17 Important Vehicle Shipping Tips and Suggestions

Nowadays, many people hire auto transport companies, when they need to ship their vehicles to far locations. Here are five main groups of people who use and may need auto shipping services at some point of life:

1. Students preferring to go via air choose car transport services for shipping their vehicles to desired address
2. People, who purchase vehicles online from another state or country
3. People shifting homes to another far area of country prefer to ship a car in order to reduce the hassles involved in relocating process
4. Automotive dealers who import/export vehicles for their customers
5. People thinking of spending their vacations to another state or country may also want to ship vehicle because it enables them to explore places on their own.

If you belong to any of these groups, then you would really need to understand the auto shipping process. Following are some useful tips that will help you to transport your car safely at desired location:

Find the Best Auto Transport Company

First off, you will need to locate a car shipping company offering quality services. Here is how you can do it:

1. Surf online through search engines by specific keywords. For example, if you want to know vehicle-shipping companies in Florida, use keywords like auto transport Florida, network of auto transporters in Florida, etc.
2. Seek referrals from the people around you who have a prior experience of shipping vehicle.
3. Get quotes from at least five to eight vehicle shipping companies.
4. Compare their rates and prices.
5. Verify them with Federal Moving Carrier and Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Better Business Bureau (BBB) to ensure legitimacy.
6. Check safety records from SaferSys.org.
7. Contact with the companies that are licensed, insured, experienced, and have perfect safety records.
8. Inquire about contract detail, vehicle shipping cost, and hidden costs.
9. Finalize your deal with the one meeting your requirements best.

Choosing the Service

Avoid confusions related to open and enclosed trailers. Simply choose:

1. Enclosed car carriers, if you are transporting a luxury or classic car
2. Otherwise, choose open car carriers because they are safe and you need not to pay extra for shipping vehicle in enclosed trailers.

Similarly, your decision for door-to-door and terminal-to-terminal vehicle shipping should base of few important factors like budget.

1. Charges for terminal-to-terminal shipping are cheaper therefore; you should choose it when you are short on money.
2. Otherwise, it is always better to have your vehicle shipped at doorstep.

Prepare your Vehicle for Shipping

1. Make sure it is in perfect running condition. It is better to check it from a motor mechanic to ensure its condition.
2. Do not handover vehicle until you get a car condition statement for mover.
3. Never ship your personal belongings along with vehicle.
4. Make sure the fuel in vehicle is 1/4th or 1/8th of fuel tank.