Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Auto Shipping Quotes vs. Estimates

When you're looking for automobile shipping prices, many of you will likely search for some estimates to get a rough idea of what it's going to cost to ship your car from one state to another. Others will start looking for quotes from some different companies and compare actual prices. But which method is better in the long run? As a quote provider, naturally we're going to tell you that getting quotes is always the better option, but it's more than just that: it really is a better idea to know how much you're going to be paying as opposed to how much you might pay.

Estimates might not be a bad idea to start, but why settle for a maybe when you can get a good range from reliable companies all at once with actual quotes instead of estimates? When you fill out our free form you'll get multiple free quotes from reputable and reliable shippers e-mailed to you within the hour. Get the true prices to ship your car from the companies that'll ship them. Don't fumble around with clunky prices - get instant free quotes on demand. All it takes is filling out our free form on every page on our site. It's quick, it's free, and ultimately it's going to get you in contact with the people you want to talk to a lot faster than calling a bunch of random companies and getting estimates.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

What NOT To Put In Your Trunk During Auto Transport Services

Automobile shipping companies will usually let you put at least a few things in your trunk while your vehicle is being transported. Typically they will say no more than 100 pounds at the absolute maximum, but many will say fifty pounds only of stuff in the trunk. It depends on who you talk to. But there are a few things that they will all say, and one of those things is that you can't put a few select items in your trunk - namely firearms, bombs, anything illegal or that is illegal to transport across state lines. But more than that, you should never put anything that is inherently valuable to you or that has any sentimental value to it; likewise, you should never put electronics or anything expensive of that nature into your trunk while it is being shipped. Only your vehicle will be insured during transport, so anything you put in the trunk you put AT YOUR OWN RISK. Please understand that. Your shipper is not and will not be held responsible for any damage or loss of items you place in your vehicle.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Automobile Shipping to Tucson, Arizona

The city of Tucson, Arizona is not the largest in the state, though it is the second-largest. Sitting a bit southeast of Phoenix, Tucson sits along I-10, the main interstate that runs through the Sun Corridor, or the stretch of metro area between Phoenix and Tucson, coincidentally enough. This makes for a rather popular auto transportation location, as many people live in the Phoenix metropolitan area and along I-10 down into Tucson, so moving a vehicle into or out of Tucson shouldn't be too difficult. Generally prices will be cheaper in the winter, as more people will be moving into the area due to the influx of snowbirds, which also helps lower prices.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Why Bigger Cities Are Cheaper to Ship to and From

Major metropolitan areas are favored by auto transporters because of the simple fact that they're major population centers. People who ship their vehicles more often move from one major metropolitan area to another, and with hundreds of cities with populations over 100,000 in the United States, there are a lot of areas that shippers can easily get into and out of without deviating from the routes that they typically run. This is also why it's more expensive to ship to areas off a major interstate (or the occasional high-traffic state route, such as the 101 in western California) as opposed to areas that sit right along it, as transporters will have to spend more in time and fuel in order to get to areas off the beaten path. If you're looking to transport your vehicle to or from a rural area, you stand to save money by switching the pickup and/or delivery locations to major metropolitan areas nearby.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Why Overseas Shipments are Almost Always Pre-Paid

Whether you're transporting your vehicle to Alaska or Hawaii or somewhere internationally, transporting a vehicle overseas is an expensive and time-consuming process. It is for these reasons why many auto transport companies will demand that any shipments of vehicles going overseas will have to be paid in full at time of booking. You see, your auto transport company will work with several different auto transport companies - usually a carrier and a port shipper - to make sure that your vehicle gets picked up, shipped, and delivered on time without exorbitant prices. This isn't always easy, because they have to pay two or three different hands before your vehicle gets to you. That's why they take the entire amount up front. This gives them their portion of the payment and allows them to pay any carriers or port authorities that need payment. They don't have to call you and bug you about it, and they don't have to worry about whether or not you're going to actually pay for it - you already have. Now it just comes down to getting all that money to all the right people.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Auto Shipping to Portland, Oregon

