There are a lot of things to think about when choosing a car shipping company, which can include everything from pricing, safety, and availability, but the first step you will have to make when looking for the right company is deciding what kind of vehicle transportation services you want. The first step in vehicle transport is knowing when and where you want the car transported.
If you are using open-top auto shipping, then chances are that your vehicle is going to be shipped along with several other vehicles. With open car transport, your vehicle is typically shipped in a long, double-decker trailer. If you opt for open-trailer transportation, your car is transported with the rest of the vehicles, which helps to lower costs.
Shipping on any kind of trailer, or transporter, is going to cost more than trying to do it yourself. It should be apparent that the farther away your car needs to travel, the more shipping will cost.
While the mileage costs are lower the longer you travel, vehicles shipped shorter still incur the fuel costs. This means that moving a short-distance car could cost just as much as moving one across country.
The average cost in the industry for moving a vehicle by car shipping companies is more than $2.00 per mile for trips under 200 miles. Car shipping generally costs $700 to $1,200 if moving across the Continental United States, according to the HomeAdvisor, a website that provides services for families.
In general, it can take up to four weeks for car shipping to arrive in the continental U.S., and most cars arrive within six to 12 days, according to moving services website Move.org. Shipping your vehicle in an emergency costs more than on a normal schedule, as a car-shipping company must devote resources and manpower within a shorter period to ensure that your vehicle shipment request is a success.
Even if your items are insured, the auto transport companies are usually not licensed to carry home items, and they will decline to do so. A professional auto transport company, such as Nationwide Transport Services, provides you with coverage on your behalf, so that should any claims arise, you can approach your insurer directly.
Whether a company is a vehicle mover or a car hauler, it is up to the company to find a reliable car hauler that will safely move your car. Brokers make offers to transport your vehicle, and once you sign the agreement, they find the transporter who will transport your car. In both cases, a traditional moving company will either move your motor vehicle or arrange for it to be shipped.
Traditional moving companies, like those that you probably chose for moving your belongings, can and cannot move your motor vehicle. Many larger, full-service moving companies do offer auto transportation, so a moving company that you are already working with might also be able to move your vehicle. While moving a vehicle by auto mover is the most popular option, it is far from the only way to move your car cross-country.
Most people prefer shipping a car via open-jaw vehicle transportation to get the lowest rates. For the required, many auto transportation companies will only send vehicles that are capable of rolling, brakes, and steering, and others will charge more for shipping non-operable vehicles.
Cars that are inoperable usually need additional equipment, like a tow strap or a forklift, to get loaded on the carriers trucks. Those who own specialty classics or rare cars may wish to transport the car on a closed-carrier. If you are shipping a classic vehicle, paying an additional top-loading charge to secure the car from harmful fluids is recommended, or opt to have the car shipped in an enclosed carrier.
Transport keeps classics or high-value vehicles safe from rocks, weather, etc. Transporting your vehicle on an enclosed trailer costs around $1,800-$2,000 coast-to-coast. Loading will usually work well for someone moving because they will be able to use the trunk and passenger seats to haul items as long as the vehicle itself is being transported.
Soon, the driver will arrive to load your vehicle on a transport trailer. You are paying slightly more upfront, meaning that the trucker ends up making more money delivering your vehicle, causing demand to be higher for your vehicle, leading to your car getting onto the trailer a lot faster than you would have with the basic standard method of shipping. Because it is cheaper, your car will fall behind the highest paying customers, and it will get shipped based on available space.
A good rule to keep in mind is the larger a car is, the more expensive it is too transport. Large trucks and SUVs will be costlier to ship then compact cars due to impacts. Standard sedans and compact cars are far cheaper to transport.
If you have to move your vehicle cross-country, there are a number of methods that can work, along with specific factors about your vehicle that affect cost. The best transportation solution for shipping your vehicle depends on the vehicles size, weight, and number of vehicles being shipped.
In any case, although there are a variety of methods for transporting cars (including planes, trains, and boats), the most common is certainly open-topped carriers, the kind of trucks that you may see shipping new cars at car dealerships. An enclosed transport is usually the preferred shipping method for owners looking to move a new car, an antique, collectible or high-value car.
If you are a family with multiple vehicles, or you are planning on moving via plane to your new home, not only do you have to make arrangements to have your home contents moved, but you also have to have your cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, and even boats transported by professional mover. Shipping a vehicle by a professional moving company means that you will spend the time you would have spent driving it doing something else. Alternatively, you could look forward to savings if you could drop off your vehicle at one central transportation hub and have another pick up at a different hub.
