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.