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The Basics of Car Shipping

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Home  |  Car Shipping   |   The Basics of Car Shipping

If you’ve never relied on a car shipping company to move your vehicle from point A to point B, the process can seem a bit daunting. When you know the basics of shipping, finding the right company to ship your vehicle becomes manageable. Read on to learn how car shipping works, as well as a short guide to finding the very best car shipping company for you.

The process is relatively simple: when you need to ship your car, you can invest in a car shipping broker to find the right carrier for you. Some brokers excel at what they do, by screening thousands of carriers to find just the right one for each customer. Once you’ve found a few shipping companies you’re interested in (read our guide below to know how to find the right company), you’ll receive an online quote, sign your contract, arrange for a pick-up time and agree on a delivery ‘window’ of time.

Do Your Due Diligence (to Find the Right Car Shipping Company For You)  

Now that you know how car shipping works, it’s time to find the right one! Here are two straightforward ways you can determine which company will give you the care, attention, and service you require (and which ones won’t):

  • Read the reviews. Online reviews of a company can often be found on their website. It’s a great way for a prospective customer to find out how on-time a vehicle is delivered, and how well customers are treated from start to finish. You can search through reviews to answer a few key questions such as: are you current on all required licenses to transport? What insurance do you offer? Are there any hidden/additional fees I need to consider? What is the communication like? Do they offer any ‘perks’ like door-to-door service?
  • What kind of service do they offer? Your vehicle has been an important investment, and one you treat with the utmost care. So, shouldn’t your car transport company treat it with the same level of care when it’s out of your hands? Look for keywords when considering a transport company such as ‘guarantee’ (and then ask them what and how they guarantee your vehicle will be returned to you in the same condition you left it!)

Whether you’re shipping your car across state lines or across the open sea, it takes some time and commitment to finding the right carrier for you. If you don’t have the time to devote learning about each available carrier (who does?), put trust in the experts. Ship A Car Direct offers their customers the advantage of pre-screened carriers (7,500 of them!), as well as a damage-free guarantee. Contact them today to learn why so many people have placed their trust and their vehicle in Ship A Car Directs hands!

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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