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Mistakes to Avoid When Shipping a Car to Another State

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Home  |  Car Shipping   |   Mistakes to Avoid When Shipping a Car to Another State
Happy man in car knows how to ship a car to another state

Trying to figure out how to ship a car to another state can be stressful and confusing. There are many factors to consider, such as choosing the right carrier, protecting your vehicle from damage, and ensuring that it arrives at its destination on time. 

Unfortunately, many people make mistakes when shipping their car, which can lead to delays, additional expenses, and even damage to their vehicle — especially when shipping out of state. In this blog post, we will discuss how to transport a car to another state and avoid the common mistakes associated with it.

Choosing the Wrong Carrier

One of the most common mistakes people make when shipping their car is choosing the wrong carrier. There are many carriers available, but not all of them offer the same level of service. It's important to choose a carrier that is reliable, experienced and has a good reputation. 

If you are sourcing a carrier on your own, do your due diligence and research the company carefully before hiring them. Look at reviews online, ask them pertinent questions, and be sure to visit them in person if you can. This will help ensure that you’ve chosen a trustworthy carrier to ship a car to another state.

Of course, you can also hire an unbiased, third-party company like Ship a Car Direct. We source the carriers for you (working with only vetted and trusted companies) and add a layer of protection with our damage-free guarantee. 

Not Inspecting the Vehicle

It's critical to inspect your car before it's shipped. Make sure that you inspect it thoroughly for any damage, scratches, or dents. Take photos of your car from all angles, including the interior, and make sure that you have a record of any pre-existing damage. This will help you to ensure that your vehicle is delivered in the same condition that it was picked up in.

Not Properly Securing Your Belongings

When shipping your car, it's important to remember that anything inside your car will also be transported. If you have any personal items in your car, make sure that they are secured properly. Loose items can cause damage to the interior of your car or even cause accidents during transportation. Also, items inside your car can change the weight of your vehicle, which can affect the cost of transport.

Plus, insurance will not cover any personal items inside your car in the event of an accident. It is best to remove all personal items from your car before shipping it.

Not Preparing Your Vehicle for Shipping

Preparing your vehicle for shipping is essential to ensure that it arrives in the same condition as it was picked up in. Some simple steps you can take include removing any personal items from your car, making sure that your gas tank is nearly empty, and disconnecting your car alarm if you have one. These simple steps can help ensure a smooth and hassle-free shipping experience.

Not Getting Insurance

Lastly, not getting insurance can be the most costly mistake you make when shipping your car. Even if you choose a reputable carrier, accidents can happen.

Make sure that your car is fully insured during transport to protect it against any damage that may occur. Don't assume that the carrier's insurance will cover everything. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Protect Your Assets When It Comes to Shipping Cars to Another State

Transporting a car to another state can be a stressful and confusing process. Knowing how to ship cars to another state without making common mistakes will help you protect your assets.

Choosing the right carrier, inspecting your vehicle, securing your belongings, preparing your vehicle for shipping, and getting insurance are all critical steps in ensuring that your car arrives at its destination safely and on time.

By following these tips, you can make the car shipping process as stress-free as possible. If you need any help with shipping your car, don't hesitate to contact a reputable company like Ship a Car Direct.

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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