What Are My Car Transport Options? Picking The Best Option

If you’re moving to a new state or city, or even moving internationally, you may be wondering what your options are for transporting your vehicle to your new location. There are a lot of different options, so let’s discuss them all in this guide from A-1 Auto Transport.

What Are My Car Transport Options?

Domestically, you have the option of driving your car yourself, hiring a driver to take the car to your new destination, or shipping the car using a truck or rail-based transport. When shipping abroad, Roll-On Roll-Off (RoRo) shipping on a cargo ship is typically the best option. Shipping a car by air – both domestically and internationally – is possible but extremely expensive.

• Drive the car yourself – This may be obvious, but it’s possible to drive your car to its destination yourself. This is very cheap – you’ll only pay for food, gas, lodging, and vehicle wear & tear – but it’s also really inconvenient, particularly for long distance moves. If you are moving across the country, it may make more sense to ship your car on a truck and simply fly to your destination.

• Hire a driver – There are lots of companies out there that let you hire a professional driver to drive your vehicle directly to its destination. This is usually a bit pricey, though. You’ll pay an hourly rate for the driver, and for costs like gas, food, and lodging. You’ll still incur mechanical wear & tear on your vehicle, too. Still, this is a very fast and efficient way to get your car to its new destination.
• Ship your car on a truck – Shipping a car on a semi truck is usually cheaper, and also results in less wear & tear on your car’s components. Since most car carrier trucks can carry over 10 cars at once, this is an affordable way to ship your vehicle. This is the most common way that cars are shipped domestically. However, pickup and delivery time frames may vary more than hiring a professional driver.
• Ship your car by rail – Rail shipping is usually cheaper than shipping exclusively by truck, but takes longer. In addition, you will usually still need to work with a trucking company to get the vehicle to its final destination. However, this may still make sense in some situations, like if you live near a major rail freight port and are moving to a destination that’s also near a rail hub.
• Send the car overseas with RoRo shipping – RoRo (roll-on, roll-off) shipping uses special cargo ships that are designed similarly to gigantic, sea-faring parking garages. Cars, trucks, and other vehicles are driven directly onto the vessel, are shipped overseas, and then are driven off at their destination to await further transport and delivery. This is always the cheapest method of sending a car overseas.
• Ship your car by air – This is rarely an option for most people. Because of the high weight of cars, and the fact that air shipping is based on the weight of your shipment, shipping cars by air is extraordinarily expensive, even for short distances. Still, it is an option for very expensive vehicles, or those who are very wealthy and do not mind the added cost.

These options all have very different costs, as well as pros and cons. So whether you’re moving domestically or are moving internationally and would like to take your car with you, make sure to consider the benefits and drawbacks of each one – and to work with an experienced, reliable car shipping service.

Need To Ship A Car In The US Or Overseas? A-1 Auto Transport Can Help

At A-1 Auto Transport, we’re here to help you get the car shipping services you need in the US, and we can even assist in shipping cars internationally if you’re moving to a new country.

With our extensive network of service providers, you can get reasonable rates for shipping cars via truck, rail and ocean-going freight, and even via air shipping. Don’t wait. Contact us online or give us a call at (888) 230-9116 to get a quote for shipping your car now, and get started with A-1 Auto Transport today.