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 spot & transporting it to another. This service is beneficial in various scenarios where operating the vehicle yourself is not practical, such as when purchasing or selling a used car online, relocating to a new residence, or moving your automobile overseas. Vehicle shipping services provide a practical solution for people who need to transfer their cars across states or even nations.
Pembroke Pines, Florida, US, is a well-known city where individuals frequently relocate their automobiles to and from. Situated in Broward County, Pembroke Pines is recognized for its lively community, outstanding schools, and varied recreational activities. Many people move to Pembroke Pines for employment opportunities, retirement, or to be nearer to family. Consequently, vehicle shipping to and from Pembroke Pines is in high demand, with numerous auto transport companies providing their services to enable smooth car transportation.
Luckily, there are various vehicle transport services available to accommodate your particular requirements. Whether you need cross-country car shipping, transporting a vehicle to another state, or even international automobile transportation, auto shipping companies have you covered.
Kinds Of Vehicle Transport Services
When it comes to vehicle transport services, there are several choices to consider. The first decision you'll need to make is whether you prefer terminal-to-terminal or door-to-door delivery. Terminal-to-terminal auto delivery involves designated pick-up and drop-off points, usually at the car transport company's stores or operating bases. While this option is often more affordable, it requires extra effort on your part to get the car to its final destination.
On the other hand, door-to-door auto transport is the most popular choice among customers. With this service, your car is picked up and dropped off right at your doorstep, regardless of whether it's a cross-country car transport or shipping a car to another state. Door-to-door delivery eliminates the need for you to arrange transportation to pick up your vehicle, making it a convenient option.
Car transport services can be further categorized into two main methods: having someone drive your car to its destination or transporting it on a trailer.
Have Someone Operate Your Vehicle
One straightforward solution for car shipping is to hire someone to operate your automobile to its intended location. This method is often more cost-effective as it eliminates the need for trailers and an additional vehicle. It can also be faster due to the simplicity of the transport process.
However, there are some drawbacks to consider when opting for this method. Firstly, your vehicle will accumulate mileage during the journey, which can be significant when shipping a car across the country. Secondly, there is a slight risk of damage occurring to your car while it's being driven. These concerns are particularly relevant for individuals buying or selling cars online who want to ensure the vehicle arrives in the same condition as advertised.
Place Your Automobile On A Trailer
Transporting your car on a trailer offers a higher level of safety compared to having someone drive it. Car shipping trailers come in various options, depending on the value and size of your vehicle.
For expensive or classic cars, a single trailer is often the preferred choice. While more costly, it ensures that your vehicle is transported alone, minimizing the risk of damage. The safest way to transport a car is by using a shipping container, although this is the most expensive option.
Multi-car transporters are another popular choice, capable of transporting several vehicles simultaneously. Open car shipping is the most common & affordable option, where your vehicle is placed on an open carrier and driven to its destination. Although the cars are securely fastened, they are exposed to the elements during transit, making it less suitable for highly valuable vehicles.
Enclosed auto transport offers an added layer of protection by transporting multiple cars in an enclosed carrier. This method shields the vehicles from dust, weather, and debris during transit, making it a preferable option for newer or more expensive cars.
If you need to move your vehicle overseas, it's essential to find a specialist service or a company with experience in overseas car shipping. These providers can offer tailored advice based on your specific requirements.
How Much Does It Cost To Transport A Vehicle?
The cost of transporting a car varies depending on several factors, but on average, auto transport companies in the US charge around $2.92 per mile for journeys less than 200 miles, $0.93 for distances between 200 and 500 miles, & $0.78 for trips over 1,000 miles.
However, these figures are merely averages, and your car transport costs may differ based on your specific circumstances. To get an accurate estimate, it's best to collect car shipping quotes from multiple car transport companies, which is easily done through platforms like Shiply.
Factors That Can Affect The Cost Of Auto Transport
While everyone desires cheap car transport, several variables can impact the overall cost of shipping your vehicle. Some of the main factors include:
1. Distance: Cross-state and cross-country journeys are significantly more expensive than interstate car delivery, which is often the most affordable option. However, the average price per mile decreases as the distance increases.