The city of Portland is a fascinating city - but it's not the most popular of auto transport locations, to say the least. Connected to the rest of the Pacific Coast via Interstate 5, a north-south interstate that runs from San Diego to Seattle (roughly), it does see its fair share of transportation traffic, but on the whole it is not incredibly popular from a carrier standpoint because none of the Pacific Northwest is. It's too isolated. Aside from I-5 (which does allow carriers from across the country access to I-5 at various points in California, Oregon and Washington) there is I-84, which runs west from Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City is hardly a popular transport location itself, but still, it beats not having anything running to Portland at all I guess.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Auto Shipping Quotes: Transporting a Chevy Express 3500

The Chevrolet Express 3500 Cargo Van is the largest commercial van that Chevy currently produces. It is large enough to haul about as much cargo as a pickup truck and can also tow a considerable amount of cargo as well. The Express 3500 Cargo Van is a work van, to say the least, and is most popular in fleets where lots of cargo is being moved from city to city within the U.S. Transporting them can be rather tricky; because of their overall size and weight, you will likely see a price increase over the cost of a small car, though this is considered standard in the industry. Make sure to talk to your representative about whether or not your Express 3500 needs any special carrier, such as a flatbed, due to the size.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Talk of the Town: Birmingham Auto Transport Services

If you're searching for Birmingham auto transport services, you need to understand a bit about the city itself and what's really going on when it comes to transporting your vehicle in or out of the city. When you're transporting from areas directly north of the state, carriers will typically use I-65 to get from there down into Birmingham, as I-65 is the only major north-south interstate that goes through the city proper. What's nice is that I-65 actually connects with I-20 in the city, which makes it easier for carriers running routes in the region to simply stop in Birmingham, pick your vehicle up (or drop it off), then head down south into Louisiana and Texas via I-20.

What's also nice is the fact that Alabama has several major metro areas that sit along I-65, including Montgomery and Mobile. Mobile is perhaps more popular, at least for auto transporters, because it's where I-65 connects with I-10, the most highly-traveled interstate south of I-20. As it runs from California to Florida, I-10 is a major east-west interstate that services only the southern parts of Alabama - but the fact that it connects to several different interstates along its route definitely helps the cause as well. Check out more about Alabama here.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

The FAQ's: Transporting a Non-Running Vehicle

Transporting a car that does not run really isn't the hardest thing to do, but it can complicate matters a bit as not all auto transport carriers can actually pick them up and move them. Transporting in-op cars requires a special winch, which allows carriers to load the vehicle onto their truck without having to drive it (since it doesn't run it can't be driven). Non-op cars that cannot roll typically cannot be moved by most carriers, so make sure that there's at least some way for it to roll (if it doesn't have tires on it, put some on). Chassis are going to be even more difficult to ship, as they cannot roll, brake or steer - chances are your representative will have to find a flatbed tow service that will be able to load it onto their truck.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Auto Shipping to Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the largest city in the state of Arizona and easily the most popular transport location as well. More people ship to or from Phoenix than any other city in the state, and with its largish population and situation right off the interstate, it's not surprising. Transport to or from Phoenix is usually going to be fairly cheap, at least if you're shipping from another city along the same basic longitude line, as carriers have an easier time going east-west (coast-to-coast) than north-south, and are more likely to pick up a vehicle heading to or from Phoenix if it's headed somewhere along their route. There are, of course, plenty of carriers available to transport your vehicle from and to anywhere in the U.S., though how much they charge will depend on where your vehicle is shipping out of when heading to Phoenix.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Automobile Shipping Quotes: Ford F-350

