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What Exactly is a Car Transporter and What Do They Do?

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Home  |  Car Shipping   |   What Exactly is a Car Transporter and What Do They Do?
What Exactly is a Car Transporter and What Do They Do?

Have you ever thought about the logistics of sending your car across the country or even overseas? It’s not as simple as having someone drive it from point A to point B. Enter the car transporter: professionals who specialize in shipping cars from one location to another safely and efficiently. 

In this article, we’ll delve into the world of car transporters, how they work, and what you should expect when using their services.

What is a car transporter and what is a car carrier?

First and foremost, let’s define what a car transporter is. A car transporter, also known as an auto transporter, is a specialized type of trailer that is designed for transporting vehicles. They may also be called car carriers. 

These trailers can typically hold anywhere from one to six cars, depending on the size and configuration of the trailer. Car transporters are commonly used to transport cars to dealerships, auctions, and even private residences, eliminating the need for long-distance drives. 

How do you use a car transporter?

So, how do you use a car transporter? If you’re looking to ship your car, the first step is to find a reputable and experienced car transporter company. You can research companies online or ask for recommendations from friends or family. 

Or, you can cut out the middleman and hire a service like Ship a Car Direct. We find reputable car transporter companies for you and cover your transportation with a no-damage guarantee. 

If you decide to find a car carrier company yourself, you’ll need to provide them with your vehicle’s make, model, and size. They will also need to know the pickup and drop-off locations, as well as the desired timeframe for delivery. 

The car transporter will then provide you with a quote for their services, which will vary depending on the distance, size of the vehicle, and other factors.

If you choose to use Ship a Car Direct, we’ll walk you through our process for getting your car onto a car carrier. With us, you can speak to an agent and get an accurate quote. You can also ask about the options available to you for shipping your car. We’re unbiased in which company you use, so we will give you our honest opinion about what will work for you, your budget, and your needs.

Car haulers: Who are they?

Next, let’s talk about what you call people who transport cars. You wouldn’t want to commit a social faux pas when it comes to the auto industry.

While ‘car transporter’ is an accurate description of the job, people in this profession are often referred to as car haulers or auto transporters. These individuals have specialized training and licenses to ensure that your vehicle arrives safely and on time.

How is a car carrier loaded?

Finally, let’s touch on how a transporter is loaded. Depending on the type of car transporter, vehicles can be loaded in a variety of ways. Open car carriers typically use ramps to load the cars onto the trailer, while enclosed carriers may use hydraulics or lifts to load the cars inside. 

It’s important to note that the car transporters we vouch for take great care when loading and securing vehicles to ensure there is no damage during transit.

Choose Ship a Car Direct for stress-free transport 

If you’re looking to ship your car, a car transporter can be a stress-free option. These professionals specialize in safely and efficiently moving vehicles from one location to another, making long-distance moves and purchases far less daunting. 
Looking to ship your car? Get a quote at our Ship a Car Direct website today!

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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