Things to Consider When You Ship Your Car to Another State

There may come a time when you need to move to another state in the country for many reasons. You could be transferring states for work. If you’ve just graduated from high school, you could be transferring to another state to pursue a college education. Or you could be moving because of family-related matters like moving in with other family members. If you are transferring to another state, one of the possible decisions you will have to make will be about your car.

When moving to another state, selling your car and buying a new one is always easier. However, if your vehicle is still in tip-top shape or has sentimental value, you could consider another option — shipping your car to another state. 

Let’s look into important factors such as the vehicle itself, the state you are moving to, the list of companies that offer these services, and the total cost. 

Vehicle Type and Value

Typically, the item in the transaction is considered before choosing its transport or delivery method. The same applies to car shipping. 

• Specialty and Luxury cars - These cost much more than any other cars and may require more professional care and security in transport than car-shipping companies can provide. 

• Vintage Cars -These types may be more vulnerable in transit. However, a car’s value is not only limited to its price. Some give importance to their vehicles in more personal ways. Some may hold sentimental value and significant backstories that merit a person’s love for it. This is especially true for vintage cars.

  
  

Vehicle Pick-up and Drop Off Points

The vehicle's state of origin and destination are also factors to be checked when you ship car to another state. Here are some of the items you need to look into.

• Distance - How far is point A from point B? You could do it yourself if the transport takes less than a day. If it takes more, a transport company is always a good option.

• Registration Requirements - Are there important vehicle documents that need to be prepared? If yes, then hiring professionals is always a good option. 

Essential Qualities of Vehicle Transport Companies

Searching for companies online would be easy, but make sure that these companies are legitimate by looking for their license to operate and validating them. Here are ways to see if the organization is trustworthy.

• Government Accreditation/Registration - Government regulations from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration - Department of Transportation (FMCSA-DOT) are in place to ensure that auto transport companies follow strict standards to ensure the safety and security of their services. According to the FMCSA, consumers who are about to book auto transport companies to ship their vehicles should take note of the following.

• Be wary of companies that are unclear whether they are brokers or transporters. You should monitor all transactions with the company, especially if you’re going to pay through a debit or credit card. 

• Auto transport companies must register with the FMCSA for interstate operations. Each company is assigned a USDOT number and an MC Docket number as serial numbers for their registrations. You may validate the companies’ registration licenses (MC docket and USDOT numbers) through www.fmcsa.dot.gov. Such registration requires companies to maintain vehicles constantly, monitor road hours, and update driver reports.  

• Good Consumer Reviews - Also applicable in purchasing all other kinds of products and services, an easy way to check the quality of the auto transport companies is to check for reviews left by their previous clients. You can check directly for reviews posted on their website. To access less-curated consumer reviews, you can look for reviews on the companies’ social media platforms and even on Google. 

Cost of Auto Transport

The most important factor to consider when shipping your car and choosing the company to do it is the price for such a service. Look at this article to learn how to compare car shipping companies, factoring prices, customer ratings, and reviewers' ratings. Cost varies depending on the distance, method, and route. 

• Distance - Longer distance covered by transport means higher fuel consumption, longer hours spent by the transporters, and may increase damage to company equipment.

• Terrain - Geographical terrain may make transport easier or more difficult, directly affecting shipping costs. 

• Method - The manner in which the car is transported will also affect the cost. Open transport methods are cheaper, while enclosed methods are more expensive. More expensive vehicles are often transported through enclosed trailers. 

In the end, whether you choose to hire a company to transport your car from one state to another will entirely depend on your appreciation of the factors mentioned above. Ultimately, if you’ve already decided to hire an auto transport company, it is imperative that you have done enough research to make an informed decision.