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Car Towing Vs. Shipping: Which to Choose

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Home  |  Auto Shipping • Car Carriers • Car Shipping • Car Transport   |   Car Towing Vs. Shipping: Which to Choose

When you are looking to transport your vehicle from one location to another, you have a couple of options. While driving may seem like the easiest choice, this isn’t always feasible. Luckily, there are other ways to transport your vehicle. First, you have the option of shipping your car with a reputable auto shipping company. Your second option would be to tow your vehicle. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each method so you can decide which is right for you.

Car Towing Methods

In simple terms, towing means having your car pulled behind another vehicle. You can do this by hiring a towing company or you can tow the vehicle yourself. Contacting a towing company is usually a reasonable option if you are transporting a car a short distance. Car towing companies tow dozens of vehicles each week so you can trust that they have the expertise to safely deliver your car. Furthermore, they are usually available around the clock so the availability can be incredibly convenient. Keep in mind, however, that towing rates are generally based on a per-mile rate so you might save money for short distances but this can end up being quite costly for a long-distance haul. It is not recommended to hire a towing company if you are towing your car across the country.

As for towing a car yourself, you can do so by renting a trailer or renting a moving truck with a tow dolly. This method is generally a bit cheaper than shipping, but there are several drawbacks that you must also consider. For starters, it could take several days to tow a car yourself, especially if you are towing it across the country. It can also be dangerous to travel across the country with a car in tow. You should also note that towing still puts additional wear and tear on your vehicle. Finally, you must have the proper equipment and knowledge of how to properly tow a vehicle. Therefore, these additional risks and extra time might not be worth the cost savings.

Shipping: What You Need to Know

Shipping a car is definitely the safest way to move a vehicle across the country. Many cars are perfectly fine making the journey on an open flatbed or double-deckers carrier but you also have the option of enclosed trailers for luxury or classic cars. It generally takes about 10-14 days to have your vehicle shipped across the country but you can enjoy the convenience of having a reputable auto transport company handle all of the logistics. Unlike towing a car, shipping a car is a stress-free and worry-free experience. As for the cost of shipping, it will depend on a number of factors but renting a trailer can actually cost almost as much as the full price of shipping your vehicle. Generally speaking, if the distance is long, it is much safer, easier, and more convenient to hire a reputable shipping company.

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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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