Posted on Wed, Aug 24, 2011
Recently, the east coast of the US has been watching Hurricane Irene make it's way toward land. First, it was headed straight for South Florida. Then it shifted north and is currently headed for the Carolinas; and may even hit the entire eastern sea board. As I write this, Irene is still out at sea and is several days away from an expected land fall. Still, it has been affecting auto transport for all most 7 days in subtle, but significant ways.
Auto transport car haulers don't want to get caught in bad weather. Some will avoid operating routes that would take them through the area affected by a storm. Because of this, customers with vehicles in storm affected areas will often experience delays and/or price increases.
Delays - Drivers will delay pick up, delivery or travel through areas affected by bad weather. While not all drivers will stop operating in bad weather areas, some or many will depending on the severity of the weather. The reduced number of drivers operating will result in delays in pick up and delivery.
Price Increases - Like all markets, auto transport prices change with supply and demand. When the supply of drivers drops it leaves too few drivers to meet the current demand. When this happens prices will tend to rise as customers compete for the remaining drivers. Those customers needing transport ASAP are most affected by this. In some instances, prices can rise very fast. During the winter storms in March and April of 2011, we saw prices rise as much as 30% in a matter of days in response to the record snow fall in the Midwest and North Eastern states.
Because Irene is still at sea, we are just seeing delays for customers looking to get their cars moved in areas threatened by the storm. At the beginning of this week we heard a number of car haulers state they were staying away from South Florida and being careful about the loads they took with pick up or delivery locations on the eastern sea board states as far north as NY. The threat has passed for South Florida but not for the rest of the eastern sea board states. The final effect of Irene won't be known for a while, but we expect delays to continue and even become more pronounced as the storm finds land. Due to this, prices will most likely increase as well.
Another example of weather induced delays and prices increases was the flooding that occurred in the Mississippi river states this winter. We saw 15% price increases for loads being transport to, from or through flood affected areas. It took several weeks after the flooding was resolved before prices dropped back to normal. This behavior of prices dropping several weeks after the storms effects had abated is normal.
The moral of the story is: auto transport is an outside activity. It is affected by all things outside and especially the weather. Drivers have no more interest to work in miserable or dangerous weather than you do. However, there are almost always drivers that will do it if the pay is high enough. As a customer seeking to get your car moved you should consider waiting for prices to return to normal after the events effect has abated. If you can't wait, be prepared pay more for your transport. You will be competing for a smaller number of drivers with other customers needing immediate transport. Prices will increase but the sooner you act and get your vehicle on a truck the lower the cost is likely to be.
Posted on Sat, Feb 12, 2011
It is easy to get 10 to 20 vehicle shipping quotes. The problem is that each quote will come with 5 to 10 emails and 3 or more phone calls. phone calls. This constant barrage can be overwhelming and annoying to say the least. The worst part is that it can become bewildering trying to sort out who is really offering you a good deal or not. Without a good process you won't necessarily be much closer to making a good decision than before.
As you will, see your quotes will range all over in price and every company will claim to offer great service. Here is how to clear through the clutter and find the BEST vehicle shipping quote and discard the rest.
First: Spend a few moments educating yourself
Even a basic understanding of the vehicle shipping industry will help you go a long way toward getting the best vehicle shipping quote possible.
Here is some recommended reading
Second: Go online and request 7 to 10 quotes from 1 to 3 quote sites or sources
This is the easiest part of the process but also the most challenging. This is due to the volume of emails and phone calls that you will receive. Every quote you request will likely generate 5 emails or more and 3 or more phone calls. So the trick here is to limit the number of quotes you request while making sure you get a good picture of the real cost of your move. Even though this can be an annoying process, you will need this information to make a good decision.
Here are several recommended quote sources, there are many others.
When evaluating your quotes you should look beyond just considering price. In this industry the lowest price will often not be the lowest cost or Best quote for your service. You should also consider the company's email content and your phone conversations. Consider which companies are professional and really do seem to care about you. You will want to incorporate this information into the final part of your decision.
Third: Analyze your data and narrow your search
This step is the most fun. You now have lots of quotes and have spoken to several vehicle shipping companies. Now you need to decide. Here is what we recommend:
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Don't take the lowest price quotes unless you are very confident in the service provider and have extra time. Look at our article Are You Paying too Little for Your Auto Transport Move. This article will help explain why the lowest quote will not necessarily be the lowest cost.
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Don't take the highest price quotes either as these will likely cost you extra
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Don't choose a company that takes your deposit up front. This is unnecessary and can cost you both time and money.
