Car Shipping Tips

Door-to-door pickup. A number of car shipping companies offer specialized services that all you have to do is wait for them to pullover in front of your garage. This is practical and necessary when your home is far away from the terminal or port, which would make it difficult for you to drive there on your own. Normally, however, car shipping companies will advice you to meet them in an open area such as a nearby parking lot so that the pickup truck can easily maneuver itself to the pickup area. A car carrier truck is about 75 feet long. It is not easy driving it through a residential community.

Door-to-door pickup also includes door-to-door delivery or drop off to your car's final point of destination.

Open shipping cars are stacked and transported on a carrier truck. These are the trucks you normally see on highways carrying or tagging along up to 10 cars. It is necessary for car shipping companies to stack as many cars as possible in one drive in order to cut costs. Multi-car transportation makes this method less expensive.

Enclosed shipping. The more expensive way of shipping vehicles is the enclosed shipping method. Car shipping companies place cars inside a closed and locked down steel containers or cargo rail where they will safely be shipped throughout the transit. This method guarantees a hundred percent protection from bad weather such as snow, sleet, heavy rains, and so on. It also protects the cars from road debris and other unfortunate encounters.

Car shipping companies recommend this method of shipping for really expensive and hard-to-find cars such as a Lamborghini, Rolls Royce and Hummer, as well as antique and military vehicles.

Satellite tracking. With modern technology, it is now very easy tracking down anything around the world using GPS. Car shipping companies provide you satellite updates on where you car is at during the entire period of the transfer. This is especially necessary when you are transporting your car to another country where the transit can take weeks.

There are several challenges when shipping internationally. GPS updates can give you a sense of comfort knowing that your car is being cared for well.

International shipping. Shipping abroad involves international levies, Custom fees, foreign laws, importation and exportation rules, and other unforeseen costs and regulations. International shipping is a challenging task and so you should make sure that car shipping companies know what they are talking about. It may be necessary for you to personally do a research about the country to where you are sending your car.

Car shipping insurance. Car shipping companies should provide and guarantee bumper-to-bumper coverage. It is your right as a customer to know about their insurance policy and so don't hesitate to ask about this before signing any agreement. Normally, car shipping companies wouldn't mind explaining such things to you to convince you to hire them. Even if you have your own policy for your vehicle, it is still necessary that car shipping companies provide some kind of coverage.