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Does your car meet the legal requirements for where you are shipping to?

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Home  |  Car Transport   |   Does your car meet the legal requirements for where you are shipping to?

If you are shipping your car to a new location, you may be wondering if your vehicle meets the legal requirements of its new destination. Tints, registration, emissions and other factors could lead to legal consequences or fees so it is important to be aware of the laws in place at the new destination of your vehicle. This helpful guide will walk you through some of these concerns so that you can make sure that your car meets the legal requirements for where you are shipping it to.

Tints

In the United States, the restrictions on tinting for windows vary from state to state. Providences of Canada and other countries have different rules. Check with local laws to make sure the tint of your window is legal.

Here are some states to use as an example. In Arizona, window tints can be added to reduce light transmission for a reflection of 35% or less. This is much different than the state of Delaware that does not allow any alteration of a vehicle's window. The tints of Delaware vehicles may only be altered by the vehicle's manufacturer.

Registration

The registration laws of motor vehicles vary from state to state. However, a general rule of thumb to abide by in the United States is that all registered vehicles also require proof of insurance. The license plates of cars, as well as the tags or stickers that must be placed on these plates, also vary from state to state. Whenever a person moves, it is important to consult with a DMV in their new state to make sure that they abide by any local motor vehicle laws and regulations.

Emissions

Each state in the United States has standard emissions ratings that must be met by vehicles in that state. It is important to abide by these laws and to get emissions inspections when needed. To make sure that your vehicle is up to these standards, check in with the local DMV or local emissions inspection testing location.

International Concerns

Shipping a car internationally can provoke other questions and concerns. When only visiting or traveling, it is possible to drive abroad without changing the license plates of your vehicles. This changes if your trip turns into a long-term stay. It will also be necessary to get European Green Card insurance for the vehicle. Your vehicle will not be able to get through European customs without this insurance.

Shipping your car to a new destination doesn't have to be stressful. By being mindful of various laws, you can make sure that shipping your car to a new destination can be done as seamlessly as possible.

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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