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Auto transport times and estimates

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Home  |  Car Transport   |   Auto transport times and estimates

Auto Transport TimesOne consideration when shipping a vehicle is the auto transport times. Most auto transport customers have jobs or school to schedule around. Many also have to coordinate moving trucks or air travel, so being able to cherry-pick the exact timing of the auto transport schedule would be ideal. But cross-country transport scheduling does not often allow for exact timing. In this industry, the standard is to provide estimates for carrier arrival.

Auto transport timing is different than a bus schedule because there’s a completely different process at work. In order for auto transporting to be cost effective, a carrier has to have a full truckload of cars going from the same general area in the same direction. But the carrier isn't going from hub to hub, or even to the same city every time. Each truck scheduled serves unique customers, so timing will vary from the last run. Traffic and weather varies from season to season. And your driver is limited in the consecutive hours he can log in behind the wheel.

Drivers typically provide estimates for pick-up and delivery, rather than exact times and dates, and it is a prediction. Exact timing cannot be anticipated precisely or nor managed en route, so it is realistic to leave a little wiggle room for the estimates. The average transit time from coast to coast is 7 to 10 days, but a transport can be completed in less time or take longer than average. The timing estimated by your carrier at the time of booking is not a guarantee but a best guess.

We understand that it’s hard to plan around a “best guess”, but it is realistic to be prepared for a window of arrival rather than a guaranteed time. Many auto transport customers have to enlist a friend or a family member as a back-up contact. Or you may have to take a day off from work to meet your carrier, as drivers usually work regular business hours Monday through Friday. Your driver will give you an estimate for his arrival, of course. He doesn't want to inconvenience you but every run is a new and untested route, so he handles what comes as it comes and then he’s got to keep rolling.

If you have any questions about auto transport timing, please give us a call at 866-221-1664.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to Your Car Moving Questions

The hardest thing for people researching car moving companies to understand is that the prices they are getting are not hard and fast gaurantees, but rather ESTIMATES of what one company thinks it will take to get a vehicle moved promptly versus another company's opinion of what it will take. Don't be fooled, there are not carriers committed to take your vehicle at these quoted prices, the company you choose will still have to get to work getting a carrier to commit to move it at the price they quote you.

Your total price breaks down into two parts, the broker's fee (or 'deposit' as everyone calls it) and the carriers fee (your COD amount) Make no mistake about this, EVERYONE YOU ARE GETTING SALES CALLS FROM IS GOING TO BROKER YOUR MOVE. In this industry, there are brokers who try to fool you into thinking that they are the actual carriers and there are an equal amount of carriers who sell themselves on the fact that they have a truck or two but are not being honest about the fact that they broker out 90% of the orders they book. Here is a quick easy way to tell, if a company takes an up front fee, whether they call it a deposit or any other name, they are a broker. Carriers do not take any payment until the vehicle is delivered.

In our opinion, you are crazy to do so. Have you ever been paid up front for the work that you perform for your employer? Why would you pay a fee up front when there are reliable and trustworthy companies like ours that won't ask for it until we provide you with your carriers details?

The average transit time from pick up to delivery on any vehicle going coast to coast will be between one and two weeks. From there you can figure your transit time based on how far your vehicle is traveling, i.e. from either coast to the Midwest might average 3-7 days.

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