Ship A Car 101: Your Guide to Getting The Best Rates

A lot of people think that they can save a lot of money by driving their car to another state themselves. True enough, you do get to save a couple hundred dollars by doing the long distance drive yourself – but this is only true when you just account for the immediate costs of going for a long drive such as gas, food, and parking expenses. The true cost of long-distance driving goes far beyond that.

 What do we mean by this?

 Well, there are costs that don’t seem like one from the get-go because they’re either not paid by actual cash, or they happen much later on.

 For instance, the time you spend driving yourself to another state. This can range from as little as 3 hours to over 20+ hours (check this out). When driving, you can hardly do anything else (and you shouldn’t be due to safety reasons) apart from keeping your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, and foot on the gas pedal. This could mean hours away from doing anything productive or anything that can generate you income. If you calculate the hours, you can’t work because you’re driving and multiply it by the rate at which you earn, that too, is a hidden cost of long-distance driving.

 Next is energy. Yes, energy is expendable as well. Not having enough of it can also affect your productivity and consequently, your ability to generate new income. Many people romanticize the idea of going for a long-distance drive, but few talk about how it’s physically taxing and exhausting for the driver. Even the most experienced driver can experience down time after driving great distances and again, will need to take time off from doing anything income-generating to rest.

Lastly, there’s car maintenance. Long distance drives not only affect the physical condition of the driver but the vehicle they are driving as well. Even if the car doesn’t act up during the long drive, it will affect its overall condition, depleting the health of many of its components. Even worse is if it actually breaks down during the drive. That would cost you more for repairs.

Case in point, you don’t necessarily “save” a ton of money by driving your car down to another state yourself. Now, put road hazards and unpredictable weather conditions into the picture and long-distance driving seems less and less of a wise thing to do – especially when there’s a better alternative.

 Try car shipping instead.

If you know how the ropes work, you’ll find that car shipping is actually a more practical solution when it comes to transporting your car to another location. Today, we’re going to show you how to ship your car and land the best deals.

 1.    Book Ahead

Plan your shipping dates ahead. If you already know when you would need to be at someplace and your schedule has been finalized, book your shipping date with your chosen car shipping company right away. Booking in advance allows you to take advantage of better deals as it helps you avoid costs that come with rushed requests. Most companies also offer ‘early bird’ discounts for those that book in advance so you can definitely land better rates by simply booking ahead of time.

 2.    Choose The Right Service Type

There are many types of shipping services based on the needs of your vehicle and choosing the right one can really help you lower the costs for shipping your vehicle. For instance, you will be able to select what carrier-type will haul your vehicle: open or closed. Open carriers are much cheaper as it allows for more vehicles to be transported at the same time. Whereas, closed carriers are more costly because they provide better security and more privacy.

If you’re only shipping an everyday car (meaning it’s not a limited edition, custom sports car or anything like that), choosing an open carrier can really help you lower the costs. Learn more about the pros and cons of these carrier types here: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/auto/open-vs-enclosed-shipping.html.

 3.    Select Terminal to Terminal Delivery

Next, have your car delivered to the drop off terminal only – not straight to your house or wherever you’re staying at. Door-to-door deliveries will cost more so if you can afford to drive a few minutes to and from the terminal, then choose terminal delivery instead.

 4.    Watch Your Car’s Weight

Last but certainly not least, watch how heavy your car is. Like every other package that needs to be delivered, the weight of the item significantly affects the cost of shipping. On top of the distance to be traveled, your car’s weight is what will affect the pricing quotation the most.

Make your car as light as possible by removing any unnecessary stuff on the back seat or the trunk of your vehicle. Also, reduce the amount of gas your car carries before the trip. Leaving about ¼ of the tank’s capacity should be enough considering your car will be off most of the time during the transfer.