10 Amazing Tips To Ship a Vehicle

Whether you are shipping a vehicle to a location within the United States or to an overseas destination, the process is a strenuous one and should not be handled by amateurs. There are a lot of things to consider when planning to ship a vehicle; the high cost, the different excise duties that you are required to pay for, the tracking of the vehicle, as well as a lengthy documentation process. Every aspect involved requires care and maximum attention and should not be handled carelessly. It could even metamorphose into a nightmare if not properly addressed.

To combat the stressful and demanding aspects of shipping your vehicle, you need to be prepared to handle all the requirements. From choosing the most ideal transport company to drafting a shipping contract, it is important to be very careful while making decisions. Herein lies the key to a successful shipping process.

Here are some tips that would be of help in ensuring you have a seamless vehicle shipping process:

1. Select the Ideal Shipping Service

Although there are several shipping services made available to clients by shipping companies. There are basically two major shipping methods, namely the open shipping method and the enclosed shipping method.

The open shipping method is the shipping industry's standard method. It is the most utilized method because it is cost-effective. It entails shipping your vehicle on an open truck, which is considered unsafe.

The enclosed shipping method is one of the cheapest shipping methods for your vehicle. It entails shipping your vehicle in a completely closed truck and it costs higher than an open shipping method.

ensure to select the ideal shipping method that resonates with your shipping requirements, you should always consider cost when considering which shipping method to utilize. if your vehicle is not a rare classic car or an expensive sports car, you can just save yourself the cost and use an open shipping method. even though the car might be exposed to a few risks, it is much cheaper and damage is rare.

2. Conduct a Detailed Research On Your Shipping Options

Imagine it is the fall season and you are moving to Los Angeles from Alaska. You obviously require a vehicle shipper to help you ship your vehicle across the country to your new home. The issue will be how to find the best company to effectively handle such a task.

It is critical that you conduct personal research on the shipping company you intend to employ. In the course of your research, you might find shipping brokers rater than actual carriers. It all depends on your preferences and schedule. The next questions that would be popping in your mind now would definitely be, "What's the difference?" and "which would be best?"

Shipping Carriers: These are the actual shippers. Although they provide a smaller range of shipping options to clients compared to those of a broker, they can be harder to find on the internet. However, working with them means you are dealing directly with the shipping company. This is not convenient when compared to the shipping brokers, but it costs way less

Shipping Brokers: This is a more convenient and indirect method of shipping your vehicle. It is regarded as indirect because it's the broker that gets in touch with shipping companies and gives you an estimate based on the shipping quotes they get from the actual shipping company with additional fees to cover their services.

3. Research on the shipping company

If you eventually decide to settle for a shipping carrier, ensure you research the company thoroughly to know if it's a reputable and highly professional company. Check if the company is licensed by the relevant government-authorized agency. Evaluate the company based on insurance, licensure, and experience. Ensure you read customer reviews.

4. Avoid Low-Cost Shipping

While surfing through the internet, you will find many vehicle shipping companies that provide a shipping quote calculator on their website. Ensure you have knowledge of the industry's shipping quotes standard, so as to be able to avoid shipping companies with quotes lower than the standard. This would ensure that the eventual cost of shipping would be well within your budget.

5. Schedule for an Early Shipping Service

If you need your vehicle to be shipped right away and require a shipping service, it will be very difficult to find a shipping company. Always make sure to schedule your vehicle shipping as early as possible. Even if you are lucky enough to get a shipping company to help you out, the express service you need would incur high shipping costs.

It is very important to schedule it very early to avoid unnecessary costs. The ideal time to book a shipping service for your vehicle is 2–4 weeks before the proposed shipping date. If you book any earlier than 2 weeks, you will incur a higher charge and you stand at a high risk of not finding a reliable shipper.

6. Confirm the Insurance Coverage

When you're in the thick of a vehicle shipping process, the last thing you want to think about is insurance. However, just like with moving insurance, it's worth your time to double-check the insurance coverage of your vehicle shipping company.

Most vehicle shippers will have coverage ranging from $50,000 to $100,000. While it may be plenty for your 2015 Ford Escape, it may not be sufficient for a more classy and luxurious vehicle.

Exemptions are another item to check for in your auto carrier's insurance policy. Many plans expressly exclude "acts of God," which are essentially everything that happens in a catastrophe film (floods, volcanoes, thunderstorms, earthquakes, and tsunamis).

If you do require additional coverage, check with your current auto insurer or call the provider to see what choices are available.

7. Prepare your Car for Shipping

If you select a vehicle shipping company and feel serviced by dealing with them, the next step is to ensure that your vehicle is prepared for shipping. Vehicle shippers usually charge their clients a non-run fee if the vehicle cannot be driven on and off the trailer. These few tips would help in the preparation of your car for shipping:

• Ensure that there is gas in the gas tank of the vehicle.
• Make sure that your car battery is fully charged to avoid an extra fee for charging the battery.
• Ensure to confirm the antifreeze level of the vehicle to ensure that it is enough to withstand the weather the vehicle would endure in the course of the shipping process. This is very vital because it would avoid a cracked engine block as well as other engine-related troubles.
• Do not ship additional items in the vehicle. It is recommended that you remove all the accessories because, if not properly secured, these extra items might result in damage to the vehicle in transit. Don't forget to remove your EZ pass as it is possible for the transponder to be read even inside an enclosed trailer.

8. Inspect your Vehicle upon Pick-up and Delivery

You should inspect your vehicle and get a bill of loading when the driver arrives to pick up your vehicle. Verify that the driver picked up your vehicle with this document.

To conduct a post-trip inspection, you must be present when the vehicle is delivered. You will be looking for any damages that occurred during the trip and completing any payments you have not yet made. Be sure to document any damage thoroughly in case you need to make an insurance claim in the future.

9. Remove Car Accessories and Disarm your Vehicle Alarms Systems

Auto collectors, snowbirds, military families, and anybody else who often sends vehicles across the country will be familiar with this one. You should absolutely deactivate your automobile alarm before shipping it.

Why? Because if your alarm goes off while you're being transported, the driver has the authority to turn it off by whatever means necessary. Remember in The Big Lebowski when Walter wrecks the sports vehicle with a baseball bat? That may be overkill, but you get the idea.

You should also remove any custom hoods, spoiler kits, side skirts, fender flares, or other body changes you've installed on your vehicle. These additional elements are easily damaged while transporting an automobile.

10. Request for a Bill of Lading

The shipping business issues a bill of lading (BoL) as a condition report. The bill of lading serves as the provider's acknowledgment receipt confirming the shipment has arrived. The carrier's name and signature, the contract's terms and conditions, the consignee's name, a thorough description of the items, and any specific instructions should all be included in the document. If there are any, the BoL is a legally enforceable instrument that you will need to recover any damages.

The Final Thoughts

Three Movers can help you if you require a dependable shipping company to handle your vehicle transportation requirements. We are a reliable and dependable shipping company renowned for the affordable and high-quality shipping services that we render to all our clients.

With us the safety of your vehicle is guaranteed, our drivers are highly experienced and possibly the best you can find. Our company is a family-owned business with several years of vehicle shipping experience, you can be assured of having the best vehicle shipping experience