Car Delivery Service

For various reasons, such as buying a vehicle through an online auction, moving across the country or abroad, or simply sending someone a vehicle as a gift, you may one day need a car delivery service. Also known as auto transport, choosing the right car delivery service first starts with understanding how this industry works. By understanding how car moving services operate, you'll be able to avoid many of the pitfalls that many face when choosing this service.

Kinds of Car Delivery Service Companies

There are a variety of companies that engage in car delivery services, with the three main ones being the following:

• Brokers—Brokers in the automobile delivery industry act as the sort of go-between and are the vast majority of the motorcar transport companies one finds online. Rather than actually engaging in the carrier aspect of a car delivery service, they outsource their arranged shipping agreements to various carriers. While they usually provide great customer service, customers need to understand that it is the carrier that is truly in charge of the motorcar delivery.
• Lead Aggregators—Lead aggregators need to be viewed with location. Created as websites that may seem quite honest, their main purpose is to acquire your personal details so that they can then, in turn, send them to the car moving service brokers. Of course, the brokers receive this personal data for a fee, and they benefit from this by being able to use this personal data to provide you with an automobile sending quote.
• Carriers - Carriers are the ones who haul the actual motorcar. These companies can either have a whole fleet of conveyance trucks or be run individually. Various conveyance vehicles exist, including enclosed trailers, open trailers, individual trailers, and multi-vehicle carriers. They have to be officially licensed to act as auto carrier carriers and have to adhere to the guidelines set forth by the United States Government in the DOT and MC rules. They do not usually make arrangements directly with the customer. Instead, they deal with the broker or some other company.

(Visit: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations)

Different Types of Auto Hauling

The two main motorcar hauling services that are the most widely used are:

• Terminal to Terminal Car Transport - When choosing this service, your automobile would be picked up from a specific location that you would have to transport it to and then delivered to a specified location from which you would have to pick it up. Usually, the drop-off and pick-up points are not far from your location, and out of the two moving options, it's the cheaper one. Many of those who live in rural or difficult-to-reach locations have no choice but to choose this option or risk facing exorbitant extra fees.
• Door-to-Door Car Transport - This option is a bit more expensive, but the benefits are that your motorcar will be picked up and subsequently delivered directly from/to your home or designated location. This means that you don't have to worry about hauling it to a drop-off point or driving it to its final destination at the delivery point.

Which one of the two to choose depends on a variety of factors. While door-to-door car sending is more expensive, it's also much easier for you. Also, remember that, depending on how far you need to drive to either drop off your vehicle or pick it up, terminal-to-terminal motorcar delivery may not be as cheap as you think. Of course, if you're transporting your vehicle internationally, you'll have to choose terminal-to-terminal automobile sending in most cases.

How Your Automobile is Transported for Hauling

To understand how your motorcar is hauled for delivery, you must know that two primary types of trucks are used.

• Single Vehicle Trailer—This obviously just transports one car. While the cost may be higher to use this type of service, they can get your motorcar to places that may not be accessible to a larger truck. This is a great option for door-to-door car delivery. In addition, if your automobile is particularly valuable, such as a vintage or luxury vehicle, this is the more secure option since it'll ONLY be your car that's transported.
• Multi-Vehicle Trailer—This is the cheapest and most common option. Automobile hauling companies ship multiple cars at once, lowering the price. In most instances, this is the option that you'll choose.

No matter which option you decide to go with, you'll have to choose between either an:

• Enclosed Trailer
• Open Trailer

An enclosed trailer protects your vehicle from the weather and is particularly recommended for long journeys, such as if your automobile is being delivered coast to coast. Furthermore, if your car is quite expensive and vintage, this is recommended.

An open trailer is the more popular method out of the two. The main benefit is that it is cheaper, but the drawback is that your car will be less secure. Nonetheless, motorcar moving service companies have taken extra measures to protect your vehicle these days, so damage isn't too much.

Check out the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's consumer guide at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/resources-for-consumers.

Contact A-1 Auto Transport today to get a free quote, help us guide you through the process, and find out what type of automobile delivery service will best meet your needs!