What Is Vehicle Transportation?
Vehicle transportation, also referred to as car shipping or auto transport, is a service offered by vehicle shipping companies that involves collecting your automobile from one location & transporting it to another. This service is beneficial in various circumstances where you are unable to drive the vehicle yourself, such as when purchasing or selling a used car online & need to transport it to another state, relocating & requiring long-distance vehicle shipping, or moving your automobile overseas when ferries are not an option.
Luckily, there are numerous vehicle transport services available to cater to your specific requirements, which we will explore below.
Varieties Of Vehicle Shipping Services
When it comes to vehicle shipping services, there are several crucial decisions you need to make. Firstly, you must decide where you want your automobile picked up from & delivered to, whether it's a long-distance vehicle transport or shipping a car to a neighboring state. Terminal-to-terminal auto delivery is an option, where designated collection & drop-off points are utilized, frequently at the vehicle transport company's stores or operating bases. While this alternative is typically more affordable, it demands more effort on your part to get the automobile home.
However, most individuals prefer a door-to-door auto transport delivery service, where their vehicles are collected & dropped off at their doorstep, regardless of whether it's a long-distance vehicle transport or simply shipping a car to a nearby state. This option is more convenient as it eliminates the need to collect your automobile from a separate location, which can be challenging without your vehicle.
Vehicle transport services can be categorized into two main types: having someone drive your automobile to the destination or placing it on a trailer for transport.
Have Someone Drive Your Vehicle
Hiring someone to drive your automobile to its destination is a straightforward solution for vehicle shipping, whether you need to ship a car across the country or to a neighboring state. This method is often more affordable as it doesn't require trailers or an additional vehicle, & it can be quicker due to its simplicity.
However, there are some drawbacks to this approach that lead some people to opt for other vehicle transport options. Firstly, mileage is added to your automobile during the journey, which can be significant when shipping a car across the country, although less so when shipping to a nearby state. Secondly, there is a slight risk of damage to your vehicle during the drive. These concerns are particularly relevant for people buying or selling cars online who want to ensure the automobile arrives in the same condition as advertised.
Put Your Vehicle On A Trailer
Placing your automobile on a trailer is a safer way to ensure a higher level of protection than having someone drive your vehicle to its destination. Vehicle shipping trailers come in various options, depending on the value & size of your automobile.
Single trailers are often more expensive as they only transport one vehicle at a time, but they are a great choice for moving expensive or classic cars that you want to protect from potential damage. The safest way to transport an automobile is in a shipping container, although this is the most expensive option.
Multi-car transporters, which can carry several vehicles at once, come in a few variants:
Open vehicle shipping is the most affordable & common option for transporting an automobile. Your vehicle is placed on an open carrier & driven to its destination. While all cars are securely fastened, they are exposed to the elements during the drive, so this may not be recommended by vehicle shipping companies for highly valuable automobiles. Additionally, long journeys in open trailers pose a higher risk of damage & exposure to the elements.
Enclosed auto transport involves securing multiple vehicles on a carrier that is enclosed, protecting them from dust, weather, & debris during transit. This option is often preferable for more expensive or newer automobiles where the owner wants to minimize the risk of damage during auto transport.
If you need to move your vehicle overseas, it's best to find a specialist service on our platform or one with experience in overseas vehicle shipping, as they can provide tailored advice based on your requirements.
The Benefits of Using Shiply for Vehicle Transport in North Little Rock
Time-Efficient - Rather than filling out a quotation form each time you desire an accurate cost from a business for transporting a vehicle, on our platform, you complete one quotation form and can then obtain quotes from various companies based on the information you supply. This can save you hours of time that you would have spent phoning companies and completing forms. Communication with these businesses is also possible through our platform, allowing you to keep all of your North Little Rock vehicle shipping details in one location.
Cost Comparison - Ultimately, the price of the vehicle shipping quote is the most crucial factor in choosing which auto transport company to employ to transport your vehicle. The challenge is that, while most companies are willing to provide average prices and rough estimates, you won't receive a definite vehicle transport quote without having to give information and fill in details. While this is understandable, it means that comparing prices and obtaining a vehicle transport quote is not exactly a simple task. Utilizing Shiply enables you to receive genuine, final price quotes from vehicle shipping companies and compare them in one place, providing the ability to message them individually to ask any questions you may have and ultimately decide on the best company for you.
Affordable Vehicle Shipping - Auto transport companies on Shiply can typically offer their services at a lower cost than if you went directly to them. This is because they are often seeking to fill space on trips they are already making and have already invested the cost for. For example, if you were relocating from Los Angeles to New York and needed to move your vehicle there, a company on Shiply may already have a multi-car transporter making that journey with 5 of the 6 spots filled, and they are just looking to ensure they are not wasting any space. As long as the dates, times, and pick-up/drop-off locations work for you, you can often save up to 75% on auto transport by using our service.
Environmentally Friendly - Not only is using Shiply for auto transport more affordable, but it is also more environmentally friendly! In the above example, if your vehicle didn't get on that multi-car transporter and instead, you arranged transport from a separate car shipper, then the emissions into the atmosphere would have doubled as another entire journey would be needed just for your vehicle. Similarly, many car transporters return from a delivery empty-handed, which is not only costly for them but also for the environment as there are many people who could have used that transporter to move their vehicles in the other direction! Many of the auto transporters on Shiply are looking to fill their trailers on return journeys too, meaning even less wasted CO2 is being released into the atmosphere, as well as continued affordable transport for our users.
Preparing Your Vehicle for Shipping
If you have chosen an auto transport company to transport your vehicle and feel confident using them, then it's time to prepare your vehicle for shipping. We recommend following these steps:
Documents - It is crucial to ensure that any necessary documents are available at pick up or drop off, especially if you are selling your vehicle.
Cleaning - You should take care to remove all personal belongings from your vehicle prior to shipping, for the obvious reason that you don't want to risk them getting lost or damaged in transit. It is also highly recommended that you clean your vehicle before transport as this will allow you to assess its condition and notice any damages that may occur during delivery.
Running Condition - If the vehicle will be driven at any point during shipping or driven home from the drop-off location, then you should ensure that it is in running condition. This means ensuring that there is enough fluid, as well as checking battery charge and tire pressure levels. Again, this can also help you better judge the condition of the vehicle upon arrival.
Photographic Evidence - One very important thing to do when preparing your vehicle for the car delivery service to pick up is to take high-quality photographs 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 selected has completed their delivery, there are a few things you should do:
Check Vital Signs - Lights, brakes, and 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 Condition - You can compare the exterior of the vehicle to the photos taken of it before to ascertain whether any extra damage has occurred. Shipping a car can, in rare cases, cause damage, and you want to be sure your car transport service has not done so.
Check 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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