The Ultimate Guide for Preparing Your Car to Be Shipped

Whether you’re moving across the country, or only in the next state, or you’re buying a new or pre-loved car, what is essential for you is to know how car shipping works. If you want to book a transport company and you have no idea where to start, we made a great, short, but valuable guide for you where you’re going to find out everything you need to know about vehicle transport. Let’s go. Your ultimate guide for preparing your car to be shipped is here and has every possible information you’ll ever need.

You should know many things before you book the best car shipping service in the US. We got you covered with this guide.

Summary:

1. Set a budget and timeline,
2. Decide what shipping method are you going to use,
3. Choose a transport company,
4. Prepare your car for transport, 5. Why should you choose Vehicle Haul as your shipping partner?

Set a Timeline and Budget Before You Start Looking for the Best Transport Company in the US

Have this one on your mind - shipping a car can take anywhere between two days and three weeks depending on your destination, weather and road conditions, traffic, and type of service you choose. If you Google how long it takes to get from point A to point B, you’ll be able to get the information you need, but make sure to add extra two or three days to that. One more thing, you should book your shipping at least two weeks ahead (before the day you want them to be picked up by our trailer). Now, this a good start, and from this point, you can create your timeline.

The next thing you should think about is the budget. As you might know, traveling expenses aren’t the same when you book for the holiday season or travel in the summer. The same thing goes for car transport, and many things affect the price of total shipping costs. Some of those things are distance, route, shipping date, vehicle type, and the shipping service type, and in the and, seasonality is also significant. There’s usually a base price measured by a mile, and everything else is calculated based on these factors. If you want to know more about this, you should check our guide about car shipping where we explained everything in detail.

Save some money with careful planning.

Decide on a Shipping Method

When it comes to shipping, there are a few options between which you can choose. Let’s explore them and see what could be the best option for different situations.

Uncovered Transport Trailer

If you’re moving from one city in the same state to another or you need to transport your car to any short distance, then this is the best option for you. Plus, it’s the most cost-effective one. The logic is simple - more vehicles can fit in the open trailer than into the enclosed truck. Use this benefit and book your vehicle transport. And, if you need more information about open car shipping, we got you covered on this too.

Enclosed Car Trucks

This is the safest option, and it’s recommended for those who have a classic, luxury, exotic, or any other model with higher value. Also, if you have to ship your four-wheeled favorite across the country, this is a good option because your vehicle will be fully protected, with no chance of getting any scratches or getting dirty during the ride. A closed transport carrier has fewer available places in it so that fewer cars will fit (from 8 to 10), and this means that the shipping price will be higher. In case you need more information about enclosed shipping, make sure to find them on our website.

One more thing that you should think about is whether you’re going to ship your car using door-to-door transportation or we’re going to pick up your vehicle on one of the terminals we use for this purpose.

Keep your vehicle safe in the enclosed truck.

Choose a Transport Company

We understand how your vehicle is essential to you, and that’s the reason why you should think through it before booking shipping at some transport company. You should make a list of potential questions and ask all of them in order to see if they’re going to fit your standards and needs.

If you’re an owner of some rare model, ask them if they have had worked on a case similar to that and if they’re experienced enough to ship your vehicle. Also, if you’re not living anywhere near some important transportation route, ask them if and where they can pick up your car. When is a season for moving from North to South, and when you need to book a snowbirds car shipping, ask your potential transport partner how many times a week they ride the trucks or trailers from one part of the country to another.

In the end, you can’t skip the question about auto transport insurance because you want to be assured that everything is going to be ok with your car and that you’re covered in case something happens. Every transportation company must have insurance, and they’re obligated to have it by law. Still, you’ll probably want to check if they offer some additional coverage, and for example, if your vehicle is protected even when not in transit (during the night on the parking lot).

Prepare Your Vehicle for Transport

One final piece of information you need before becoming an expert for car shipping preparation is a short to-do list of things you need to do before we pick your vehicle up. First of all, make sure to have all your documents ready. You need your driver’s license, insurance policy, and vehicle registration prepared in one folder. After that, it would be great to take photos or video of all scratches, damages, or anything similar that is already on your car.

The following thing is to take all your stuff out of the vehicle and have only a quarter of the tank full of gas. After that, only little things are left to do, like folding the mirrors, removing antennas, and disabling an alarm.

After your cars arrive at their second destination, do this inspection process once again, just to assure yourself that everything came untouched and safe, even though that would be the case for sure if you’re choosing a reliable partner for your big shipping day.

We live for car and motorcycle shipping for more than 15 years now. Our days are dedicated to this job, and we love to organize cars, plan the routes, and help people transport their vehicles across the US. Every Vehicle Haul employee is very passionate about helping people to get the best service possible. Loving, appreciating, and having the chance to be around some of the prettiest cars out there is a dream that we live every day.

Choose us because we live this dream, choose us for our passion, and choose our knowledge and experience. Don’t hesitate to ask us any question you have; we have the best customer service you can imagine, and our coworkers are very friendly and have a lot of patience for answering all your questions.

Before you book our service, check what services we provide, and choose those that match your needs. After that, take a free quote on our website, and in the end, contact us, and we’ll make sure to provide you with the best service you can find in the US.