The Ford F-350 line of trucks is one of the oldest pickup truck lines on the market today. Ford has made many changes to the F-350 over the years, but one thing that has remained constant is its size. It has always been the largest of the 150-250-350 lineup, which is widely considered to be the main trucks in the line - most larger trucks, like the F-450, are used more by companies that maintain fleets of vehicles, as they are very large and built for different specific purposes. The F-350 will typically come with a large oversize vehicle shipping fee, as they are much heavier and larger than a standard car. If your F-350 is extended in any way, you may end up paying for two slots on the transport truck, though most stock F-350's shouldn't have that problem.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Why COD Payments Are Best

When it comes to paying for your transport, you can basically do one of two things: pay your broker a deposit and the rest to the carrier upon delivery (sometimes upon pickup, but either way directly to the carrier) or you can pay everything to the broker up front. Why is paying up front a bad idea? Well, we explained a bit about it in this blog, but to sort of follow up, carriers don't like taking pre-paid loads. This means that they are less likely to pick your vehicle up if the broker is paying as opposed to you, because it means they have to wait for their check to show up as opposed to getting their cash directly from you. Many carriers avoid pre-pays, and as such if you pay up front (except for Alaska/Hawaii shipments, as most every company will take payment up front for that because of how much more work is involved) your car probably won't be picked up as quickly.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Car Transport Services to Washington State

The state of Washington is known for its beautiful landscapes, rugged mountains, dense forests and apples, and while the scenery is great transporting a vehicle to or from the state may be a bit more ugly in the sense that it could take longer than you might want. Seattle is by far the most popular auto transportation location in the state (it is the largest city in Washington, after all), though unless you're moving along I-90 or I-5 getting there from northern states back east may be a bit more challenging. We recommend calling our toll-free number or filling out our free online quote form for more information, and you can also visit our auto shipping to Washington page for more.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Auto Transport to Rochester, NY

The city of Rochester is not the easiest city to transport a vehicle to or from. The main reason for this is its location - in western New York State, not far from Buffalo, Syracuse and the Great Lakes, it's an area prone to snow during the winter and warm weather during the summer. Carriers don't like traveling through this area on average, as there are not many routes through the area that are carrier-friendly and many will avoid the area in the winter altogether. You should definitely give us a call or fill out our free form and speak to one of our reps about transporting to or from Rochester, New York.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Automobile Shipping Quotes: Chevrolet Express

The Chevrolet Express van has been around for a while now, and over the years Chevy has seen fit to make a wide number of changes over the many years. Today the Express is a cargo van, typically, and smaller ones will be a lot easier - and cheaper - to ship than the larger Express variants. Make sure that you have the specific model of your Chevy Express on you, especially if there are specific model numbers (such as 1500, 2500, 3500, etc) as these are some of the most important numbers that your auto transporter will ask you for when compiling a quote for you.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Why Booking With A Broker Will Help Your Auto Transportation Experience

Brokers are often maligned as 'middlemen' and are considered by a lot of people as 'good for nothing' and 'useless.' But these misconceptions could not be further from the truth. In fact, brokers are vital to the strength and vivacity of the auto transport industry; without them, most cars would not be moved at all. They work in tandem with carriers, who rely on brokers to find them freight, and bypassing brokers and booking with carriers directly will usually end up with you waiting longer for a carrier to pick your vehicle up as they will not be able to work you into their schedule like they would be able to if you had booked through a broker.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Car Shipping to Arizona

When it comes to transporting a car to Arizona you need to know that there are few cities in Arizona that carriers like moving to. If you're transporting to an area that isn't Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Mesa or one of the retirement communities near one of those major areas, chances are it's going to be harder to find a carrier to move your vehicle and you're going to probably have to move the pickup or delivery locations to one of those major cities. These cities are ones that carriers can run routes to, from and through, because there are interstate routes that run through those cities. Check out our auto shipping to Arizona page for more information.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Why Pre-Paid Shipping is a BAD Idea