2. International Shipping: Transporting a car overseas is always more costly due to the logistics involved and the distance the vehicle must travel. It may also require specialized enclosed trailers or shipping containers.
3. Route: The route taken to transport your car from its pick-up location to its delivery spot can affect the pricing. Routes with higher traffic, such as those in LA, may cost more due to the additional time required. Unforeseen circumstances like major roadworks can also incur extra costs or necessitate alternative, longer routes.
4. Shipping Dates: The urgency of your car transportation can impact the price. Flexible timings often result in lower costs, as car shipping companies can fit your delivery into their schedule, reducing overheads. Expedited shipping, where you require transport within a strict timeframe, typically comes at a higher cost.
5. Vehicle Size: The dimensions of your vehicle, including height, length, and width, affect the cost of transport. Larger vehicles like SUVs generally cost more to ship than sedans, as they require bigger trailers. It's crucial to inform the auto transport company about any accessories, such as bike racks or roof racks, as they can alter the trailer size needed.
6. Vehicle Condition: If your car is not in a drivable state, it may increase the cost of auto transport. Non-operational vehicles require extra equipment, such as a winch or forklift, to load and unload them from the trailer, taking more time and effort compared to a standard car transport service.
7. Auto Transport Service Type: The type of auto transport service you choose will also influence the cost. Having someone drive your car is the most affordable option, while single car trailers and enclosed transport are pricier due to the specialized equipment required. Enclosed car shipping is the most expensive method, as it involves transporting your car alone while still needing special equipment for loading, unloading, and protection during transit.
8. Pickup and Delivery Locations: The locations of your pickup and delivery points can affect the price of shipping a car. Urban areas typically have car shipping services in close proximity, and common destination routes often offer cheap car shipping. Rural deliveries, on the other hand, can be more expensive due to the extra mileage and deviations from standard routes required. Unusual or hard-to-access pickup or drop-off points may also necessitate additional steps for loading, increasing the overall cost.
9. Auto Transport Insurance: While auto transport companies must carry liability insurance, not all offer additional coverage. If a company does not provide cargo insurance, it's highly recommended to obtain supplementary insurance for your vehicle during transit. When considering insurance policies, ensure you understand the type of damage covered, deductibles, parts of the vehicle included, and any other relevant details.
10. Time of Year: Seasonality plays a role in car shipping costs, with winter months often being more expensive due to ice and snow slowing down routes. Here's a breakdown of how each season can affect auto transport prices:
Winter: The most expensive season to ship a vehicle, with ice, snow, and blizzard conditions causing delays and reduced speeds. December is challenging due to driver holidays, while January sees increased costs as many travel to warmer states. February, however, is usually quiet, offering great rates from car shipping services.
Spring: An excellent time to ship your vehicle, with improved weather, longer days, and more available drivers. March often provides better rates than April or May, although there is still a rush to move cars from colder to warmer states.
Summer: The peak season for shipping cars, with the longest days, students traveling home, employees taking vacations, and a popular time for moving houses. June, July, and August are busy months for the auto transport industry, so expect higher prices.
Fall: A good time to find slightly cheaper prices, as car shipping companies are less busy and have more driver availability after the summer rush. October and November are better options than September, which is peak time for students shipping cars to university.
How To Ship A Car - Finding An Auto Transport Service
With numerous car transport companies available, finding the right one can be overwhelming. Searching through Google or phone books can be time-consuming, and many companies are reluctant to provide pricing without a personalized quote, requiring you to fill out details individually.
This is where Shiply comes in, simplifying the process of finding the best auto transport service for your needs.
How Can Shiply Help Find Auto Transport Companies?
Shiply streamlines the process of collecting quotes from car shipping companies. To get started, simply fill out a simple form with the make and model of your car, pickup and delivery locations, and the dates you need to move the vehicle. This information allows auto transport providers on Shiply to provide you with accurate quotes for your specific job.
