What Is Vehicle Transportation?
Vehicle transportation, also referred to as car shipping or auto transport, is a service offered by car shipping companies that involves collecting your automobile from one location & transporting it to another. This service is incredibly beneficial in various circumstances where operating the vehicle yourself is not practical. For example, if you're buying or selling a used car online & need to transport it to another state, or if you've recently relocated & require cross-country car shipping. Moreover, vehicle transportation services are crucial when you need to move your automobile overseas, & unless ferries are available, you'll have to depend on an auto transport company to manage the job for you. Luckily, there are numerous car transport services available to accommodate your specific requirements, which we'll explore below.
Varieties Of Auto Transport Services
When it comes to auto transport services, there are several choices to consider. It's essential to comprehend the various types of vehicle transportation services available to determine which one best meets your needs, whether you require cross-country car transport or shipping a car to another state.
The first decision you'll need to make is where you want your automobile picked up from & delivered to. Terminal-to-terminal auto delivery is an option, where designated collection & drop-off points are used, often at the car transport company's stores or operating bases. This choice is generally more affordable but requires more effort on your part to get the vehicle home. However, most people prefer door-to-door auto transport delivery service, where their automobiles are picked up & dropped off at their doorstep, regardless of whether it's a cross-country car transport or just shipping a car to another state. This option is more convenient as you don't need to go anywhere to collect your vehicle, which can be challenging without your automobile in the first place!
Car transport services are typically divided into two categories: having someone operate your vehicle to the destination or putting it on a trailer & transporting it.
Have Someone Operate Your Vehicle
This straightforward solution to car shipping involves hiring someone to drive your automobile to the desired location, whether you need to ship a car across the country or to another state. The advantages of this auto transport method include lower costs, as trailers & an extra vehicle are not required, & faster delivery due to the straightforward nature of the transport. However, there are some drawbacks to this method offered by car shipping companies that lead some people to opt for other types of car transport.
Firstly, mileage is added to your vehicle during the journey, which can be significant when shipping a car across the country, although less so when shipping a car to a nearby state. Secondly, there is a slight risk of damage to your automobile while it's being driven from point A to point B. These concerns are particularly relevant for people buying or selling cars online who want to ensure the vehicle arrives in the same condition as advertised.
Put Your Automobile On A Trailer
Placing your automobile on a trailer is a safer way to ensure a higher level of protection than having someone operate your vehicle to its destination. With car shipping trailers, there are multiple options available depending on the value & size of your automobile.
Firstly, you need to decide whether you want a single trailer for your car. These are often more expensive as they only transport one vehicle at a time but are a great option if you're moving an expensive or classic automobile that you don't want to risk getting damaged. The safest way to transport a car is to put it in a shipping container, but this is by far the most expensive option.
The other choice is a multi-car transporter, which can move many automobiles at once. There are a few variants of multi-car transporters:
Open car shipping by any car shipping company is the most affordable & most common option when transporting a vehicle. Your automobile is placed on an open carrier & driven to the destination. All cars are safely secured, but as the name suggests, they are exposed to the elements during the drive, so this may not be recommended by car shipping companies for highly valuable vehicles. Furthermore, while it may be the cheapest way to ship a car cross-country, long journeys in open trailers will obviously run more risk of damage & leave your automobile exposed to the elements for longer periods.
Enclosed auto transport involves multiple cars secured on a carrier, but they are enclosed, meaning they are not exposed to dust, weather, & debris during transit. This option is often preferable for more expensive or newer vehicles where the owner wants to minimize the risk of damage during auto transport.
If you need to move your vehicle overseas through an auto transport company, you should try to find one of the specialist services on our platform or one with experience in overseas car shipping, as they can provide tailored advice based on your requirements.
The Benefits of Using Shiply for Enterprise Car Transport
Time-efficient - Rather than filling out a quotation form each time you desire an accurate cost from a business car transport company, on our site you complete one quotation form & can then obtain quotes from various enterprises based on the information you supply. This can save you a significant amount of time that you would have spent phoning companies & entering details. Communication with these enterprises is also feasible through our platform, allowing you to store all your enterprise car shipping data in a single location.
Cost Comparison - Ultimately, the price of the business car transport quote is the most crucial factor when choosing which auto shipping company to employ to transport your vehicle. The challenging aspect is that, while most enterprises are willing to provide average costs & rough estimates, you won't receive a definite car shipping quote without supplying information & filling in specifics. Although this is reasonable, it means that comparing prices & getting a car transport quote is not a straightforward process. Utilizing Shiply enables you to acquire genuine, final price quotes from enterprise car transport companies & compare them in one place, offering the opportunity to message them individually to ask any questions you may have & ultimately choose the most suitable company for your needs.
Affordable Enterprise Car Transport - Auto shipping enterprises on Shiply can usually provide their services at a lower cost than if you approached them directly. This is because they are frequently seeking to fill space on trips they are already making & have already invested the expense for. For instance, if you were relocating from Los Angeles to New York & needed to transport your car there, a company on Shiply might already have a multi-car transporter making that journey with 5 of the 6 spots occupied, & they are simply looking to ensure they are not wasting any space. As long as the dates, times, & pick-up/drop-off locations are convenient for you, you can often save up to 75% on auto transport by utilizing our service.
Eco-Friendly - Using Shiply for auto transport is not only more economical but also more environmentally friendly! In the previous example, if your car didn't get on that multi-car transporter & instead you arranged transport from a separate car shipper, the emissions into the atmosphere would have doubled as another entire trip would be required just for your vehicle. Likewise, many car transporters return from a delivery empty-handed, which is not only expensive for them but also for the environment as there are many individuals who could have utilized that transporter to move their cars in the opposite direction! Many of the auto transporters on Shiply are also seeking to fill their trailers on return trips, resulting in even less wasted CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere, as well as continued affordable transport for our users.
Getting Your Car Ready for Transport
If you have selected an auto transport company to ship your car & feel confident using them, it's time to get your vehicle ready for shipping. We suggest following these steps:
Paperwork - It's crucial to make sure that any necessary documents are available at pick up or drop off, especially if you are selling your vehicle.
Washing - You should take care to remove all personal belongings from your vehicle before shipping, for the obvious reason that you don't want to risk them getting lost or damaged during transport. It's also highly recommended that you wash your vehicle before transport as this will allow you to determine its condition & notice any damages that may occur during delivery.
Operational Condition - If the vehicle will be driven at any point during shipping or driven home from the drop-off location, you should ensure that it's in operational condition. This means checking that there is enough fluid, as well as verifying battery charge & tire pressure levels. Again, this can also help you better assess the condition of the vehicle upon arrival.
Photographic Proof - One very important thing to do when getting your vehicle ready for the car delivery service to pick up is to take high-quality photos of all parts of the car. This provides you with evidence of the car's condition before shipping should anything happen to it during transport.
What to Do After Delivery
Once the car shipping company you chose has completed their delivery, there are a few things you should do:
Verify Vital Signs - Lights, brakes, & engines should all be checked immediately to ensure that the car is in the expected condition, as well as enable you to immediately raise concerns with the car delivery service should anything not be working as it should.
Exterior State - You can compare the exterior of the vehicle to the photos taken of it before to determine whether any extra damage has occurred. Shipping a car can, in rare cases, cause damage, & you want to be sure your car transport service has not done so.
Verify Mileage - This is more relevant to car shipping services where the car is driven to the destination, but it can help to check the mileage to ensure that it matches up with the journey taken.
We would greatly appreciate it if you could also leave a review for the auto transport company you used through Shiply so that others can browse car shipping services with the same peace of mind.
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