Shipping rates for vehicles

When we want to order the delivery of our car, most often we are very interested in the vehicle shipping rate. It costs roughly $1,290 to deliver around the country on average, although car carrier companies allow their own drivers to propose vehicle shipping rates. The latter can fluctuate up or down and this is influenced by several reasons, such as the parameters of the car, the distance to the truck and its occupation. Thus, the rate offered by the transport company may well serve as a possible final cost.

On average, as we said, the cost of automobile shipping can reach up to $1,290, and this figure was obtained by experts in the transport sector after analyzing almost 700 proposed American vehicle shipping rates. They also calculated the cost of open transportation of cars over a distance of 200-300 miles, which amounted to about $630, up to approximately $1,810 for transportation in an enclosed manner across the country.

Inexpensive delivery in open transport.

For low-cost vehicle delivery, use open transport on a truck platform. With enclosed transport, as experience shows, such a shipment of a similar vehicle over the same distance will cost about $420 more expensive. Do you need such an enclosed carriage? Most likely, this option is suitable for transporting vehicles with extraordinary features. We list them below:

1. Cars of antique value;
2. Classic automobiles over 20 years old;
3. Customized vehicles;
4. Exotic cars;
5. Premium class autos.

The shorter, the cheaper.

Fuel prices tend to rise, and this does not make drivers happy and ultimately affects the total cost of transportation, which also depends on the distance traveled by the truck and the fuel consumption for this.

Differences in shipping rates for vehicles.

If you have ever looked at an airport board for information about your boarding gate, then you have an idea how quickly the data is updated there and how difficult it is to keep tracking it. In the same way, but more slowly, shipping quotes usually change daily, creating some confusion. Why is this happening? There are two reasons:

1. When you order a road transport, you receive instant vehicle shipping rates from transport brokers, who are intermediaries between you (the customer) and the carriers (shipping companies). Then the broker comes to you with the lowest shipping rate, which one of the carriers is ready to carry out. Trucking is a fairly competitive business activity, which is very strongly influenced by supply and demand. Therefore, at some point, you can achieve the best terms for the price, depending on the situation on the transportation market.
2. The shipment cost is influenced by various factors and usually varies with the size of the vehicle, distance and season of the year. For these reasons, the amount of payment from the side of carriers is established.

The principle of the shipment tender.

For placing an order for vehicle shipment, you need to contact a transport broker and find out the cost of delivery. You will receive some shipping rates from him, and after that he will ask the carriers themselves to give him their offers. And if you need to immediately see the rate for transportation and make a decision before the carriers have made their proposals on rates, then this is unlikely to work.

Only sometimes a broker company can offer a fixed price and this will serve as the initial price, and not the final one for the participants of such a transport tender. Let's say a transport company offers an online rate of one dollar for transportation across the country, the lowest of all possible, but no driver is lucky for that amount. Nevertheless, a carrier can ask for a couple of thousand dollars for its services, and another one, seeing such an offer, will reduce the price by a hundred dollars, then the rest will join such an auto auction, lowering the price further. Such bidding for the client can continue until the transport broker can choose the best carrier for the price. And this often happens 7-10 days before the start of your car shipping. Long-standing freight carriers know the potential of their customers and offer rates that you could eventually accept. Some companies prefer to play on lower prices in order to attract more customers. In the end, their "favorable" prices might become more expensive when you signed a vehicle shipping contract with them and even paid a non-refundable deposit. Therefore, you need to carefully study all offers and not chase cheapness. 

What affects the cost of road transportation?

Let's say you pay for the services of an Internet provider and know about its current tariffs. Your expenses for unlimited Internet are about the same every month and only sometimes the provider can increase the cost. As for road transport, prices usually change regularly and the reasons for this may be the following:

1. Freight carriers offer their shipping rates for the cargo during the transport tender and often the situation with prices looks uncertain;
2. The further you need to carry the goods, the higher the cost;
3. When providing some kind of auxiliary services like insurance or fast delivery, the price will be higher;
4. The more vehicles you ship by truck, the more you pay;
5. When transporting to distant areas away from the main transport routes between major cities, you will have to pay more;
6. All traffic jams and bypass routes that occur along the way can affect the cost;
7. In the summer, be prepared for higher shipping rates;
8. The price depends on the type of transport, therefore, it is optimal to carry out transportation on an open platform of the truck;
9. The delivery cost also depends on the size and condition of the vehicle. The larger the car and if it is not on the move, the more expensive it is to transport.

Therefore, the current rate can be much more attractive than the next one after your cargo has passed all stages of delivery. When you have useful information about the reasons for price fluctuations, you can always negotiate on more favorable terms for yourself.

American companies with the best vehicle shipping rates.

If you make shipments cross the country, rates per mile will be more expensive overall, while shorter haul rates will be cheaper. For example, according to several carriers, transporting a car over a distance of 500 miles will cost about $700, and a distance of 1,490 miles will cost about $1,310.

Shipping costs are also influenced by insurance and service. Each transport company has its own rates to cover possible risks of loss and damage, including service fees ranging from $50 to $100 per vehicle. Some carrier companies charge for services according to the transportation, and some set a fixed price.

Here is a list of the best companies for the delivery of cars with a high reputation, optimal costs, quality of the list of services, as well as the opinion of customers:

1. Montway Auto Transport with the best truck availability;
2. AmeriFreight with the best discounts;
3. Sherpa Auto Transport with the best fixed cost;
4. Easy Auto Ship with the best additional features;
5. uShip as the best tender resource for carriers.

Vehicle shipping rates for the military.

For military personnel to send a vehicle up to 500 miles, the shipping rate per mile would be about one dollar. Therefore, the shipment cost of 350 miles will be 350 dollars, respectively. The longer the distance, the cost will be lower, that is, transportation for 1000 miles will put down the rate to $0.75 per mile and will be $750. Moving a military vehicle from coast to coast of the United States will be about $0.40 per mile. The vehicle shipping military rates are again influenced by the size of the vehicles, the passage along the route without obstacles and detours, the availability of transport in the province, as well as the increase in demand depending on the season.

Vehicle international shipping rates.

On average, overseas vehicle shipping rates in this case vary between $900 and more than $2,000 for each vehicle, taking into account where it needs to be delivered abroad. The cost of servicing the cargo at the final delivery point ranges from $500 to $800 per vehicle and is paid separately from the freight cost. Usually, cargo insurance during transportation is made at the request of the cargo owner.