Relocating or moving one’s residence from one city to another is an exercise that most of us would have undertaken some time or other during one’s lifetime. The reasons may vary from transfer of jobs, studies or education to health or retirement. It can be a daunting task especially for a large family when you consider the amount of items to be moved from household goods, furniture, car etc. This article briefly discusses some issues related to auto shipping in US.
Finding the right auto transport company to ship your car is the first task that you need to undertake. With the advent of internet, the job has been made easy with booking, requesting quotes, finding information about auto transport companies are all just a click away. There are many websites that provide directory of car shipping companies and orders can be placed online. User reviews and ratings of hundreds of auto shipping companies that aid in judging a shipping company are also available.
Auto transport service may be either door-to-door or terminal-to-terminal. Door-to-door service means that your car will be picked up from as close to your place of origin as possible and delivered as close to your place of destination as possible. Terminal-to-terminal service means that your car will be taken from and delivered to large storage areas called terminals that are located in many metropolitan cities. They are usually cheaper than the former and are useful in cases where a car has to be picked up and / or delivered at a specific day and time. The car will be housed in the terminal by the auto transport company until it is convenient for you to pick it up.
The time taken for transporting a car within continental US is usually 8 to 10 business days. Advance notice of 2 weeks would ensure prompt pick up and delivery. The actual time would depend on the place of origin and the place of destination. For example auto transport from New York City to Los Angeles, California would require only about 5 days. The car will be inspected by the auto transport company before being picked up and a bill of lading will be issued. It will be verified again before the car is delivered at the destination. As per US department of transportation (DOT) regulations, no household items should be packed inside cars while transporting it.
It is important to ascertain insurance coverage during transit provided by the auto transport companies as well as your personal car insurance company to avoid any unpleasant situations in case of any damage during the transit. Personal belongings kept inside the car at the time of transport are not insured. Cars may be transported in an open carrier or a closed one. The former exposes the car to vagaries of weather and road conditions. When you transport your car from places like Pennsylvania, Maine, New England, New York etc during the harsh winter months it is better choose closed carriers. It is particularly advisable for antique or expensive custom built cars.
