Interstate Car Transport is a service provided to transport your car from state to state within the USA, to Canada, Mexico and even overseas if needed. Cars may be transported to main ports and shipped in containers or RO-RO (roll on – roll off) platforms to another port. This service consists of hiring an independent driver or a transport company to ship your car from point A to point B, or as most people do, they hire a broker to go through all the hassle of booking a driver and determine pick up and drop off locations and times.
Interstate Car Transport is a very common service now a day due to the huge economy drops in the past years. This car transport was a service once used only to carry cars from dealers, manufacturers, government, or rental companies. With the great drop in economy, most of these entities down sized their car transport numbers, therefore transporting companies have seen themselves obligated to open up to private vehicle owners as possible clients. Prices can be a little steep at times, however interstate car transport companies offer a liable service and safer transportation than actually driving your car for long distances while exposing to accidents or other hassles that may end up causing you more delays and more money.
Price Factors
To fully understand price rates, we can divide the amount in to different parts; these parts would be the factors that influence on the variations of such amount.
Distance. The main factor is the distance. Many tariffs are based on mileage; the longer the distance the higher the pay. More miles, more gas, longer driving distances and more exposure to any inconvenience cause your quote to go higher.
Location. Another important factor is the route on which you are located. Sometimes you may be located within a small range of miles from the delivery point, but still have high prices. This happens mainly because of the route you are located in, beside other factors we will discuss later on. Locations like islands, or across bridges cause a higher rate due to tolls. Interstate car transport requires a big hauler that may take 3 – 7 cars; tolls have a field day with these big trucks and can charge anywhere from $100 – $150 and it’s a two way trip.
Model and Size. Then there’s the model and size factor. The size of the car also affects the price of the quote. Bigger cars take up more space, therefore less cars fit in the carrier and drivers must make up for the space with high prices to make the trip worthy. Also if your car has special modifications such as low clearance, lift kits or other details that change the original body of the car drastically, carriers must provide the best accommodations to safely transport your car; ending in a higher or extra fee.
Availability. Lastly a factor that affects your price is the season. Usually during winter, most drivers go East and due to the fact that most car make companies launch their new models during this time for the next year, most drivers are booked by dealers and manufacturers from 2 weeks to up to 2 months. Then it is very difficult to get a driver at times for certain routes, therefore if offered higher prices, they will make an extra stop to take your car.
Interstate Car Transport
Interstate Car Transport Operators
Interstate car transport may be approached by several ways. There are mainly two types of operators: an independent and a dependent. An independent operator is one that works directly with the customer, such as an independent driver. As opposed to a dependent operator which works together with interstate car transport companies and as a communication channel between the customer and the company, such as brokers or company agents. Although independent operators may offer you a lower rate, therefore they deal directly and have to pay no third parties or commissions, they are harder to find due to the low or no advertising drawn to them.
This gives room to dependent owners or brokers to come in to play and provide their services. Even if the price rates are lower, most people rather hire a broker to get their car moved, than to deal directly with an independent owner. First of all its time consuming, and taking in account most, if not all people’s busy agendas, no one really has time to sit and look for a driver, that will maybe not guarantee your service or offer all the accommodations you need for your interstate car transport. Second of all, most drivers aren’t available most of the time to deal with customers, except upon delivery of their cars for specific information for pick up or drop off. Many drivers are not used to dealing with people and it can be a great stress for you as a customer to deal with this type of miscommunications while on the process of moving. To avoid these problems, it is better to pay some extra bucks and hire a broker, than to go through a stressful moment of a bad communication and end up with unsatisfactory service.
In the end, interstate car transport is the most reliable way to move a car from place to place these days. Transport companies are equipped with great insurance to offer full coverage in case of any damage or loss, and provide all safety measures to protect your car. Although you must keep on mind that sometimes there may be some unforeseen obstacles that may delay delivery – small things such as a flat tire to an F3 tornado that is crossing the road – interstate car transport will efficiently and quickly deliver your car safely where ever you decide to start your new adventure!
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