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. It's beneficial for transporting a vehicle in various circumstances where operating the car yourself isn't feasible, such as when purchasing or selling a used automobile online & requiring it to be shipped to another state, relocating to a new residence & needing cross-country vehicle shipping, or moving your car abroad when ferries aren't accessible.
Luckily, there are numerous auto transport services available to fulfill your requirements, which we'll examine below.
Types Of Car Shipping Services
When it comes to car shipping services, there are a few choices to consider. The initial decision you'll need to make is where you want your vehicle picked up from & delivered to, whether it's a cross-country auto transport or shipping a car to another state. Terminal-to-terminal car 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 choice is usually less expensive, it necessitates more effort on your part to get the automobile home.
Most individuals, however, prefer a door-to-door car transport delivery service, where their vehicles are collected & dropped off at their doorstep, regardless of whether it's a cross-country auto transport or just shipping a car to another state. This is often more convenient as it eliminates the need to collect your car from a separate location, which can be challenging without your vehicle.
Vehicle transport services generally fall into two categories: having someone operate your car to the destination or putting it on a trailer & transporting it that way.
Have Someone Operate Your Vehicle
One straightforward solution to vehicle shipping is hiring someone to operate your car to its destination, whether it's shipping an automobile across the country or to another state. The benefits of this car transport method include lower costs, as trailers & an extra vehicle aren't required, & faster delivery due to the simplicity of the transport.
However, there are some drawbacks to this method offered by vehicle shipping companies that lead some people to choose other types of auto transport. Firstly, mileage is added to your car during the journey, which can be significant when shipping an automobile across the country, though less so when shipping a vehicle to a nearby state. Secondly, there's a slight risk of damage to your car during the drive. These concerns are particularly relevant for people buying or selling automobiles online who want to ensure the vehicle arrives in the same condition as advertised.
Put Your Automobile On A Trailer
Putting your vehicle on a trailer is a safer way to ensure a higher level of protection than having someone operate your car to its destination. With auto shipping trailers, there are several options available depending on the value & size of your automobile.
First, you'll need to decide whether you want a single trailer for your vehicle. These are often more expensive as they only transport one car at a time, but they're a great option for moving expensive or classic automobiles that you don't want to risk damaging. The safest way to transport a vehicle is in a shipping container, but this is by far the most expensive option.
The other option is a multi-car transporter, which can transport many vehicles at once. There are a few variants of multi-car transporters:
Open vehicle shipping is the cheapest & most common option when transporting an automobile. Your car is placed on an open carrier & driven to the destination. While all vehicles are securely fastened, they are exposed to the elements during the drive, so this may not be recommended by auto shipping companies for highly valuable cars. Additionally, while it may be the cheapest way to ship an automobile cross-country, long journeys in open trailers carry a higher risk of damage & exposure to the elements for extended periods.
Enclosed car transport involves securing multiple vehicles on a carrier, but they are enclosed, protecting them from dust, weather, & debris during transit. This 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 car overseas, try 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 Elizabethtown
Time-efficient - Rather than submitting a quotation form each instance you desire an accurate cost from a business for transporting a vehicle, on our site you complete one quotation form & can then obtain estimates based on the information you supply from several companies. This can conserve you hours of effort you would have spent phoning businesses & inputting details. Communication with these firms is also feasible via our platform, allowing you to store all your Elizabethtown vehicle shipping details in a single location.
Cost Comparison - Ultimately, the price of the vehicle shipping estimate is the most crucial aspect in choosing which auto transport firm to employ to transport your vehicle. The challenge is that, while most businesses are willing to provide average prices & rough estimates, you won't actually receive a definite vehicle transport quote without having to input information & complete details. Although this is reasonable, it means that cost comparison & obtaining a vehicle transport quote isn't precisely a simple process. Utilizing Shiply enables you to acquire genuine, final price estimates from vehicle shipping Elizabethtown businesses & compare them in one place, offering the capability to message them individually to ask any questions you may have & ultimately decide on the optimal company for you.
Affordable Vehicle Shipping - Auto transport firms on Shiply can usually provide their services for a lower cost than if you went directly to them. 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 vehicle there, a company on Shiply may already have a multi-car transporter making that journey with 5 of the 6 spots occupied, & they are just aiming to ensure they are not squandering any space. As long as the dates, times, & pick-up/drop-off locations are suitable for you, you can often save up to 75% on auto transport by utilizing our service.
Eco-Friendlier - 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 & instead you arranged transport from a separate car shipper, then the emissions into the atmosphere would have doubled as another entire trip would be required just for your vehicle. Similarly, 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 people who could have utilized that transporter to move their vehicles in the opposite direction! Many of the auto transporters on Shiply are also looking to fill their trailers on return trips, meaning even less wasted CO2 is being emitted into the atmosphere, as well as continued affordable transport for our users.
Readying Your Vehicle for Shipping
If you have chosen an auto transport company to transport your vehicle & feel confident using them, then it's time to ready your vehicle for shipping. We suggest following these steps:
Paperwork - It is crucial to ensure that any documents you may require are accessible at pick up or drop off, especially if you are selling your vehicle.
Cleansing - 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 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 then you should ensure that it is in operational condition. This means ensuring that there is sufficient fluid, as well as checking 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 preparing your vehicle for the car delivery service to collect is to take high-quality photographs of all parts of the car. This provides you with evidence of the car's state 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:
Examine Vital Signs - Lights, brakes, & engines should all be checked immediately to ensure that the car is in the anticipated condition, as well as enable you to immediately raise concerns with the car delivery service should anything not be functioning 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 trip 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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