Auto Transport Quotes USA

1. What Factors Affect Auto Transport Quotes?
2. What Are the Various Types of Auto Transport Methods (Least to Most Expensive)?
3. What Are the Different Types of Auto Transport Delivery Services (Least to Most Expensive)?
4. What Are Auto Transport Calculators?
5. What Common Questions Do People Ask When Seeking Auto Transport Quotes?

The first step in planning to transport a vehicle is to request a professional transport service quote. An auto transport quote is the overall price estimate that a customer will pay to have their vehicle moved from point-A to point-B. 

Receiving an auto transport quote allows you to understand what the service offers, budget to accommodate the service, and book ahead to ensure that your vehicle is delivered to its designated location at the ideal time. 

We're here to supply you with an overview of USA auto transport quotes so you can request a quote with a higher level of confidence. 

Auto transport quotes tend to cover:

• Vehicle shipping 
• Motorcycle shipping 
• RV transport 
• Golf cart transport
• Boat transport 

Reasons as to why a person might hire an auto transport company to move their vehicle include work relocation, purchasing a vehicle and having it shipped to their current location, or shipping a vehicle for an auto event such as a race or car show. Auto transport can be an incredibly useful asset if you're looking to move a vehicle to a long-distance location. Many customers moving to a home in a new area will ship their car through an auto transport company, fly to their destination, and time the vehicle's arrival with their arrival. 

An auto transport quote from a professional company should be accurately calculated. Let's look at the different factors that can impact how much you pay to transport your vehicle. 

What Factors Affect Auto Transport Quotes?

The main factors that affect how much you'll pay for professionals to transport your vehicle are based on the distance the vehicle is traveling, the vehicle's length and height, the vehicle's curb length and ground clearance, the condition of the vehicle, and what type of shipping method you're choosing. 

Shorter distance transport routes will cost less, while longer-distance transport routes will naturally cost you more. Time is money in the auto transport industry as employees spending more time delivering vehicles translates to more wear and tear occurring on their delivery trucks along with a hike in fuel consumption. 

The less length your vehicle has, the lower the car shipping rates you'll have to pay to have it shipped. Vehicles under 189 inches will receive lower price quotes than vehicles over 189 inches because an auto transport company might have extra room to deliver additional vehicles alongside yours. The same idea applies to vehicle height. Asking an auto transport company to ship a tall vehicle will result in a more expensive quote as the company will have a more difficult time fitting other vehicles above or below your vehicle. 

Suppose you're wondering why a vehicle's ground clearance affects the price quote you receive from an auto transport company. In that case, it's because a car with low ground clearance is more susceptible to damages during the loading and unloading steps of shipping. An open-carrier shipping method presents the highest probability of undercarriage damage occurring during the loading and unloading of a low-clearance vehicle as the vehicle has to be driven onto the carrier via an inclined ramp. Hydraulic ramps are the safest ways to load and unload vehicles with low clearances as there's no need to drive the vehicle up a ramp onto a carrier. The hydraulic ramp does all of the work in terms of positioning the car for loading. 

Your car's condition will impact how much you pay to transport the vehicle because a non-running car is more difficult to transport. We mentioned that the open-carrier transport method involves an auto transport employee accelerating the vehicle up an inclining ramp to be loaded and secured within the carrier. Let's say your vehicle isn't able to run. In that instance, you may be subject to a "non-running" fee as your vehicle will make the auto transport company's job of loading, unloading, and possibly repositioning the vehicle more difficult. 

The shipping method and delivery service you select for transporting your vehicle will have a major impact on the quote you'll receive from an auto transport company. 

What Are the Various Types of Auto Transport Methods (Least to Most Expensive)?

If you're hiring a professional auto transport company to move your vehicle by land, open carrier transport is going to be the least expensive service you have to choose from. Enclosed auto transport will be the second least expensive option for land transport, and air freight shipping is the costliest. When transporting a vehicle overseas, sea freight shipping is the least expensive shipping method, and similar to land transport, air freight shipping is the priciest. 

Airfreight shipping is the most expensive form of transport for vehicles being shipped by land and overseas due to the accelerated delivery time that the service provides for customers. Open-carrier transport is the least expensive option when transporting a vehicle by land because your vehicle will be exposed to outdoor elements during travel. A vehicle exposed to natural outdoor elements during travel is more likely to experience damages during transit. Enclosed auto shipping is more expensive than open-carrier shipping as this transport method covers and protects your vehicle from potentially damaging outdoor elements such as inclement weather or stray flying objects. 

There are two primary delivery services that you can choose from when hiring an auto transport company to move your vehicle. 

What Are the Different Types of Auto Transport Delivery Services (Least to Most Expensive)?

Door-to-door and port-to-port delivery are the two primary delivery services that people choose when shipping their vehicles. Port-to-port delivery is less expensive than door-to-door delivery since more work is involved on the customer's end. If you select port-to-port delivery, you'll have to personally drop your vehicle off at the port it's scheduled to depart from, pick up the vehicle at the port it arrives at, and drive it to your desired destination. Door-to-door delivery consists of an auto transport company picking up your vehicle at your home, delivering the vehicle to its departing port, and driving the vehicle to the door of its new destination. 

Port-to-port delivery can be especially frustrating if the destination you want your vehicle delivered to is located further inland from the port in which it's arriving in. Deciding which shipping method and delivery service is right for you has a lot to do with your budget and your needs. When pulling off a long-distance move, chances are you're going to want to spend a few extra bucks for the convenience of services like door-to-door shipping if your budget can accommodate it. If you're hypothetically shipping a high-value car to a port in Long Beach, California, for a car show in Los Angeles, you may be ok with delivering the vehicle to the car show yourself through a port-to-port service.

If you're looking to get an auto transport quote fast, then keep reading!

What Are Auto Transport Calculators?

You might dread the idea of requesting an auto transport quote by visualizing long lines for in-person inquiries, piles of paperwork, and confusing terminology. Luckily there's a solution. Auto transport calculators are online tools that ask you to provide some necessary information regarding your vehicle and plans to ship your vehicle as a means to generate an instant transport quote. The quick and easy nature that instant quotes and auto transport calculators provide does wonder in helping to mitigate the stresses that the auto transport process can create. 

Taking a look at the types of questions that people commonly ask when seeking auto transport quotes will help you better understand the overall process.

What Common Questions Do People Ask When Seeking Auto Transport Quotes?

People often ask how to go about locating a professional and reputable auto transport company. If you're looking to work with an auto transport company with plenty of experience and a solid reputation, consider reading up on specific companies and their credentials listed on the Better Business Bureau website. It's common to wonder what the deal with insurance and auto transport is. A professional auto transport company will carry insurance.

Some auto transport companies cover certain parts of your vehicle for damage, while other companies will cover the entire vehicle. Do your best to inquire about a moving company's insurance policy's specific details to get the full picture. 

Let's wrap up by sharing a couple of pro tips you can use when seeking an auto transport quote.

What Are Some Auto Transport Quote Pro Tips?

Try to avoid giving your phone number out to tons of different auto transport companies when seeking quotes. If you give your phone number out, the auto transport company may view that provided information as a go-ahead to contact you repeatedly. Lastly, try to avoid working with auto transport companies that force you to call to receive a quote. The best companies will give you the quote rather than have you do the legwork to chase them down and receive a quote.