Moving isn’t always easy. In fact, sometimes it can be quite a challenge, and there are all sorts of roadblocks that can stand in our way. Thinking about it, perhaps one of the biggest obstacles is what to do if we don’t want to drive ourselves to our new home. Depending on where we’re headed, this isn’t even always possible.
For instance, what if you’re relocating to Hawaii or Puerto Rico? You can’t exactly hop in the car and drive across the ocean. Although these aren’t necessarily circumstances that everyone is going to encounter, you can start to understand why it’s so important to have alternative options.
Beyond just that, though, there’s the fact that road trips just aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. Factoring that in with the already-challenging ordeal of moving, and sometimes it will end in disaster. That’s just part of why finding an auto transport broker can be so helpful in these moments.
Now, this is a lot easier said than done. So, if you’d like to learn a bit more about how the process works, as well as what car shipping is, then stick around. That’s what we’ll be covering here today!
Vehicle Shipping: The Basics
The first thing that you’re probably wondering is hey, what even is auto transport anyway? Don’t worry – it’s simple, really. Auto transport is when you ship your vehicle to the destination of your choice with a service provider, rather than drive it yourself. That’s why we mentioned the ability to skip the road trip involved with moving – this offers a convenient way to circumvent that.
With that said, there are some caveats to that – as you can probably expect. The thing is, there are a lot of steps involved when you decide to have your vehicle shipped. Of course, that’s why we’re here with this guide for you!
Get Your Paperwork Sorted
Before you work with an auto shipping service, it’s a good idea to get yourself organized beforehand. That can include things like your driver’s license, the registration information for your vehicle, and any car insurance documentation. While this might seem overkill, whatever company you decide to go with will be thankful that you have this stuff ready for them.
That’s because, like you can see in this article, they need to be able to verify your identity. Otherwise, there’s a chance that they could end up shipping a stolen car or something like that. Obviously, they need to take precautions against that. The main thing is they double and triple check all forms of identification involved.
Clean Your Car
At first glance, it might seem rather odd to make such a big deal out of visiting your local car wash before you drop your vehicle off with the shipping service. However, one thing that you need to understand is that most of the time, the cost will be based on how much your car weighs. Naturally, this means that we should do our best to reduce that.
This includes clearing out the interior of the vehicle as well as scrubbing off any residual dirt from the exterior. Even the smallest candy wrapper could end up costing you extra, so be thorough in your examination. Looking for some tips on how to do this? You can check out this resource, https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/how-to-wash-a-car-at-home/, although as long as you’re double checking the nooks and crannies, you should be fine.
Catalogue Damage to Your Vehicle
Another thing that you’ll want to add to your checklist before you leave is to make sure you document any damage that’s already present to your car. While it’s not likely that you’ll end up with any new dings in the paint or something, this is just a nice way to ensure that you can be properly compensated if that turns out to be the case. When you pick up your vehicle, making before and after comparisons can be quite useful.
Again, though, this isn’t something that you should need to worry about too much. As we always say, though, why not do it just in case?
Is it Worth the Cost?
On a final note, for today, let’s discuss whether or not having your car transported by an auto shipping service is worth the hit your wallet will take. Something that you may want to do is compare how much the gas would cost you in comparison to this option. There’s a solid chance that taking a road trip would turn out to be much more expensive.
After all, it’s not just the gas you have to take into account there. It’s also the rest stops, food and drinks, and hotel rooms along the way – depending on how far you’re travelling, of course. In those cases, you may even find that auto transport will save you some cash.