Once your listing is live, you'll receive quotes in your Shiply inbox and via email. We recommend keeping email notifications on to ensure you're promptly notified when a new quote arrives. Quotes can start coming in within minutes of posting your listing, but it's best to wait for a few options before making a decision.
After receiving a few quotes, you can ask the providers any questions you may have, such as their availability, insurance coverage, and how they secure vehicles during transport. It's crucial to ask these questions to any company you're considering to ensure a smooth and expected experience.
Shiply's feedback and ratings system is another valuable resource when selecting a car shipping company. This system allows you to view previous customers' experiences and overall scores, helping you make an informed decision.
By utilizing Shiply's platform, you can easily compare quotes, read reviews, and find the best car shipping service for your needs, whether you're looking for car shipping in Pembroke Pines or any other location across the country.
The Benefits of Using Shiply for Vehicle Transportation
Time-efficient - Rather than submitting a quotation form each time you desire an accurate cost from a business for transporting a vehicle, on our site, you complete one quotation form and can then obtain quotes from various companies based on the information you submit. This can save you hours of time that you would have spent phoning companies and filling out forms. Communication with these businesses is also feasible through our platform, allowing you to store all of your vehicle shipping data in one location.
Cost Comparison - Ultimately, the price of the vehicle shipping estimate is the most crucial factor in choosing which auto transport company to employ to transport your automobile. The challenging aspect is that, while most businesses are willing to provide average prices and rough estimates, you won't receive a definite vehicle transport quote without having to supply information and complete details. While this is understandable, it means that comparing prices and obtaining a vehicle transport quote is not a straightforward process. Using 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 businesses 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 transport 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 - Using Shiply for auto transport is not only cheaper but also more environmentally friendly! In the above example, if your car 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 cars 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 cheap transport for our users.
Preparing Your Vehicle for Shipping
If you have chosen an auto transport company to transport your car 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 automobile. Cleaning - You should take care to remove all personal items 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 ascertain its condition and notice any damages that may occur during delivery.
Functioning 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.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Below we have answered some of the most asked questions about car shipping:
How much to ship a car? Car shipping prices can vary drastically depending on the circumstances, but on average, a journey should cost you around $2.92 per mile if the journey is less than 200 miles, $0.93 if the journey is between 200 and 500 miles, and if the journey is over 1,000 miles, then this drops to $0.78.
What is the cheapest way to ship a car? Having someone drive your vehicle to its destination is the cheapest way to ship a car; however, if you need a trailer, then a multi-car transporter will be your best option with regard to the cheapest way to ship a car.
How do I pay for my auto transport? This is down to each individual auto transport company on Shiply and is something you should discuss with your chosen car delivery service before confirming the delivery. Most companies will be flexible with payment options, however.
Can I track my car transport online? Each car shipping company on Shiply has different ways of operating, but many offer the ability to track your car shipment, with some even able to provide personal updates. If you require tracking, you should message individual car transport companies to confirm that this is possible with them.
Does someone have to be present for pickup and delivery? In most cases, the car shipping company will require you to be in attendance for the pickup and delivery of the vehicle. This is because there are likely to be release forms that you need to sign, as well as handing over the car keys.
Can I keep items in my vehicle during my car shipment? Most car transport companies will be fine with you keeping some personal items in the vehicle when it is transported. However, there are two important things to remember: 1. The weight of the items may affect the price of the vehicle shipment, and 2. Any items in the vehicle will not be covered by insurance for the transport of the car itself.
How much gas should I have in my vehicle during transit? Generally, you should aim to have around a quarter of your tank full. This allows for easy loading and unloading of the vehicle but will not add too much extra weight to the vehicle.
Can I ship my vehicle if it isn't running? You can ship your vehicle if it isn't in running condition; however, this will be more expensive as specialist equipment is required to load and unload the vehicle.
Can I ship a modified vehicle? Almost any type of vehicle is able to be shipped on Shiply, with hundreds of transport providers available to bid on your job, there will always be someone that is up for the job and has the right equipment to safely carry it out.
If you're looking for reliable and affordable car shipping pembroke pines or pembroke pines car shipping services, Shiply is the perfect platform to find the best deals and trusted providers in your area.
