested on other missions.