Most auto transport companies have the same method of paying for the transportation of your vehicle - you pay a deposit to the broker, and the rest of the balance to the carrier upon delivery of your vehicle. It's fast and easy and carriers like it because there's always a nice cashier's check (or cash or money order) at the end of every delivery. Many carriers avoid pre-pays at all costs because it means they have to rely on the broker to pay them, and some brokers don't pay their bills. This can lead to a hostage situation with your car being held, essentially, for random. Prepaying for auto transport takes control of payment out of both your hands and the carrier's, and that's something that neither of you would want. Paying the carrier at delivery is the safest way and it is also going to be quicker, as carriers avoid pre-paid loads like nobody's business.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

The FAQ's: Auto Transport to Hawaii

When you're transporting your vehicle to or from the state of Hawaii you need to understand the process because then you'll know why it takes up to three weeks to get your vehicle from pickup to delivery. When you book your shipment with your broker they'll find a truck in your area to pick your vehicle up and transport it to the port in Long Beach, California (this is if you're shipping to Hawaii). From there, the port shipping company will take possession of your vehicle and load it onto their roll-on/roll-off transportation ship. Depending on their ship schedules your vehicle could sit at the port for up to a week, so keep that in mind. Once your vehicle is loaded it will be transported to the port in Hawaii, which usually takes anywhere from 5-7 days. Check out our Hawaii auto shipping page for more information about the process and what you can expect while gathering up Hawaii auto shipping quotes.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Automobile Shipping Quotes: Ford Super Duty

The Ford Super Duty lineup of trucks is pretty large. We all know about the F-250, the F-350, the F-450, but what a lot of people don't know is that there are all kinds of different variants of each that can have major impacts on your automobile shipping quotes. The F-250 is the smallest Super Duty truck, but the F-250 lineup has multiple trucks in different variants, and some are bigger than others; this means that you should have the specific model variant on hand when your auto transport quotes start rolling in. This will make it easier for your shippers to accurately price your quote or adjust them if they feel they need to.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Car Transport to or from Louisiana

Louisiana is a pretty interesting state, all things considered, but due to its geographical location in the Deep South it can be a pain getting transportation into or out of many areas. New Orleans is perhaps the state's most popular auto transport destination, but carriers really don't like going there because it's in the middle of nowhere, all things considered. New Orleans is a great city and is very large, but in terms of getting to or from there it can be a hassle for many shippers, which almost always will increase the price to or from the area. However, northern parts of Louisiana are much easier to get into or out of. We recommend talking to your auto transport representative and reading more about the state by visiting our Louisiana Auto Shipping page if you need more information.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Reliability in Auto Shipping

If you are concerned with the reliability of your automobile shipping company, you can do several things to find out just how good of a shipper you found. For starters, customer reviews are a great way to see how good your shipper is; you can also visit the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) and read up about your hired auto shipping company. All you need to look up your shipping company via the FMCSA website is their MC number, or Motor Carrier number, which you should be able to find on their website or on Transport Reviews. This is a great way to find out how good your company is, and if you find them lacking you can fill out our free online quote request form and get multiple free quotes from 100% reliable companies - we make sure all our affiliates are top-notch.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Automobile Shipping Quotes: Chevy Corvette

If you're looking for automobile shipping quotes to transport a Chevrolet Corvette, you should probably be looking at enclosed transportation quotes unless your Corvette is wrecked or in need of body repairs. The Corvette is one of those vehicles that you should try to ship enclosed if you can - open transportation is good, but not good enough for the Corvette, at least in this humble writer's opinion. Ultimately it's up to you - open transport is cheaper and more cost-effective, but enclosed transportation will protect your Corvette a lot better and will allow it to arrive in pristine condition. You can get free auto shipping quotes for either open or enclosed transportation by filling out our free form either way, though, and you can also read more about the Corvette by visiting our Chevy Corvette Automobile Shipping page.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