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Choose several quotes from companies in the middle of the range. These will likely be fair prices from reputable companies.
Here are several articles to help you decide
Here are some additional website links that might help
Now that you are a well armed and educated consumer you should be able to make a decision that will get you the BEST vehicle Shipping Quote possible.
Posted on Sun, Feb 06, 2011
Understanding Car Haulers can help you with your Auto Transport decision. In particular it will help you decide if you want to work directly with a Car Hauler or through a Broker.
Back Ground
The Auto Transport Industry is made up of more than 5,000 Car Hauler / Car Transport companies. This estimate does not include the thousands of car towing companies that also sometimes play a roll in the Auto Transport Industry.
In this article I'll discuss where the Car Haulers operate and in other articles I'll discuss other characteristics of Car Haulers so that you can be a better informed consumer of Auto Transport services.
Where the Car Haulers Operate
The general rule is that Car Haulers tend to operate near major US freeways and between major US cities. Given that most people in the US live near a major city; this is where the greatest number of vehicles needing transport can be found. Additionally, the freeway system represents the lowest cost route for the drivers as they transport vehicles.
However, many other factors affect where Car Haulers operate.
1.) Price - If the price is right a Car Hauler will travel to a remote location to pickup or deliver a vehicle.
2.) Availability of desired loads - Car Haulers do where the demand is. This is generally near large cities but depending on the Car hauler and the equipment they operate this can mean other areas.
3.) Weather - Car Haulers like most people try to avoid storms. They will go to stormy areas but generally only if the compensation justifies the trip.
4.) Congestion - Car Haulers generally operate very large trucks. It is not easy for them to enter high congestion areas such as city centers Some will make the trip but only if the price is right. Other Car Haulers will not enter these areas.
5.) Tolls and Taxes- Some areas have very high tolls and or high taxes. Again, some Car Haulers will enter these areas for a price while others will not transport loads into out out of these areas.
6.) Laws and Restrictions - Some areas prohibit large trucks.
These factors tend to concentrate the drivers in certain areas or on certain routes. But due to the seasonal nature of the Auto Transport Business this tends to change and evolve over time.
My Auto Transport Decision
Car Hauler companies form the back bone of the Auto Transport Industry and perform the actual vehicle moving of the industry. However, with thousands of Car Hauler companies operating all over the the US it can be a challenge for consumers to identify a reputable company that operates when where they need.
This is the roll that the Brokers play in the industry. Their service is to help customers locate the best Car Hauler available at a given time, for a give route, and for the best price.
Posted on Fri, Feb 04, 2011
Understanding Car Haulers can help you with your Auto Transport decision. In particular it will help you decide if you want to work directly with a Car Hauler or through a Broker.
Back Ground
The Auto Transport Industry is made up of more than 5,000 Car Hauler / Car Transport companies. This estimate does not include the thousands of car towing companies that also sometimes play a roll in the Auto Transport Industry.
In this article I'll discuss when the Car Haulers operate and in other articles I'll discuss other characteristics of Car Haulers so that you can be a better informed consumer of Auto Transport services.
When the Car Haulers Operate
Most Car Haulers operate year around. However, some Car Haulers operate seasonally. For example there is a good number of Car Haulers that operate only during the auto transport industries busiest season, the summer months from June to August. These Car Haulers either park their truck for the winter or lease it to another driver.
The majority of Car Hauler's operate year around. However, winter weather has a very large impact on the Car Hauler's operations. The large trucks that most Car Haulers driver are very difficult to operate on slippery, icy or snow covered roads. Also, these drivers spend a significant amount of time outside exposed to the weather loading and unloading cars. As a consequence many Car Haulers will avoid winter storms and either park their trucks driving these periods or change their operating area to avoid the bad weather.
Holiday's also play a role in determining the availability of Car Haulers. Many Car Haulers park their trucks during major holiday periods. Notable examples are Christmas, New Years, and the Fourth of July. As these holidays approach it becomes increasing difficult to locate a Car Hauler still operating. Oddly, enough these holiday periods are popular times for people seeking Auto Transport services. Prices can increase several hundred dollars during these periods simply driven by supply and demand forces.
Most Car Haulers operate all week long including Saturday and Sunday. Though the number of Car Haulers on the road on weekends does go down it does not generally create much of an issue for customers seeking auto transport service.
My Auto Transport Decision
Car Hauler companies form the back bone of the Auto Transport Industry and perform the actual vehicle moving of the industry. However, with thousands of Car Hauler companies operating all over the the US it can be a challenge for consumers to identify a reputable company that operates when where you need.
