All About Car Shipping

At Ship a Car Direct, we get a lot of questions about the process of shipping cars. After all, it’s not something most people do every day! Here are some answers to the questions we get most often about how car shipping works:

Why Ship My Car?

Car shipping has helped car owners for years whenever they have needed to send a vehicle to another city or state. Transportation businesses have assisted customers with dilemmas on whether to keep an old car in the garage or send it to a relative miles away.

There are many reasons you might need a car transporting service like Ship a Car Direct. For one thing, we take away the worry, expense and hassle of driving the car to the next location. We all don’t love or have time for a road trip! A reliable car transportation business like ours will look after your car and get it to the next destination safely and without the need for you to spend hours on the road or add miles to the car’s odometer.

How Does Car Shipping Work?

The way transportation car services work is by picking up your car and loading it onto a truck that'll drive it your desired destination. You can have the vehicle shipping company pick your car up from your house or from a business. The same situation applies when it comes to delivery. Because these details are important to decide ahead of time, you’ll need to speak with a representative from your transportation car service to hash out details of the transport.

How Much Does It Cost For Car Shipping?

There are a lot of variables that go into a car shipping quote, but on average, you can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $1500 for car shipping. The lower price is for transports that are short in distance. If your car is going across the country, then your costs will be in the $1500 range. International car shipment is much higher. Whether your car is running or not running, or you choose an open or enclosed car carrier service, can also affect the price.

Your car’s size makes a difference in the transporting price, as does the destination where the car is going. If you need to have the car shipped from New York to California, then the cost could be around $1,105 or more. Rough estimates of cost per mile to ship a car fall from $0.40 to $1.00. Fill out the Instant Car Shipping Estimate on this page to find out a more exact price and see the availability of car carriers for your car shipping needs.

How Does Long Does Car Shipping Take?

When figuring out how long it will take to ship a car, you need to consider a few things. There are many influencing factors that auto carrier businesses have to factor in when giving an estimate of how long it takes to ship a car. The distance to travel is an issue, and often, it doesn’t happen within a day or two. It may be a few days before your car can be picked up. For these reasons, it’s important to ask the transportation company what to expect regarding the time needed to ship your car.

Weather may also be a factor in the length of time for your car to reach its destination. Many auto carriers run into bad weather when traveling through different states in their peak season for snow storms. Road conditions, such as road closures or construction, can also delay transport. Many drivers experience a detour because roads are shut down or being repaired.

Traffic can also be an issue, and congestion can delay your car more than you expected. Don’t forget that the auto carrier will have other stops to take care of. When there are other cars on the truck, the staff will need to fulfill their obligations to those other car owners. Remote areas can also make the transport take longer. All of these issues can affect your car’s arrival time, so it’s good to have at least a little flexibility.

Should I Pack Stuff In A Car When Shipping It?

It's totally up to you about what you want to leave in your car while it's shipped.

Keep in mind, however, that it will cost you more in the long run. Many people try to get a two for one by using the transporting of their car to move household items stuffed in boxes. This additional weight costs more when your car is loaded onto the flatbed truck.

You’re also taking an added risk when you have your personal belongings inside your car during transport. Tell the transportation staff that you'll have a couple boxes inside your car so that they will be aware that extra cargo is being transported along with the car itself.

Try not to load your car with precious items that are worth thousands of dollars. Breakable items especially should not be loaded in a car transport. Just think about the movements of the car transport that could damage your beloved collections of porcelain figurines! The driver will charge you for the added weight, so you are better off taking care of that kind of transport or shipping separately.

These are some of the most valid points to consider when deciding on shipping your car. Just to recap some of the main points:

Find out what the entire process entails.Next, consider all costs that go into a car transport. What kind of car do you have and how big is it? Size matters when working with auto carriers.Costs can go from $500 to $1500 depending on your location. If moving a car from New York to a small town in California, use our free calculator and ask the staff what costs to expect.Explore what else will affect the costs during transportation, such as choosing an open or enclosed carrier.No one wants to wait for days or hours for their car shipment. Inquire with management about the time required to move your car to another state or country.Packing additional stuff in your car during transport can put items at risk. Speak with your auto carrier so they know what’s in the car and what needs their attention. Most transportation businesses are aware customers will use car transport to move more items from their home to the new destination, and will charge you.

Our considerate customer service representatives are here to answer all your questions about our transport services and give you a better idea of what to expect from the car shipping process. Use the form on this page for an instant estimate, or call us today for more exact car shipping quotes!