City Spotlight: Car Transport to Akron

Akron currently is the fifth-largest city in the state of Ohio, though it is actually a popular auto shipping location despite its smaller size. Akron is and has been a major manufacturing and transportation hub in the state of Ohio, and auto shippers still like to travel the many routes that run through the city. Customer numbers are always high coming in and going out of Akron, and as such many shippers find that including the smaller city on their pre-determined routes helps bolster shipping numbers and is more beneficial, in the long run, than not including it at all. You can get free shipping quotes to or from Akron by filling out our free online quote form and you can also read more about the city itself by visiting our Auto Shipping to Akron page on our website.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

The FAQ's: Door-to-Door Automobile Shipping

Door-to-door automobile shipping is the primary method of transportation that shippers will use. Door-to-door is different than terminal-to-terminal because with door-to-door transportation, the carrier will arrive right at your door at your house to pick your vehicle up and deliver it right to your new door at the destination. Now, when we say "at your door" we truly mean "as close as humanly possible to the pickup/delivery address you provided" because there are many places that auto shippers can't fit their trucks into. If this is the case with your shipment, chances are the carrier will tell you to meet him at a nearby large parking lot - it's easier to load and unload with plenty of space and it will allow the carrier plenty of room to maneuver his truck. 

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Auto Shipping by State: Connecticut

One of the smaller New England states, Connecticut is perhaps not the most popular auto transport state but it is still fairly important, especially Hartford, the capital and largest city in the state of Connecticut. Transporting a vehicle there should not be incredibly difficult, though prices may rise in the winter months due to possible snowy weather conditions. It is within relatively close proximity of several major cities including New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and, to an extent, Baltimore and Washington, DC. Auto transporters are constantly running routes around the area, so chances are you should be able to find a carrier to transport your vehicle to or from Connecticut without too many problems or delays. Check out our Auto Shipping to Connecticut page for more information about the state.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Auto Shipping by State: Colorado

Colorado is an interesting state. Eclectic, I think is a good way to describe it, full of lots of different areas with different climates and geographic and geologic features. It's a cool state, all things considered, but it can be somewhat difficult to ship a car to during the winter months thanks to all the snow, especially around Denver, which is a full mile above sea level. Colorado is uniquely situated for auto transport, however, because of its location - many east-west routes run through portions of the state and that makes it easy for auto shippers to pickup or deliver in certain populated areas of the state. If you're interested in the state of Colorado, whether you're shipping there or visiting, you can read about some of the more touristy things you can do on our Colorado Auto Shipping page and you can fill out our free online quote request form to get some free automobile shipping quotes as well.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

The FAQ's: Auto Shipping to Alaska

If you're searching for auto shipping services to or from Alaska there are a few things you should understand. For starters, it's much more expensive than regular auto transport from one mainland state to another; for another, it's more time-consuming; and lastly, it involves an entirely separate shipping company, the port shipper, to help transport your car. The process is very involved - after you book your order with a shipping company, they'll contract a carrier to pick your vehicle up and transport it to the port. The port shipper will then load onto a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship and transport it to the port in Alaska, usually in Anchorage. You should fill out our free online quote request form if you're interested in obtaining price quotes to ship to or from the state of Alaska, and we recommend doing so if you are unsure of the prices or are looking to get more information about Alaska. You can also visit our Auto Shipping to Alaska page for more information.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

City Spotlight: Auto Shipping to Tulsa

Shipping a vehicle to Tulsa, Oklahoma can be difficult, depending on where you're shipping from and to. The city has a population of over 300,000 residents - that's a pretty decent-sized city, but it's no New York City or Chicago, that's for sure. It's only the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma, but it's still a fairly popular auto transport location regardless.

