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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.