Auto Transport Rates

Auto transport was a very expensive ordeal suitable only for the rich men in the past. However, in the recent years, there are numerous auto shipping companies offering affordable auto transport rates making it easy for anyone to ship cars to any destination local or international. Long vacations, job related relocations and transfers demand you to move away from your home for quite a long time and taking your car with you will help you to take a piece of home with you. Now that auto transport rates are affordable, you don’t have to worry about draining your bank account. However, it is not cheap and hence, you have to make the decision wisely.

How Auto Transport Rates Are Estimated?

When you approach an auto transportation company and ask for a quote to ship your car, you will get an estimate about how much it will cost you to transport your car. These estimates are not final figures and they will give you a rough idea. The actual cost of shipping the car can vary widely from the given estimate. You should also get quotes and estimates from at least three different auto shipping companies and compare the quotes based on services offered and cost. There are a lot of factors that influence auto transport rates and understanding these can help you to gain control over your auto shipping cost.

• Distance between source and destination is one of the factors that influence car shipping rates. Needless to say, international shipping will cost a great deal more than local moves. Shipping your car to another corner of the world is going to cost you a bomb and you should ensure that your car is worth it.
• Make and model of car can also influence auto transport rates. Aged cars and luxury cars are difficult to maintain and hence, shipping those can be expensive. If the transportation company has to put in a lot of efforts to ensure safe delivery of car, you have to pay more for it.
• Weight and dimension of the car also plays a key role in determining the shipping rate. General trailers allow for generic cars, but if your car is super long or heavy, you may have to pay additional fee to alter the trailer to accommodate your not-so-typical car.
• Enclosed trailers and containers are much more expensive, but they provide maximum protection against extreme weather conditions. Open trailers can be a good choice only for short distance moves and some interstate moves.
• Auto transport rate is also affected by the type of service you choose. If you want the shipping company to pick up and drop your car in person, you have to pay more. On the other hand, you can save money by driving your car to and from a terminal.
• The amount of insurance you buy also contributes to auto transport rates. You should not be frugal when it comes to car shipping insurance, but at the same time, buying adequate insurance is sufficient.