Shipping the car across large distances is in most cases the most sensible and economic solution, saving effort, time, and car wear. There is shipment across roads by several types of carrier trucks, shipment by sea, and shipment by air of any type of car or motorcycle, whether modern, prestige, vintage, veteran, classic or sports.
The term “auto shipping” naturally implies that your car will be delivered to the specified destination whole and on time (rather than gradually and in parts). And surprisingly large numbers of people regularly commit the mistake of taking a company’s dependability for granted. It would certainly be strange for a company slogan to read: “We deliver (most of the time)!” Yet one must just the same realize that it is a trick of language to imply reliability while in fact the company may not be deserving of its name, to say the least. Company names and official titles are platonic ideals: language suggests what function the establishment is supposed to represent in principle, but it does not attest to its actual performance in the field down on Earth. Hence, it is inadvisable to go with just any company or to rely on the company to perform impeccably no matter what.
You should know that most auto shipping companies, while spread out in thousands of locations all across the larger countries, are really rather small operations that own a few trucks.
If you offer the company you choose to ship your auto a flexible schedule, the price will be more reasonable than if you dictated a specific time frame. Given the more flexible terms, most companies will perform well, no matter your car’s final destination.
The deal is generally set up with either a broker or a single carrier itself. You will find that some enterprising shipping company’s now act as their own brokers. This being true, make sure that you know that you are dealing with the carrier that also brokers for himself and not a carrier that brokers it out to some unknown company..
Do not sign contracts without having seen a valid MC license and always ask to see a copy of their Insurance Certificate and contact their insurance company to find out the exact terms of their insurance. Reputable companies will be glad to oblige a vigilant client, demonstrating their reliability, and will always be comfortably ensured several years ahead. You don’t want to trust the car you worked so hard for to a company whose insurance policy ends next moth without a guarantee that they will be insured or even in existence as an official firm at the time of transportation.
Do some research on several companies. If there is nothing to research, ditch that company. You want to see a track record. Some good information can be found in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration publication. For one thing, you can check to be sure that the carrier you are dealing with directly is not one of those clandestine broker/carrier companies, but actually does the transporting themselves.
It is, of course, not a silly notion at all to put all this work into a broker’s capable hands and let him do the research and select a few reliable companies from which you can choose. A broker can get information that possibly you cannot and that may just give you the warm, secure feeling that your car will wind up where its supposed to be after a reasonable period of time and all in one piece.
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