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Are There Hidden Costs to Shipping My Vehicle?

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Home  |  Car Transport   |   Are There Hidden Costs to Shipping My Vehicle?

Auto transport has become increasingly popular in recent years and even more affordable. That said, there can still be a few hidden costs that customers might not be aware of, and no one likes nasty surprises. Despite a few of these lesser known costs, most reputable auto transport companies will be upfront about all of the costs beforehand. Still, it helps to be aware of these hidden costs so you know what to look out for before signing a contract with an auto transport service. Here are a few tips to help you avoid those pesky hidden costs when shipping your car.

Condition of the Vehicle

It is important to make sure the vehicle you are transporting is in good working condition prior to shipment. Otherwise, you might incur a few extra charges. For example, if your vehicle cannot be driven onto the carrier, you may be charged an additional fee for moving the car into position. This requires the use of specialized equipment, thus adding to your fees. As long as you aware of your vehicle’s condition, you shouldn’t be hit with any additional charges.

Size of the Vehicle

Larger vehicles such as trucks and SUV’s are usually heavier and might be subject to a hidden cost because they require more fuel for transport. In order to get the most accurate quote from your shipping company, provide them with the make, model, and year of your car when you are requesting a price.

Pick-Up and Drop-Off Locations

The distance you are shipping your car will have the most impact on the price. However, you could also incur hidden fees if you are shipping your car from or to a remote location. Auto carriers sometimes charge additional fees to drive your vehicle to a less populated area, as this takes more time and is generally much farther from the carrier’s next destination. Be sure to specify your pick up and drop off location on the front end so you are aware of the price. You can save money by having your vehicle delivered to the nearest auto terminal for pick up.

Make Sure the Quote is All-Inclusive

When you speak to the auto shipping company, be sure the price covers the full cost. Double check to make sure the price  includes insurance, pick up and delivery, and fuel surcharges. Reputable car shipping companies won’t hide any fees and will let you know exactly what is included in the price upfront.

Type of Carrier

Be certain of the type of carrier you are being quoted for before you agree to a price. Enclosed carriers tend to be more expensive, though they do provide additional protection than open carriers. However, you need to specify which type of carrier you prefer and know the price of each on the front end.

Use of a Terminal

If your vehicle is being delivered directly to your door, you won’t have to worry about terminal fees but if your vehicle is being shipped to a terminal for storage, make sure you are aware of the terminal fees ahead of time.

The best way to avoid hidden fees when shipping your car is to provide your auto carrier with all relevant information on the front end. You want to be as specific as possible about your vehicle and your needs and ask to make sure the price they are quoting you is all-inclusive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Honest Answers to Your Car Shipping Questions

Yes, we always ask for your specific pickup and delivery addresses, if the carrier can get right to the addresses you provide, they will. If the addresses that you give us are not safely accessible for a Multi-car carrier, however, you will need to make arrangements with the driver to meet at a nearby location where the carrier can safely get in and out.

People do it all the time (rarely for free) but the official answer is no.

Not what you wanted to hear, we know, but that is the honest answer.

We are not licensed to broker the shipment of household goods and, likewise, no car carrier that operates in the USA is licensed to transport them from state to state either. Despite what you might be being told by other car shipping companies you may speak with.

Remember, at the end of the day we're all salespeople, and the true answer to this question is not a great selling point.

You will hear a lot of companies tell you that you can put up to 100 pounds of items in the trunk, but that is not entirely true. That fact is that items of that amount are fairly common and the department of transportation is probably not going to split hairs and fine the trucker over items of that amount, provided they are not over their weight limit. They could fine them, however, if they see a vehicle stuffed full of personal items so the car carrier will most likely try to negotiate something with you to cover themselves against any costs they could incur. It's not something we can build into your contract though.

We have a short and helpful video on this topic in our user videos.

Only in rare cases and car carriers will usually charge a premium to make it happen.

All dates given by car carriers are typically estimates and projections.

For this reason (and to keep your cost down) we ask that you build in some flexibility and give us the earliest possible date you would be WILLING to release the vehicle, even though it may not be your preferred date.

We'll put you in direct contact with your car carrier and the driver will also typically call you the afternoon or evening before your pick up and delivery (they won't just show up unannounced, and if they do we want to hear about it). However, car carriers are out on the road battling traffic, weather and any number of other factors that can and do throw them off of their pickup and delivery projections from time to time.

If the projected dates we give you come and you are unable to make contact with your carrier, please call our office immediately so that we may help resolve the situation.

The average transit time from pick up to delivery on any vehicle going coast to coast will average 7 to 10 days. From there you can figure your transit time based on how far your vehicle is traveling, i.e. from either coast to the Midwest might average 3-7 days.

Yes!

Even better, we do not even ask for payment until we have you confirmed for pickup by a safe, reliable, fully insured, direct car carrier. If for any reason you do not ship your car with the carrier that we arrange for you, there is no fee.

The fees paid directly to the carrier however, (in most cases, their fees are not paid until your vehicle is delivered) are not directly controlled by us, so any requests for a refund of the carrier's portion would need to be addressed with the carrier directly.

Of course! And you are always backed by our Damage Free Guarantee policy.

Part of what you pay us for is to verify that the car carrier that we put you on is covered by the proper amount of insurance and that everything is up to date.

There is never any additional cost to you for this coverage, and their insurance is always primary.

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