If you're shipping to or from Tulsa, we recommend talking to a car transport representative about anything that might ultimately alter the price of your vehicle shipping. This includes inclement weather conditions, traffic and road conditions, tornado warnings, and much more. The city is a great city to live in, so we're told, and we can get you free car shipping quotes to ship from anywhere, to anywhere in the U.S., including Tulsa, Oklahoma. You can also visit our auto shipping to Tulsa article to read more about the city itself and how you can go about getting the best rates for car transport or vehicle shipping services.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

International Auto Shipping Quotes

If you're looking for international auto shipping quotes - or quotes to ship from the U.S. to a foreign country, or vice-versa - there are a few things you should probably know about shipping internationally. For starters, you can only ship from the U.S. to another country via a U.S. shipping company; no company based in the U.S. will provide auto transport services from another country into the United States.

This means that if you're shipping from, say, Japan to Dallas, TX, you're going to need to contact a Japanese international auto shipper in order to make arrangements. Once the vehicle arrives in the U.S. - typically it'll arrive at a port in California - you'll need to ship it from the port to Dallas. This works for shipping overseas from anywhere into the U.S. Many shippers will use Baltimore or New York if you're shipping from Western Europe, and Miami or New Orleans if you're shipping from South America. Check out our website for more information about international auto transport rates and what we can do to help you out in that regard.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

City Spotlight: Auto Transport Detroit

Detroit. The Motor City. Known primarily for its strong ties to the automobile industry, the city itself has seen better days...but the future's bright despite the setbacks of its continual decline through the 70's and 80's. When it comes to shipping a car to or from the city of Detroit, you'll find that it'll probably be much easier than you thought.

Due to its large ties to the automobile industry, Detroit has many highly-traveled routes in and out of it, making it easy for auto transporters to move their vehicles in and out of the city. Built for the automobile, Detroit is one of the more friendly auto transport cities - at least during the summer months. During the winter, the weather can make auto transportation to or from the city a bit dicey, but on the whole prices tend to drop during the winter months as compared to the summer months. You can fill out our free online quote form to get multiple free quotes to ship your vehicle to or from Detroit, and you can read more on our Auto Shipping to Detroit page.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Shipping a Car to Oregon

When it comes to shipping a car to Oregon, it's important to understand some of the nuances about physically transporting a vehicle there. For starters, it's probably going to be a bit more expensive shipping from the east, because there are fewer interstates for carriers to travel on and the only major east-west interstate, I-84, runs through a lot of rural area before terminating in Portland. 

I-5 runs from San Diego all the way up to the Canadian border, so if you're shipping from pretty much anywhere in western California you should see some cheaper prices when shipping to Oregon - at least if it's along Interstate 5. Shipping to the middle of the state can be a bit more expensive, but there's always something to do in Oregon and the price for auto transport, regardless of where you're going, is usually worth it. You can read more about the state of Oregon by visiting our official Oregon Auto Shipping page.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Auto Shipping by State: Kansas

When you're looking to ship a car to Kansas, you should probably know a bit about the state, especially if you're moving there and have never been there before. It's probably best known for its huge swaths of farmland, dominated by a variety of different crops including corn, wheat, and, of course, livestock. The trouble with the state, really, is the lack of major interstates running through it. There are only a few east-west routes that auto shippers can travel along, and since Kansas is fairly rural a lot of car shippers don't like going there because there's a definitive lack of customers.

With loads scarce and auto shippers reluctant to travel through the state, prices per-mile are mildly higher than it is in other regions of the country. Weather can play a big factor, and many shippers may also be reluctant to travel through the state during tornado season or during the winter months. You should talk to your auto transport representative about when the best time to ship a vehicle to or from Kansas would be, if you have the time to spare, and you can read more about the state on our Kansas Auto Shipping page.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The FAQ's - Open Transportation

Continuing our spotlight on various frequently asked auto shipping questions, we explore a bit regarding open auto transport carriers and how they benefit your during your auto shipping experience.

Open auto transport describes the specific type of transportation truck that will be transporting your vehicle - they are the most common carriers on the road today, with roughly 80-90% of all auto shippers operating an open transportation truck of some kind. Open transporters often haul up to ten cars at a time, and each vehicle is "open" to the elements - as opposed to enclosed transportation, which secures the vehicle(s) in an enclosed shipping container to protect against the various hazards of the road.

