Are you moving soon and already thinking about transporting your car safely? We hear you. The moving process itself is a highly stressful event that requires a lot of thought and planning. Short distance moves may feel less taxing and time-consuming if you plan ahead. Moving across town or even the street involves a great deal of sorting, packing, and organizing that may become the cause of your frustrations, let alone moving to a new state, part of the country, or even a new continent, where you have to figure out pretty much everything all over again.
What is the best way to ship a car?
If you need to move the car to your new destination, you will have a few choices:
- drive the car yourself
- ask a relative or a friend to drive
- hire a driveaway service
- ship it by air or train, if an option
- hire a professional auto transport company
Is there a best way to ship a car? A lot will depend on your particular situation and expectations. So here is the scope on each car moving option.
Drive the car yourself
It is probably the most obvious transport solution. When you need to move your car, you just hop in and drive it. Besides, you probably think it is going to save you money compared to hiring a professional moving company. Yet, there is a big chance you might be wrong.
Shipping a vehicle is often cheaper than driving it hundreds, or even thousands, of miles. Once you account for fuel, tolls, lodging, food, the time you may need to take off work to move your car, and any other expenses associated with long distance travel, you’ll see that the cost to ship a car can add up quickly. Therefore, when you compare the cost of shipping a car versus driving it long distance, it’s evident that letting a professional company transport your vehicle is the most cost effective solution.
Have you recently bought a car and are now feeling hesitant letting someone you don’t know be in charge of transporting your prized possession? Think of all the extra miles it will accumulate and excess tire wear it will incur during the move. But if you hire a professional car shipping company to transport your vehicle, the only time your car will be driven is when a trucker needs to move it on or off the trailer or to make space for other vehicles.
Ask a relative or a friend to drive
This can be an excellent choice if someone you can trust is willing to do you a favor and drive your vehicle for you. This option may be cheaper than hiring a shipping company, and the car may arrive at its destination faster. It will definitely save you time, and you will not have to deal with the stress of driving long distance yourself.
But despite all the benefits of asking a friend or relative for help, there is no guarantee that they will take care of your car the same way you do. If your car is expensive, then trusting it in the hands of a relative or friend who is neither a professional driver nor has done the task before, is a risky choice. And keep in mind that you may have to return the favor someday.
Use a driveaway service
Driveaway companies match drivers with cars. Some companies find a driver who is looking for a cheap travel option and a customer who needs cheap vehicle transport and pair them up. As compensation for their driving services, these drivers get a free trip and gas allowance. The idea of a stranger driving your vehicle may be a bit worrisome; therefore, every driveaway service has a set of criteria they use to choose drivers. There are also driveaway companies that offer professional driver services at a higher cost. Driveaway can be a great choice if you are not able to drive the car yourself or cannot find any trusted relative or friend who can do you a favor.
However, hiring a driveaway service has its drawbacks: it will cost you a lot of money, in case you go for a professional driveaway service; and you can never be sure your car will be taken good care of in case you choose services of a non-professional driver. Do your homework and search. Look for recommendations and feedback before deciding in favor of this mode of car shipping.
Ship your car by air or train
This may be your best option if you have to ship your car overseas and if cost is not an issue. For example, you may own a million dollar car that needs to cross the ocean. Air freight is by far the most reliable and fastest way to ship your vehicle. You also need to keep in mind that if you have more than one vehicle, you will be allowed to ship only one car at a time.
Use a professional auto transport company
Hiring a professional company to transport your car is the best and safest option, which also proves to be the most cost-effective. Here is what you need to know about car shipping costs – a post that will give you comprehensive guidencess about what it costs to ship a car across state lines.
Entrust your vehicle into the hands of a reliable auto transport company, so you can tend to other moving tasks. Let professionals take care of your car shipping needs from start to finish. Your only chore is to find a reliable shipper that will take good care of your car. Auto transport is a business built on trust. You wouldn’t let just anyone ship your car. So do your homework. Ask around to get first-hand recommendations, read online reviews, check FMCSA hotline for shipper licenses and safety ratings.
This is how auto transport with Corsia Logistics works:
- Request a quote online or by phone.
- Disclose details about the car – make, model, modifications, running condition. If there are idiosyncrasies with operating your car, make sure to leave detailed instructions for the shipper.
- Select your desired shipping dates. Delivery time will depend mainly on the distance.
- Corsia Logistics agent contacts one of the carriers and schedules your shipment.
- A carrier picks up your car one to a few days from your first available date.
- The carrier must complete an inspection report before loading your car.
- At delivery, inspect your vehicle alongside the carrier, sign the Bill of Lading, and pay the remaining balance.
We, at Corsia Logistics, take great pride in offering exceptionally personalized service to each and every customer. The agent you get to work with will spell out the entire shipping process to you and help select the right auto transport service for your vehicle. We offer door-to-door service with both open and enclosed auto carriers. Open auto transport is currently the most popular among our customers. Approximately 85% of all carriers in the US are open which suits all types of vehicles. But if you are looking to add extra protection for your vehicle, we will arrange enclosed shipping.
If you are a first time shipper, don’t worry! Around 90% of people that hire auto-transport companies are first time shippers, so you are definitely not alone. We’ve compiled a nice car shipping checklist to get you started: from finding a vehicle shipping company to establishing transit times.
To learn more about how auto transport works, we encourage you to browse through our auto transport questions section. For an immediate price quote please call us at (818) 850-5258 or get a quote online on our website. Also, you can read what customers have to say about us and the services we provide. Just check Trust Pilot reviews or other online sources to learn more about our customers’ experience. Thank you!
