Moving a luxury car requires special handling, a good level of expertise and a reputable auto transport company. Whether moving your car across states, displaying your car at a local car show or transporting it for any other reason, it is important to ensure that your car is well protected throughout the trip. In this ultimate guide, we will examine car shipping as a process, look at the different types of transport, and provide important recommendations to help you select the best auto transport company for a smooth and safe journey.
Luxury Car Shipment: Why Extra Care is Needed
The higher priced tag is obvious, they often have lower ground clearances, larger wheels, and other features other than a typical automobile. This is why conventional means of shipping cars may not be suitable for the level of care it deserves. Special car shipping services targeting luxury cars are needed because luxury cars need extra competencies to be delivered undamaged. No matter you own a luxury sports car, vintage car, or any other exotic car, you will prefer the transport company like Signal Auto Movers which ensures safety and security at each and every stage of transportation.
Why Car-Shipping Luxury Cars is Different?
Luxury cars often require:
- Special handling: transporters who are familiar and experienced enough to handle and secure luxury and exotic cars maintaining cleanliness and without incurring damages.
- Premium shipping methods: They include enclosed car trailers which basically covers the car completely leaving it unaffected by weather conditions and elements, ramps that are more appropriate for loading and unloading.
- Customized and accommodating services: transporters who are more accommodating to clients and customers, continuous communication, and transparent updates.
A Look at the Transport Process for Luxury Cars
Here is a concise format of what to expect when shipping your car. The auto transport process typically includes:
1. Requesting a Quote:
Prior to selecting a transport company, a free quote should be obtained for estimating the cost of the transportation. There are several online car shipping sites which provide auto shipping quotes where you need to provide few basic details like type of car, shipping selection and destinations; However, each situation is different and a live call is advisable.
2. Choosing the Right Shipping Method:
- Open Car Transport: This is the most common and economical method. Your car is exposed to the environment, and have steeper loading ramps which may not be suitable for luxury cars.
- Enclosed Car Transport: Trailers that are covered or boxed in. They shield your car from the unpredictable weather and road debris. Load in ramps have better clearance and lower the possibility of damage. Even though its often more expensive, the extra level of attention and security is worth it.
3. Scheduling Pickup and Delivery:
The next process of the carriage services is arranging the time which the transport company will come to pick up the car and deliver it. We advise a large as possible window for pick-up and delivery, to avoid precise punctual expectations. Most certainly sometimes there are time crunches and unavoidable, but A few extra days for pick up and delivery would be ideal to avoid timing issues.
4. Insurance and Documentation:
Ensure that you verify carrier insurance requirements and that they have sufficient cargo coverage for your vehicle. New luxurious cars are usually costly and therefore require the transport firm to provide insurance that will suffice the cost in case they are damaged while in transit.
5. Tracking Your Shipment:
Be sure to have access to the brokerages, carrier, their dispatchers or drivers in order to track your shipment. Although most drivers and carriers do not like their units tracked, some brokerages and carriers do provide portals for customers to track their shipments.
Most Popular Auto Transport Routes for Car Shipping
The most popular routes are obvious with some thought, population and congregations of major cities.
Cross country, coast to coast such as California to Florida, California to New York, California to New England and vice versa, Florida to California, North eastern Cities to California and Washington. Other popular Mid-Western transport routes across states include cities in Texas, Chicago, cities in Michigan and in Ohio. Southern Cities besides Florida are Atlanta, New Orleans, Charlotte and Charleston. There are also popular seasons for shipping, typically Spring and Fall.
Car Shipping Cost: What Factors Define the Price?
How Much will it Cost? The car shipping cost is determined by several factors:
- Distance: Transport is calculated per mile, thus distance is a big factor in the equation. The further the distance the total dollar per mile costs do go down; however, the dollar per mile costs goes back up when its further away from a metropolitan city.
- Terrain: location on higher elevations and terrains, requires more fuel and slower speeds for transporters, therefore not as popular.
- Shipping Method: Enclosed automobile shipment is often more costly than the open shipment. Open trailers often carry more vehicles because of loading versatility, quicker load times, and more customers.
- Vehicle Size and Weight: Larger and heavier vehicles takes up more room on the trailer, limits the weight capacity of the trailer and increases fuel and maintenance costs for the transport company.
- Pickup and Delivery Location: Some locations are less accessible than others and require more coordination, time and effort for the transporters to pickup and delivery.
- Seasons: During Peak Shipping season, Spring and Fall, prices tend to go up because there is a big shortage of transporters.
How to Get an Accurate Car Shipping Quote
Most of auto car shipping companies have an online car shipping quote estimator where you can get a rough idea of how much it will cost to transport your luxury car depending on the above factors. We advise to call up and speak to a live agent, as each move and situation is different.
What to look for in an Auto Transport Service
When it comes to luxury car shipping not every freight carrier is capable of providing the required services. When looking for the right auto shipping company, consider the following factors:
1. Experience and Reputation:
Select a company that has experience dealing with the movement of luxury automobiles. To confirm their experience, look for customer feedback, reviews and recommendations or the seals of approval from industry bodies.
2. Enclosed Car Shipping Options:
Being a luxury car owner, you’ll definitely expect your transport company to provide exceptional client services. Efficient communication, trust, enclosed trailers, clean and polite drivers.
3. Insurance Coverage:
Verifying updated and sufficient Cargo Insurance is one of the most critical steps needed. Please be sure to ask for a Certificates of Insurance.
4. Reliable Customer Service:
A good cargo transport service will communicate well with the customers. Live agents ready to answer and help navigate thru the process.
Enclosed Car Transport: The Right Option in Safe Transport for Luxury Cars
The enclosed trailer method is the most suitable for luxury car transport. Not only it provides protection, privacy and cleanliness, the transporters are more often professional, courteous and have better communication. Most damages are incurred during the loading and unloading phase. Enclosed trailers have better loading approach angle ramps and liftgates, to accommodate all types of vehicles. These factors make the Enclosed Transport Method most suitable.
Auto Shipping Companies: What Makes Them Stand Out?
Here’s what sets the top companies apart:
- Ask the clientele the right questions
- Transparent and clear with prices and expectations
- Experience with luxury vehicles and transport specifications
- Experience with different type of equipment and trailers
- Understand the transport Industry Culture
- Have processes and due diligence in place to protect the clientele -such as verifications of DOT statuses, Insurance, equipment specifications, utilizing software for paperwork, vehicle inspections, and shipment tracking.
- Continuous and reliable customer and client services.
Ship Your Car with Confidence:
Once you have chosen a reliable shipping provider, here are some more shipping tips.
- Prepare Your Car for Transport: Wash the car if dirty, then clear all personal items out from inside the car. Take pictures of car inside out for documentation.
- Confirm Insurance Coverage: Verify the insurance policy for the carrier and also your personal automobile insurance is up to date.
- Track the Shipment: Keep updated with the tracking and interaction with the logistics provider during the journey.
Conclusion
Moving a luxury car isn’t complex with the right auto transport partner. A message or phone call, with the right questions, and accurate information, can have a carrier show up for pick up and delivered in a timely fashion, undamaged and professional without any hassle, as easy as 1-2-3. All the hard work is done in the background, and auto transport should be easy as asking a good trusted friend to show up and take care of it. Anyone who has ever shipped a car, whether it is cross country or locally, would find these tips useful to make the trip as smooth as possible. If you are all set to move your luxury car and need an auto transport service, it’s time to get a free quote from Signal Auto Movers, the right transport company to ship your car today.