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 and transporting it to another. This service proves useful in numerous situations where you are unable to operate the vehicle yourself, such as when purchasing or selling a used car online and requiring it to be delivered to another state, relocating and needing cross-country vehicle shipping, or moving your automobile overseas when ferries are unavailable. Luckily, there are various auto transport services available to cater to your specific requirements.
Categories Of Vehicle Shipping Services
When selecting a vehicle transport service, the initial choice you must make is where you would like your automobile collected from and delivered to, whether it's a cross-country car shipment or transporting a vehicle to another state. Terminal-to-terminal auto delivery is a possibility, where designated collection and drop-off points, frequently the vehicle transport company's stores or operating bases, are utilized. This option is typically more affordable but demands more effort on your part to get the automobile home. Nevertheless, the majority of individuals prefer a door-to-door auto transport delivery service, where their vehicles are collected and dropped off at their doorstep, irrespective of the distance.
Vehicle shipping services are generally categorized into two types: having someone operate your automobile to the destination or placing it on a trailer for transportation.
Engage Someone To Operate Your Vehicle
Engaging someone to operate your vehicle to its destination is a straightforward solution for vehicle shipping, whether it's across the country or to another state. The advantages of this approach include reduced costs, as trailers and additional vehicles are not necessary, and quicker delivery due to the simplicity of the transport. However, there are some drawbacks to this method that cause some individuals to opt for other vehicle transport options. Firstly, mileage is added to your automobile during the journey, which can be substantial when shipping a car across the country. Secondly, there is a slight risk of harm to your vehicle while it is being operated. These concerns are especially relevant for individuals buying or selling automobiles online who want to ensure the car arrives in the same condition as advertised.
Place Your Vehicle On A Trailer
Placing your vehicle on a trailer is a safer way to guarantee a higher level of protection than having someone operate it to its destination. Vehicle shipping trailers come in various options, depending on the value and size of your automobile. You can choose between a single trailer for your vehicle, which is more expensive but ideal for transporting expensive or classic cars, or a multi-car transporter that can carry several automobiles at once. The safest way to transport a vehicle is in a shipping container, but this is also the most expensive option.
Multi-car transporters come in a few variants:
Open vehicle shipping is the most affordable and common option offered by vehicle shipping companies. Your automobile is placed on an open carrier and driven to its destination. While all vehicles are securely fastened, they are exposed to the elements during the drive, making this option less suitable for highly valuable automobiles. Additionally, long journeys in open trailers pose a higher risk of damage and prolonged exposure to the elements.
Enclosed auto transport involves securing multiple vehicles on a carrier that is enclosed, protecting them from dust, weather, and debris during transit. This option is preferable for more expensive or newer automobiles where the owner wants to minimize the risk of damage during 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 Car Shipping in Natchez
Time-Efficient - Rather than filling out a quotation form each instance you desire an accurate cost from a company on Natchez car shipping, on our platform you complete one quotation form & then can obtain quotes based on the information you supply from several companies. This can conserve you hours of effort you would have had to invest phoning companies & inputting details. Communication with these businesses is all feasible through our platform too, allowing you to store all of your car shipping details in a single location.
Cost Comparison - When it comes down to it, the price of the car shipping estimate is the most crucial factor in choosing which auto transport company to utilize to transport your vehicle. The challenging aspect is that, while most businesses are willing to provide average prices & rough estimates, you won't actually be given a definite car transport quote without having to supply information & fill in details. While this is understandable, it does mean that cost comparison & getting a car transport estimate isn't exactly a simple task. Utilizing Shiply allows you to receive genuine, final cost estimates from car shipping companies & compare them in one place, providing the ability to message them individually to ask any questions you may have & ultimately decide on the best company for you.
Affordable Car Shipping - Auto transport businesses on Shiply are typically able to provide their services for a lower cost than if you went direct to them. This is because they are often seeking to fill space on trips they are already making & have already invested the cost for. Say, for example, you were relocating from Los Angeles to New York & needed to move your vehicle there. On Shiply, a company may already have a multi-car transporter making that trip with 5 of the 6 spots filled, & they are just looking to ensure they are not wasting any space. As long as the dates, times, & pick-up/drop-off locations work for you, you can often save up to 75% on auto transport by using our service.
Eco-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 & instead you arranged transport from a separate car shipper, then the emissions into the atmosphere would have doubled as another entire trip 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 lots of 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 trips 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 & feel confident using them, then it's time to ready your vehicle for shipping. We suggest following these steps:
Documents - It is crucial to ensure that any documents you may need 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 determine its condition & 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 & 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.
Post-Delivery Steps
Once the car shipping company you selected has completed their delivery, there are a few things you should do:
Check 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 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, & 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.