Figuring Out How Much It Cost to Ship a Car?
How much does it cost to ship a car will depend on a number of factors. However, when you hire a reputable car shipping company like National Transport LLC, you will often find that the cost to ship a car can actually be quite affordable and the process to do so extremely easy. Let's take a look at some common things to keep in mind when considering the car shipping process.
3 Considerations When Using a Car Shipping Company
There are obvious benefits to be had when hiring our car shipping company to pick up your vehicle from one location and ship it to another location. Some of these benefits include:
- Less wear and tear on your personal vehicle. The less long-distance driving you do, the better off your car will be as it will mean less wear and tear on your tires and engine.
- Less time. Having your car shipped means that you get to spend less time on the road and more time spent preparing for your trip in other ways or spending time with family.
- Less money. While every person's situation is different, have you ever considered what the 'true cost' is to drive your personal car from coast to coast versus having it shipped? Between gasoline, lodging, food, oil changes, tolls and other miscellaneous expenses, you can easily end up spending over $1600 out of pocket. Is that really worth the time and frustration if, in the end, you're not really saving as much money as you thought? You may quickly find out rates for how much to ship a car are far less.
Looking at how much it cost to ship a car: What's Involved?
We offer each of our customers a variety of options. Among these, we offer door-to-door car shipping using several different types of car haulers. While we do not usually pick and choose what type or size car carrier will pick up your vehicle, we will find a car hauler that has an open spot and is making a trip to or from the area that you live in. It is also worth mentioning that we do exercise discretion and we will never dispatch an enclosed car shipping order to an open car hauler.
I live in a suburban area; Will a car hauler fit down my street?
Our truck sizes range from approximately 25 feet to 53 feet in length, with the majority of our trucks being 53-ft. semi's (if they are making cross country car shipping deliveries). We almost exclusively offer door-to-door car shipping.
There are certain situations where it may not be practical to have one of our car haulers go to a customer's door. For instance, if the car delivery or pickup is in an area that the enclosed car hauler cannot access, a local truck (such as a tow truck or similar) may tow the car in instead.
Ultimately, it is up to the individual discretion of our car shipping drivers to determine whether or not they will be able to safely gain access to our customer's actual address. This is done because the drivers are the ones who are most familiar with the roadways in various locations and are also the ones who are more aware of their individual limitations at a particular location. This allows our car haulers to work one-on-one with each customer to get their vehicle(s) safely loaded and unloaded.
11 Things That Our Car Shipping Drivers Usually Avoid:
- Low lying trees
- Cul de sacs
- Dead end roads
- Narrow roads
- Sharp turns to get into or out of an area
- Low bridge clearances
- Steep inclines that would cause our car transport trucks to bottom out (i.e. Areas surrounding San Francisco, etc.)
- Busy roads where it is unsafe for loading/unloading
- Areas where a ferry may be required to access a location (i.e. Martha's Vineyard is one example)
- Secured areas (i.e. gated communities or military bases, etc.)
- Local law restrictions (i.e. Downtown NYC has certain laws that prohibit large trucks and/or commercial vehicles)
Live in a Hard-to-Navigate Area? Car Towing or a Quick Meet N' Greet May Be an Option
If, for some reason, our car carriers determine that you live in an area that is unsafe for them to access with a large vehicle shipping truck, we may send a local tow truck to have your vehicle delivered to you. Alternatively, it may make more sense to do a quick 'meet n' greet' where we meet up with you at a designated location close to your destination point. The following are some areas where we may ask to meet you in order to safely and securely deliver your vehicle:
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Large parking lots (i.e. Walmart, etc.) - Shopping centers
- Churches
- High schools
- Car dealerships
- Truck stops/gas station that allow tractor trailers
- *Sometimes, our car transport drivers may opt to meet you at the front of your neighborhood, depending on the amount of traffic in the area.
How Much Does It Cost To Ship A Car?
As you can see, we offer our customers an extensive variety of options to choose from so that they never have to worry about whether or not they are "good candidates" for car shipping. We want you to know that no matter what your arrangements are, we will make sure that your car, truck, SUV or mini van gets delivered to you safely, quickly and at a price that fits within your budget.
Give us a call today at 1.800.665.5022 for more information on how we can help or fill out the form in the left sidebar near the top of this page.