Open auto transportation is the cheapest and easiest method of transportation for shipping companies to book your shipment with, and as such they consider it the "default" method of shipping a car. If you fill out our free online quote request form you can get up to ten free quotes for open auto transport; you can request enclosed transportation, but it is considered an upgrade and will cost more in the long run.

You can read more about open transport on our Automobile Transport FAQ page.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

City Spotlight: Auto Shipping to San Diego

With a population of over 1.3 million residents, the city of San Diego is the 9th largest city in the U.S. and the second-largest in the state of California. It's a popular auto transport destination due to its beautiful location on the southern California coast, and is a major transportation network in the region where it lies.

When it comes to shipping a car to the city, it's generally going to be quick and fairly cheap. San Diego is a popular auto transport location, like we mentioned, but it's not just popular for customers; many auto transport carriers will include San Diego in its cross-country routes, and oftentimes will run several different vehicles to the city at the same time. Prices can increase during the height of the summer season, as there is typically an influx of customers looking to ship to the city, but on the whole prices are relatively low on a per-mile basis for much of the year.

You can read more about the city by visiting our Auto Shipping to San Diego page, and you can get free auto transport quotes to or from the city (or anywhere else in the U.S.) by filling out our free online quote request form.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

City Spotlight: Auto Shipping to Birmingham

Founded during the heart of the Reconstruction period, Birmingham has been a major transportation and manufacturing center in the state of Alabama since its founding. Though its foundation was laid in part thanks to a major railroad junction, the city has boomed into one of the primary pillars of the manufacturing sector of Alabama proper - not to mention a fairly popular auto shipping destination.

Birmingham lies on several major north-south and east-west interstate routes, making it easy for auto shippers to transport cars to, from and through the city. Prices stay pretty standard on a per-mile basis throughout the year; shipping numbers stay fairly consistent throughout the year, whereas in many other areas prices could go up or down, depending on whether or not carriers are going to the area of if there is a large number of customers shipping in or out of a specific area. This means that your auto transport prices won't change too drastically, on the whole.

You can fill out our free form to get some quick auto transport quotes to or from the city of Birmingham, and you can read more about on our Auto Shipping to Birmingham page.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Looking for Quotes to ship a Motorcycle?

If you're looking for quotes to ship a motorcycle to or from anywhere in the U.S., you're definitely reading the right blog! You can visit our motorcycle online quote request form and get free motorcycle shipping quotes from several top-rated motorcycle shipping companies.

Our form may look complex, but it's fairly simple. It starts with your contact information - this is crucial for our auto transport affiliates to get you your free quotes. You just need your name, telephone number and e-mail address; everything else is optional. From there, fill out your motorcycle's information; this is important because the specific make and model can affect your motorcycle transportation prices. We give you room enough for two motorcycles - if you are only shipping one, leave the second one blank. If you are shipping more than two, you can put the year, make and model of all additional vehicles in the "Enter Any Comments" section at the bottom of the form.

From there, just let us know the cities and states of where you're shipping the vehicles from and to. If you're shipping multiple motorcycles and each is coming from a separate city, just include the pickup and delivery information of each in the comments section. It's fairly straightforward, when you look at it, and it's a great way to compare prices from various top-rated companies.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The FAQ's - Non-Running Vehicles

Are you looking to ship a non-running vehicle? If so, that's absolutely fine - you can fill out our free quote form to get quotes for both running and non-running vehicles. But what's different about shipping a vehicle that doesn't run? Well, for starters, any auto shipper that transports non-running vehicles has a special winch attached to his vehicle - and not all shippers have one of these. While it's normally not an issue, pickup times could be affected, with pickup windows being stretched by a few days to accommodate for the smaller pool of available carriers.

