Glance at the vehicles shipping costs

No one wants to pay more than the service costs. Even owners of the most expensive and rare cars usually carefully check the shipping vehicle costs of at least a couple of carriers. The main idea here is that the price you pay should fully reflect the service you are getting.

Components of the price

Of course, every company has its own quotas, some of them are lower than on average and some of them are higher. It’s up to you to choose a particular company whom you are going to trust your car to. You just need to carefully check the reviews and the overall reputation before making a final decision.

When it’s done there are still pretty a lot of factors which can significantly influence the final price you will be requested to pay.

1. Distance. Obviously, if you need to deliver your car from the very South to the North, you should expect that the cost of shipping a vehicle will be pretty high. In this regard many car’s owners prefer to consider a terminal-to-terminal transportation when they only need to arrange the delivery of the car to and from the carrier’s terminals or ports. But this feature is not always that cheap as attractive as you may think from the first sight. First of all, the quota per mile can be changed depending on the distance. If, for example, you are applying for terminal-to-terminal shipping costs for vehicles and the distance will be significantly shorter than in case of the door-to-door transportation the quote can be 2 USD per mile versus 1,5 USD per mile for a longer trip. Additionally, you need to take into account the fuel consumption, meals and drinks on the way as well as the possible necessity to make a stop for a night and pay for a lodgment.
2. Size of the car. You need to check with the carrier possible limitations for the car’s weight and size. Especially if you are planning to request delivery of a car with some additional belongings inside. For example, it’s pretty a common practice in case of applying for the delivery of the car service while moving to a new house in another state to request the delivery of the pet inside the car (as it can become much more difficult and dangerous to move a pet by plane or train).
3. Insurance. This is one of the most underestimated components of the cost of shipping vehicles. In most cases the car’s owners are informed that the insurance is already included in the quota and they usually don’t go through the details. Every company can provide fully different insurance policies. Firstly, in regards to the coverage (as of a standard it should be at least 75,000-100,000 USD). Secondly, there are different cases this insurance includes which the car’s owner will figure out only in case of any unexpected accident on the way. A good insurance is especially important if your car’s value is more than 100,000 USD – in this case it’s highly recommended to apply for extended coverage.
4. Period of the delivery. It both includes the potential pick up date and the whole estimated period of the delivery. A vehicle shipping cost can be cut if you can arrange the delivery in advance. Of course, not every case can provide such an opportunity, but even a couple of weeks advance reservation can save you some amount of money. What concerns the period of the delivery, it definitely depends on the route as well as on the transportation type you chose. An open transport in most cases will be faster. Additionally, you can always apply for an express service, especially if you urgently need your car to be available despite the higher shipping a vehicle cost.
5. Seasonality. We placed it separately, as it indeed has a significant effect on the final price. If you request a shipment of the car during a high season (which is in most cases a summertime) you should expect to pay up to 400 USD more in comparison with a quieter winter season. On the other hand, considering the period of the delivery, in winter you will most probably have to wait longer until there will be enough orders for the transportation into your direction.

You should not forget about so-called hidden costs which can take place in case of not very fair carriers. That is why the contract and all its details is your protection from any unexpected losses and payments. As an example, you should check if the fuel consumption is already included in the quote.