Odds are that if you’ve never used an auto transport company before, you may not know much about them or how they work. However, they could come in handy if moving from point A to point B is a big move?
Here’s everything you need to know about vehicle transportation services, how they work, getting an estimate, and how to find the best car transport company for your needs:
What Is an Auto Transport Service?
An auto transportation service is a company that specializes in transporting vehicles from one location to another. These companies are particularly useful if you’re moving across the country or even overseas.
While the general shipment premise may seem simple, there’s more to these companies than meets the eye. For instance, they have to worry about logistics like scheduling, pickup, delivery locations, inspections, safety, and customer service.
The best vehicle shipping services handle all of these issues for you for a completely stress-free process.
How Does a Car Shipping Company Work?
Let’s dive deeper into some of the inner workings of car shipping services so that you can better understand how they work:
Different Methods of Transport
Different companies may specialize in different methods of transport. Vehicles can be transported in four different ways: by air, train, boat, or truck.
Air and boat may be necessary for international moves whereas train and truck are useful for domestic moves. By far the most popular and also most economic way to move your car is to use a truck. In this instance, your car is loaded onto a truck that is then driven by a professional driver to its destination.
Open Transport vs. Enclosed Transport
There are two different types of carriers involved in transporting your vehicle during a long-distance move: open and enclosed.
Open carriers are the carriers that you frequently see car shippers using on the highway. They usually consist of two decks of units that are loaded and secured onto the carrier. On the other hand, there are enclosed carriers that provide better protection to units being shipped.
The choice of an open or an enclosed carrier is completely up to you. If you choose an enclosed carrier, you should expect to pay more. This option is typically used for more expensive cars that require additional protection.
An open carrier is a lot cheaper while still being safe and is ideal for transporting your typical car.
Door Delivery vs. Terminal Shipping
There are also two different types of services offered by vehicle transportation companies: door-to-door transportation and terminal service for automobile transport.
Door service involves selecting the pick-up and drop-off locations of your vehicle based on what’s convenient for you. For instance, you may want your vehicle to be picked up at work and dropped off at your new home.
Conversely, there’s terminal service. Terminal service involves your vehicle being picked up and dropped off from a more central location that is determined by the carrier. You will need to drive your vehicle to and from these locations so that it can be loaded onto and off of the truck.
Clearly, door service is more convenient for you but keep in mind that you will pay for this convenience.
Insurance Coverage
In an ideal world, your vehicle would arrive at its destination without a scratch. And while that’s always the goal, things happen on the road. This is where insurance coverage comes into play.
Most vehicle transportation services offer some sort of insurance coverage when transporting your vehicle. However, you may want to consider supplemental coverage depending on your personal auto insurance policy and the overall value of your vehicle.
What to Look for in a Vehicle Transportation Service?
Not all vehicle transportation services are created equal so you’re going to want to find the best one to entrust with your vehicle.
First of all, you may want to ask friends and family who have shipped their vehicles in the past if they recommend a certain company. Or, you can research online. A simple internet search can turn up countless vehicle transportation services to choose from.
But how do you narrow it down? For starters, you should generally browse their websites to get more information about the services they offer, their values, and their mission. From there, you should check their licensure and reviews on external websites like the Better Business Bureau or even Google.
Once you have narrowed down your list of contenders to around three, it’s time to move on to the next step in the process.
How Much Does It Cost to Use a Vehicle Transportation Service?
You also won’t need to spend an arm and a leg to get your car to your new home. But it can be hard to pinpoint a general cost for using a vehicle transportation service because there are so many different variables involved in the pricing process.
For instance, the size and weight of your car will affect the pricing -- with smaller and lighter vehicles like sedans being cheaper than bigger and heavier vehicles like SUVs and trucks. Furthermore, the timing of your move will also affect the cost -- expect to pay a premium during busy times like the summer as well as the holiday season.
A particularly obvious factor that will affect how much it costs to use a vehicle transportation service is the shipping distance. Generally speaking, you can expect to pay more for longer distances. Most vehicle transportation services charge you based on the mile with different tiers for short, medium, and long distances.
You should reach out to your top contender companies for an exact quote, but you should know that the average cost of shipping a car is around $1,000 to $1,200.
Is Using a Vehicle Transportation Service Worth It?
If you’re experiencing sticker shock, you’re probably wondering if it’s worth it. While $1,000 may seem like a lot, you need to consider the alternatives.
If you were to simply drive the car on your own, you would spend a lot of money on gas, accommodations, and food along the way. Plus, it could be difficult, dangerous, and exhausting if you’re not a professional driver. For this reason, we wholeheartedly believe that using a vehicle transportation service is well worth a stress and hassle-free approach to moving.
Expectations When Using a Vehicle Transportation Service
When you use a vehicle transportation service, there are expectations involved that you should know of. In terms of expectations for the driver and the transportation company, they are obviously expected to get your car to the right location with a "damage-free guarantee. They should also get it there in the agreed-upon timeframe.
In terms of expectation for the vehicle owner, you are expected to drop off and pick up your vehicle in an agreed-upon manner, clean the vehicle, inspect the vehicle, and pay the expected amount from your car shipping quote for the services.
Wrap Up on Vehicle Transportation Services
Vehicle transportation services are a great solution for cross-country moves. So instead of having to worry about driving all of that distance on your own, leave it to the professionals at RPM.
Sources:
Car Shipping: How It Works | NerdWallet
Do I Really Need an Enclosed Car Carrier? | Move.org
How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Car Across the Country? | Forbes