What To Do If It’s Your First Time Shipping a Vehicle

If you’re reading this article, you’re probably in need or interested in moving your vehicle from one place to another. If you have no experience in this, it can be intimidating – especially if you’re in a hurry to relocate, or sell your car to someone else. 

Choosing the method you want to use for moving your vehicle can be a complicated choice since there are many ways to do it, and many factors to consider such as the cost to transport a car. 

That said, if you’re leaning towards hiring personal auto transport services, or if you’re looking to tow the car yourself, this guide will help walk you through the steps you can take so that you can make a choice and take steps with less stress. 

Step 1: Find the Best Transport Method

There are many ways to move your car, and how you want to do it will depend on your budget, how far you are, and the kind of car that you have. Here are the methods: 

• Drive it Yourself: If the distance isn’t too far and you can easily make the trip, driving the car yourself could be the easiest and most affordable way. 
• Hire an Auto Transport Service: If you need to move long distances, it might be easier to acquire personal auto transport services and let the transport company do their work. 
• Towing the Car: If you own a truck that can tow cars without effort, renting a trailer and towing the vehicle yourself might be cheaper than going all out with an auto transport company. 
• Train or Air Shipping: This is less common and can be pretty expensive, but it works really well for luxury or international shipments. This is also one of the safest options for your car.

Step 2: Research and Pick a Reliable Transport Company

Out of the options, you should probably choose to get the help of an auto transport company for an accessible hassle-free option where the cost to transport a car isn’t too much. With that in mind, it’s definitely important to choose the right provider. 

You should look for:

• Proper Reviews: If you want an easy impression of how the company handles personal auto transport services, you can use online platforms to read feedback from previous customers.  
• Required Documents and Coverage: You need to find out that the company is licensed with the Department of Transportation to ensure quality service, and that the company keeps your trust secure with insurance coverage for your vehicle. 
• Multiple Quotes: To get the best deal for the best quality, you should try comparing prices from different transport companies.  
• Delivery Timeframes: Look for transparency when it comes to delivery timeframes to make sure that the company keeps you updated about the schedule, status, and location of your vehicle.  

Step 3: Get Your Vehicle Ready for Transport

Before the company picks your vehicle up, take these few steps to ready your car:

• Clean the whole car to ensure you can easily inspect any existing damage.
• Take detailed photos of your car from multiple angles to have a record of its condition so you can compare it to how it is after shipping.
• Remove personal belongings since most transport companies prohibit personal items from being in the vehicle during shipping.
• Check for mechanical damage to ensure your car is in good condition to be driven onto a trailer. 
• Avoid unnecessary interruptions during shipping by turning off alarms and securing any detachable parts.

Step 4: Understand the Shipping Process

Each transport method has its own processes, but this is what you can expect from most of them:

• Inspection and pickup: Your car will be inspected by the carrier, and its condition will be documented properly before loading to the truck.
• Set Transit Time: For personal auto transport services, you will be given with an estimated shipping duration depending on the distance and your chosen method.   
• Delivery and Final Inspection: When the car arrives, inspect it well before signing off on the delivery. 

Step 5: Receive and Inspect Your Vehicle

When your vehicle arrives, don’t let excitement get in the way of your carefulness. You got this far, so don’t do something you might regret by rushing the inspection process. Carefully inspect the car for any damage and compare it to the photos that were taken before shipping. If there are any errors document them immediately and tell the transport company so that both sides may solve the issue.  

You might still feel that moving a vehicle for the first time needs a lot of work, but by following these steps, the process becomes less intimidating and you can have more knowledge to give yourself a good shipping experience properly. You can call personal auto transport services, drive your car, or tow it – the outcome will be fine as long as you make the right preparations.