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College Student Auto Transport: What You Need to Know

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Home  |  Car Transport   |   College Student Auto Transport: What You Need to Know

Going off to college is an exciting time, but it can also be challenging for students who are moving from far away. These students have the burden of transporting their belongings hundreds of miles while also juggling the challenges of class schedules and new surroundings. With so much on their mind, the last thing they need to worry about is getting their vehicle safely to their destination. Auto transport services can help ease the transition by safely and efficiently delivering their vehicle to college. 

Why Auto Transport is Ideal for College Students

For starters, going off to college can be a stressful time for many students. Having to drive their car a long distance to school can only exacerbate that stress. Furthermore, driving poses significant safety risks, especially for young drivers who aren’t experienced with making such long distance trips. Auto transportation can alleviate the hassle of driving while also easing the minds of worried parents. 

Auto shipping is also fast and efficient. Rather than driving for long distances, students can book a flight and have their vehicle shipped to school. Depending on location and distance, the cost can even be nearly the same. The cost of auto shipping can be comparable to food, lodging, and gas expenses. Not to mention that your vehicle will travel with an insured and bonded auto transport company. 

How to Choose an Auto Transport Company?

You can start by researching auto transport companies online. You want to look for a company that is reputable and reliable. Be sure to check plenty of reviews and also check to ensure the company has proper licensing, registration, and insurance. College students are typically on a budget, so it makes sense that you also want to find a company that is affordable. Once you have found a couple of reputable companies, compare pricing and services to decide which one is right for you. Some auto transport companies will even offer discount pricing for college students. 

How College Students Can Prepare Their Car for Transport?

  • Typically you want to book your shipment well in advance. Shipping a car involves many steps so it’s best to book at least 3-4 weeks in advance. 
  • You may like the convenience of door-to-door shipping, but your college may not approve of a large truck parking outside the campus housing. For this reason, you may need to arrange to pick up your car at a nearby location. 
  • In some cases, the auto transport company may permit you to transport up to 100 pounds of luggage in your truck. Be sure to check with your carrier, but if approved, this can be a great way to move some additional belongings. 
  • Be sure to wash your car prior to shipment and do a thorough inspection to make note of any scratches or dings. This will be helpful if you need to file an insurance claim later on. 
  • Remember that there is no such thing as a guaranteed delivery date for car shipment. Things like weather, road conditions, traffic delays and other unforeseen circumstances can impact travel time so you will need to be flexible and make preparations accordingly. 

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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