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Is it Safe to Ship a Vehicle?

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Home  |  Car Transport   |   Is it Safe to Ship a Vehicle?

Many people are concerned about the safety of auto shipment and understandably so. They are turning one of their most valuable assets over to a complete stranger. However, auto transport companies take extra precautions to ensure your vehicle is safe during transport.  Even so, the safety of your vehicle depends on a few factors including the transport company you choose and the way you prepare your vehicle for shipment. Here are a few things you should do to ensure your vehicle is shipped securely. 

Find the Right Shipping Company

Not all car shipping companies are created equal so it’s important to do your research to find the right one. When you’re shipping something as high value as your vehicle, you want to be sure you find a company that is reputable and reliable. Here are a few things you should to ensure you find the best company:

-Talk to friends and family who have shipped a vehicle and ask about their experience

-Research the company and read their reviews

-Verify their MC and DOT number

-Request a free quote

-Confirm they have liability insurance

-Check the company’s reputation with the Better Business Bureau

Prepare Your Car for Safe Transport

Once you have found a reliable shipping company you still need to take the right steps to prepare your car for shipment. You want to do everything you can to ensure a safe and damage-free transport and delivery. Here are a few things you need to do to properly prepare your vehicle for shipment:

-The first things you need to do is wash your car both inside and out because it’s easier to spot damage on a clean car. 

-Thoroughly inspect your vehicle and make note of any existing scratches, dings, dents, or paint chips. You should also take pictures of your vehicle so you have proof of your vehicle’s condition in case any new damage should occur. 

-Remove all valuables from your vehicle such as stereos, DVD players, GPS systems, etc. Also, do not pack or leave personal belongings inside the vehicle.  

-Remove or secure all loose or removable parts such as an antenna, spoiler, or any other custom parts and fold in your rear view mirrors.

-Do a mechanical check before shipment. Check and top off all fluids and ensure your tires are properly inflated. Make sure the batter has a full charge and make sure the gas tank is only ¼ full.

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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