Auto Transport Quotes USA

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

Receiving a 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 the following:

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

Reasons as to why a person might hire an auto hauling 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 relocating 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 moving company, fly to their destination, and time the vehicle's arrival with their arrival.

Quotes 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 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 shorter your vehicle is, 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-hauling company. In that case, it's because a car with low ground clearance is more susceptible to damage 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 way 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 move the vehicle because a non-running car is more difficult to transport. We mentioned that the open-carrier transport method involves the 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 Methods (Least to Most Expensive)?

If you're hiring a professional auto relocating 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 hauling 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 transportation for vehicles being shipped by land and overseas due to the accelerated delivery time that the service provides for customers. An open-carrier 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 damage 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 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 Hauling Calculators?

You might dread the idea of requesting a 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 calculators provide does wonders 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 Quotes?

People often ask how to go about locating a professional and reputable auto moving 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 is with insurance and auto transport. A professional auto transport company will carry insurance.

Some 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-relocating 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.