How to Ship a Car

First you will likely search online for a company to transport your car from one place to another. Once online you find a wealth of information, some negative, to help guide you on what to do and what not to do. There will be lead companies, review sites, carriers and brokers everywhere you look and it can get overwhelming. The lead companies take your information and sell it to 3-20 different companies, don’t put your information in one of those sites unless you’re ready to take the calls and emails. Review sites can be a wealth of information but they also pander to the companies buying their leads, premium top billing and many times the actual reviews can be altered or were compensated for, it’s worth checking them though to make sure the company you choose isn’t a complete disaster. Carriers are the hard working drivers and actual trucks that pick up and deliver vehicles. Some companies have one truck and some companies have 1000. If you are dealing with a car carrier directly make sure you get their insurance certificate directly from the insurance company, verify their DOT number at www.FMCSA.dot.gov and check out their Safer Rating and the most basic but best resource is always Google! Google any company you intend to work with for moving your vehicle or vehicles. The most important thing to be aware of is that if a carrier is assigned to your shipment then when the truck arrives the SAME NAME of the carrier including DOT and location information must be on the side of the door. RED FLAG: If you were told XYZ carrier was going to pick up your car and it says ABC on the door of the truck you have a problem and ABC carrier has not been properly vetted and you have no idea if they have insurance, a an acceptable safety rating or an active authority to transport. Brokers like us are the glue of the industry they market and find customers, create long lasting relationships and make sure they have quality business for the carriers. They also market and find carriers, create long lasting relationships and make sure they have quality carriers for their customers. Auto transport brokers are the matchmakers of the industry they find out where the customers need to go and they know which carriers are going that direction. The brokers know by market data and trends what is will cost to ship the car from one place to another in a timely manner. They pay for marketing handle accounting and set in place guidelines for qualifying carriers like insurance, experience, safety, authority, ratings and reviews requirements. Brokers establish relationships with a network of carriers whom they give more business too than one or two deals, the carriers in turn take care of their good brokers like good customers and it’s a win win for everyone. Second you will choose the company you want to work with and place an order. Once your order has been placed, your car transport will be scheduled for dispatch as close as possible to the date(s), which you requested on your order form. We will establish an auto transport tracking file on your car shipment. We will then choose the best auto trucking company that is available to transport your vehicle closest to the day you choose for dispatch. After we re-verify that the auto shipping company we chose is still properly licensed and insured, we will then assign your car shipment to them. You should get 8 to 24 hours advance notice from either the truck driver himself, his dispatcher or from the auto transport trucking company in order to schedule both the pickup and delivery time and day. Please be easy to reach at any time for pickup or delivery once your order is placed. If you didn’t use a credit card with us for payment make sure you have your cash, money order or cashiers’ check, if applicable, payable to the trucking company, ready upon delivery, or pick up if you choose.

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• Meet somewhere close by the pickup or delivery location. Meet in an area where the truck can safely park and load or unload.
• Pay extra for a flatbed to pick-up or deliver the car to or from the bigger truck.
• Have the carriers driver unload your car nearby and drive it to you then you can drive them back (please review insurance coverages if this is your choice).

In most cases, your vehicle(s) will be transported on an open 8 or 10 vehicle hauler, the same type of trucks used to deliver new vehicles from factories to your local dealerships. Enclosed carriers are also available.

Auto transporters are not licensed to transport personal belongings, as they do not have a household goods transportation license issued by the Federal Government. In addition, if you were to place things in the vehicle during car shipment, they would not be covered by insurance, unless you have a floater on your own home insurance. Many auto transporting companies we use, will however, allow some personal belongings discreetly placed in trunk. It’s their call.

We would like to have as much notice as possible of your preferred car transport dates. This will help us to schedule your vehicle pickup and delivery within the time frame which you requested. We will gladly accept your order for shipment with little notice, but the more notice, the better.

ONLY the trucking company (the actual car carrier, auto hauler) provides the insurance. During the pickup and drop-off of the vehicle, the trucking company will complete a detailed physical inspection of the vehicle, on a bill of lading/condition report, which you or your agent and the trucker must sign and acknowledge. Make sure you or your agent gets a copy. This same bill of lading/condition report will be presented again upon delivery, so that you or your agent can re-inspect the vehicle for any discrepancies.
In the highly unlikely event any damage did occur during the auto transporting, please be sure to note it on the bill of lading at the time of delivery and have the driver sign in agreement immediately while he is there. No claims will be honored if the damage is not noted at the time of delivery and acknowledged by the auto delivery driver. You still must pay the balance due COD for the transportation charges. It will not jeopardize any claim you may have for damage. The auto transporting company usually will not take the vehicle off the truck until you pay for the move. You cannot withhold or deduct moneys from the COD amount to cover any damage that may have occurred while in auto shipping transit. All claims are handled separately once the actual auto transporter has received the signed bill of lading noting the damages.

Payment options and terms should be discussed and agreed upon at the time of placing the order. The most popular form of payment is by credit card. We charge a deposit at the time the order is placed and the remaining balance is charged once the vehicle has been dispatched to the carrier and the spot on the truck is reserved. We also accept ACH Transfers, Zelle, and Venmo payments. In some cases, we take a deposit by credit card, and the remaining balance is paid directly to the driver by the receiving party in cash or cashiers check.

Whenever possible, we don’t use auto delivery terminals. Shipping terminals are usually in the worst parts of town where land is cheapest. Security is usually not very good. Auto shipping trucks are maneuvering in and out all day and the possibility of damage being incurred is very real.
We try to use one truck going all the way to your destination instead of allowing “truck switching” enroute, which can dramatically delay the delivery of your vehicle. Many companies offering guaranteed pickup dates deliver vehicles to holding terminals, where they often stand for weeks awaiting transport for shipment to the destination.

Open trailers are either partially or fully exposed to the elements. There are many different types of auto hauling, open car carrier trailers, ranging from small three car carriers to the large 11 car carriers that you often see on the Interstate. Enclosed trailers are protected from the elements, and your vehicle shipment is basically shipped in a mobile garage. Having your vehicle shipped enclosed is typically a 30-50% premium over having it shipped on an open trailer. Most cars can be car shipped either on an open car carrier trailer or in an enclosed car transport trailer. It all depends on what you want to spend. Some trailers are made to transport antique cars.

The most important issue for people to understand about the process of car transport is that this industry is not like UPS, Fed-Ex or even the Postal Service. Pick-up and delivery dates are estimates, typically not guarantees of pick-up or delivery dates. Unforeseen problems from mechanical break downs, traffic, and weather all contribute to delays in auto transport. Ironically, the biggest delays for vehicle shipping companies are typically caused by their own customers. Customers fail to show up on time, try to change pick-up or drop off locations at the last minute etc. Patience is required we want to get your vehicle shipped to you as soon as you do. Make sure you have realistic expectations about when your car transport will be picked up and delivered.