You should always specify if you're shipping a non-running vehicle; not doing so could very well end up with some very unhappy people, including yourself. If you try to pass your vehicle off as a running vehicle, and it isn't running, then you run the risk of your transport company booking with a carrier that can't ship it - this could net you not only a cancelled carrier, but a completely cancelled order, because many shippers state up front that you need to specify. You can read more about shipping non-running vehicles via our helpful Car Shipping FAQ page.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

City Spotlight: Auto Shipping to Long Beach

Long Beach is a very popular city located on the southern California coast. Not only is it popular as a resort and beach location, but also for its major port - it's one of the largest ports on the west coast and one of the largest auto transport companies that handles overseas transportation is located in the city. When it comes to auto shipping to Long Beach, it's easy enough to arrange; many carriers transport vehicles to Long Beach year-round, mainly because they're taking them to the port.

But it's not just for the port that people ship there. It's a rather large city in the state of California and, for your trivia fact of the day, it is the largest city in the U.S. that is not a county seat. It may not be much, but it's something, anyway. The city, aside from being a major port, is also considered to be a major industrial extension of nearby Los Angeles. You can read more about the city by visiting our Auto Shipping to Long Beach page, and you can get free auto transport quotes to or from the city by filling out our free online quote request form.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Auto Shipping by State: Alaska

Looking to ship your car to Alaska? It's a bit more involved than simple city-to-city auto transportation, and it's going to cost a fair bit more, but on the whole it's a lot easier to ship a car to Alaska than it is to drive up through Canada (it's a longer drive than you might think!).

Once you book your auto shipping to Alaska with a transport company, they're going to find a carrier to pick your vehicle up from wherever it is and transport it via overland truck to the port in Seattle (or Tacoma, but it's usually Seattle). Once there, it'll be put onto a large cargo vessel and shipped overseas to the port in Anchorage, usually, though some shipping companies can ship to other ports as well. Pricing depends highly on availability and the time of year, so talk to your shipper about when the best time to ship a car to Alaska would be. 

You can fill out our free online quote form, if you're looking for a transport company still, and you can also read more about the state of Alaska itself - as well as glean some helpful auto transport tips - by visiting our Alaska Auto Shipping page.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Auto Shipping by State: Louisiana

If you're looking for auto shipping to Louisiana, you're definitely reading the right blog, because we know all there is to know about moving a car to that particular state - well, every state, really, we're just a plethora of knowledge here at Automobile Shipping Quotes. But hey, it's our job.

Shipping a car to Louisiana can be relatively easy, or somewhat difficult, depending on where you're shipping to. New Orleans and the surrounding metro area is a popular auto transport destination, there's no doubting it, but once you're 50 miles out of New Orleans it's a whole different ball o' wax. Auto transporters don't like shipping too far off interstate highways - it's too tough and too costly, so they try to avoid it. Shipping to other major metro areas shouldn't be a problem, but with Louisiana's particular shape, shipping down into the southern areas (and the infamous Bayous) can be tricky. You can get some free auto shipping quotes by filling out our free online car transport quote request form, and you can also read more about the state of Louisiana at our official Louisiana Auto Shipping page.

Friday, January 4, 2013

City Spotlight: Auto Shipping to Cincinnati

Did you know that Cincinnati is widely known as America's first boom town? It was the first true inland city - a city off of a major coastline - and was founded pretty late in the game, as far as towns in Ohio were concerned. But it boomed rapidly, and virtually overnight turned into a major economic powerhouse, as well as a major transportation hub in the state of Ohio.

During the early half of the 20th century the city reveled in the economic booms, and was largely unaffected by the huge swath of unemployment that gripped the nation during the Great Depression; with strong ties to manufacturing and transportation, Cincinnati didn't begin to start to wane until the 1970's, when manufacturing jobs began to disappear. Auto transport to the city is pretty easy to achieve during the summer months, but can be more expensive and take a bit longer in the winter months thanks to the bad weather. You can read more about the city of Cincinnati by visiting our Auto Shipping to Cincinnati page.