logo
  • Home
  • FAQs
  • User Videos
  • Quote Calculator
866-221-1664
Get Your Free Quote
logo
866-221-1664
  • Home
  • FAQs
  • User Videos
  • Quote Calculator
Get Your Free Quote
Get Your Free Quote

Never Ignore These Insights for Finding the Most Reliable Car Transporters in Your Area

50,000+ Reviews
1,000,000+ Customers Helped
Home  |  Car Transport   |   Never Ignore These Insights for Finding the Most Reliable Car Transporters in Your Area

Shipping a vehicle across the country can be a stressful task. That’s because a car is a valuable asset and you don’t want to hand it over to just anyone. Having said that, this is not something most people do very often, so the process of choosing the right auto shipping company can be a little tricky. Choosing a reliable car transporter requires more than choosing the first company you come across online. Rather, there is an extensive amount of work that should be done in order to choose the right company. It is important to do plenty of research to ensure that the business offers the services you need while also maintaining the proper credentials. Since you only want to hand your car over to someone you trust, consider the following insights for finding a reliable car shipping company. Here are a few things to look for and some important red flags you shouldn’t ignore. With the right knowledge and research, you can find a reputable car transporter that suits your needs. 

Check for Proper Licensing and Registration

All car shipping companies are required to be registered with the United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. To be sure you are working with a reliable company, you want to make sure they have MC and US-DOT numbers. You can retrieve this information by doing a quick Google search. If for some reason you are unable to find this information or the company refuses to provide it to you, that would be an indication that they are not authorized to provide transport services. 

Be Cautious of Quotes That are Too Low

Everyone wants to feel like they are getting a deal, but if a quote seems too good to be true, it probably is. While prices may vary slightly from one auto transport company to another, the price shouldn’t be so drastic that it shocks you. For example, if one company quotes you $1500 to transport your vehicle and another quotes you $600, this could be a red flag that something is not right. Many scammers utilize this technique to lure customers so always proceed with caution if a company is offering you an extremely low price. 

Make Sure the Company is Bonded and Insured

To guarantee the safety of your vehicle during transport you will want to confirm that the shipping company takes pride in safe driving practices. This means you should only work with a company that is bonded and insured. These important policies will protect your vehicle in the event of accidents. Before moving forward with a transport company, review the insurance policy carefully. 

Pay Attention to Customer Reviews and Testimonials

In order to make a well-informed decision you want to conduct a little research on your own. You should take the time to gather some information from customer reviews and online testimonials. In addition to Yelp reviews, you can find reliable comments by visiting the company’s social media page and scrolling through the comments section. It’s also a good idea to check with the Better Business Bureau to see if anyone has filed a complaint against the company. 

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.

View All FAQs
Toyoto Subaru porsche bmw honda ford audi bmw

We’re Loved by Customers

See Reviews by Our Verified Buyers!

shipacardirect.com widget logo
Get Your Free Car Shipping Quote
Get Your Free Quote
  • About Ship a Car Direct
  • Quote Calculator
  • User Videos
  • FAQs
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
MC-632461
logo
© 2023 Ship a Car Direct. All Rights Reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Site Map