What to Look for when Hiring an Auto Transport Company?

03 Sep What to Look for when Hiring an Auto Transport Company?

Investing in a car is a significant step in life. However, if you need to ship your car, truck, or other vehicle to your preferred destination, you’ll need to hire the services of an auto transport company.  The services of a professional auto moving company will end up saving you time and money compared to trying to do it yourself.  Nonetheless, finding the right auto transportation company represents a challenge to many people.  Below are some tips to help you find the right car transportation company (which we will cover later in this article). For now, let’s cover a few reasons you would want to hire an auto transportation service.

Reasons to Hire an Auto Transportation Service

Seasonal Residence

Season residents, or snowbirds, are prime candidates who benefit from auto transportation companies.   Some people tend to shift residence from the north to south, but still want the convenience of using their own vehicle.  In the middle of winter, it gets tricky to relocate your vehicle from the northern states of the U.S. or Canada to your seasonal residence.  Hiring a proven auto transport company to have your car waiting for you after your flight, makes the trip a lot easier.

Moving to a new place

When you move to another region, the situation is usually overwhelming, and the last thing you need to worry about is transporting your automobile.  By hiring an experienced vehicle transportation company like Big Sky Auto Transport, you can alleviate the worries, and get your vehicle to you desired destination.  We can unpack your vehicle while you unpack your home goods.

Dealership Sales

Nowadays it is as easy as hopping online to find your next dream car.  But what happens if the auto dealership is in another state or even country.  Don’t let logistics keep you from your new car.  Most dealerships will use an auto transportation service to make sure your new vehicle arrives just like you were to drive it off the lot.

Factors in Hiring an Auto Transportation Service

Customs

If you are transporting your car over international lines, you’ll most likely need to deal with customs.  A good auto transportation company will have the experience and know how to make sure your car clears customs.  Such companies have agents who understand the paperwork regarding shipping automobiles.  This is another area you don’t want to try to navigate on your own.

Open vs. Closed Transport

You will need to figure out whether you want an open or closed transport.  With open transport, vehicles get transported in an open-air, flat-bed tractor trailer which allows them to transport many vehicles at the same time, and can reduce the cost since there are other cars subsidizing it.  If you need extra protection and safety while moving your car, you may want to consider a closed transport option, but it will cost more in most cases.

Brokers vs. 1st Party Transport Companies

Vehicle brokers do not move the car themselves, rather they depend on auto transportation companies to get their job done.  Using a broker compared to dealing with an auto transport company directly, often times results in increased shipping rates and service fees due to the broker’s additional commission.

Insurance

One thing you need to be cautious about is the safety of your property.  Every car transportation company should have adequate insurance coverage. Be sure to check the details regarding cargo capacity and other liability issues before hiring an auto transportation company.  If you have any questions, one of our experts can assist.

Registration

Car carrier companies need to register with the Department of Transportation.  Choosing a car transportation service that is not registered with the DOT could lead to a horrible experience with no way of recouping your loss.

There are many other factors that come into play when choosing a qualified auto transportation company.  These cover some of the most important items and should help assure you are making an informed decision before you pay top dollar to ship something you already paid top dollar for.  Picking the right company could be the difference between deliver and disaster.

If you need additional information or want an estimate from one of Big Sky Auto Transport’s service experts you can request an Instant Quote or call (406) 453-4590.