This is the roll that the Brokers play in the industry. Their service is to help customers locate the best driver available at a given time, for a give route, and for the best price.
Posted on Wed, Feb 02, 2011
Understanding Car Haulers can help you with your Auto Transport decision. In particular it will help you decide if you want to work directly with a Car Hauler or through a Broker.
Back Ground
The Auto Transport Industry is made up of more than 5,000 Car Hauler / Car Transport companies. This estimate does not include the thousands of car towing companies that also sometimes play a roll in the Auto Transport Industry.
In this article I'll discuss who the Car Haulers are and in other articles I'll discuss other characteristics of Car Haulers so that you can be a better informed consumer of Auto Transport services.
Who the Car Haulers are
Car Hauler companies come in many variates. Most are owner / operator trucking companies with between 1 to 3 trucks in operation. They are often family run with possibly one non-family member driver on the team. Some Car Haulers even live on the road and operate their auto transport business entirely from their truck. Other family run Car Haulers have a home base with an office and possibly a repair facility located in some city that they call home and try to visit as often as possible.
Some Car Haulers are formed from groups of independent owner / operator Car Hauler companies that join to gain economy of scale. You might think of these Car Haulers as cooperatives. They combine to increase their purchasing power and to improve their marketing might. However, they still maintain their independence and operate when and where they prefer.
There are also large Car Hauler companies with 10 to 50 or more trucks that are either owned or leased. Most large Car Hauler companies operate between 5 to 10 trucks. These companies are still mostly family run but for most the drivers are all employees and the family manages the business from their home or office.
My Auto Transport Decision
Car Hauler companies form the back bone of the Auto Transport Industry and perform the actual vehicle moving of the industry. However, with thousands of Car Hauler companies operating all over the the US it can be a challenge for consumers to identify a reputable company that operates when where they need.
This is the roll that the Brokers play in the industry. Their service is to help customers locate the best driver available at a given time, for a give route and for the best price.
Posted on Mon, Jan 31, 2011
We often get asked by our auto transport customers about the cost of driving verses the cost of Car Shipping. We estimate that a family of 3 will spend about $1,800 to complete a 3,000 driving mile trip. The cost to ship a vehicle 3,000 miles is generally significantly less than $1,800. Lets review some of the numbers to see how we arrived at this conclusion.
Fuel Costs
Lets assume a 3,000 mile trip that is mostly highway miles. An example of such a trip would be from Los Angles, CA to Miami, FL.
For the example we'll assume a 2005 Toyota Camry. Using the AAA Fuel Costs Calculator the estimated fuel cost is $338 dollars. A the time of this article the average cost of a gallon of gasoline was $3.00.
Hotel Costs
For most people, they travel about 6 to 8 hours per day or about 500 miles per day. So a 3,000 mile trip will require about 6 days. Most Hotel costs average about $120 per night. The cheapest hotels are about $50 per night. Our estimate for hotel costs is thus about $720. With the cheapest hotels costing around $300.
Meal Costs
Most people prefer to eat out while traveling. The time in the restaurant gives them time to relax from driving and a break from being cooped up in the car. An inexpensive meal these days goes for about $10 per person. Assuming you eat 3 meals a day you will spend approximately $180 per person on meals and snacks. If you are a family of 3 this will add up to $540 for the trip.
Entertainment Costs
Most people will want to take a break and will choose to stop and see some sights. These excursions will often take you out of your way adding miles and potentially additional hotel and meal costs as well as admission costs. We'll assume that most people will choose to make two such excursions and that they will cost $150 each for a total cost of $300.
Your Comfort
Don’t forget to take into account your peace of mind and comfort. Unless you’re a road warrior, most people would not enjoy a 6 or 7 day cross country driving trip. Additionally, take into account the wear and tear on your vehicle that you’ll be saving as well.
Conclusion
Excluding the intangible costs of your comfort the total cost for driving is already over $1,800 for a family of 3 and over $1,500 for an individual. This total is already significantly more than the cost of shipping your vehicle with a reliable Auto Transport Company.
Here are some other resources from Total Car Shipping that you may find helpful:
Posted on Wed, Jan 26, 2011
We often get asked about car shipping insurance. Most of the questions are simple and straight forward like "will my car be covered?". The answer is absolutely. However, a little more knowledge will help fully understand how car shipping insurance works.
The Good:
Every Car Hauler company is required to carry insurance in order to maintain their license and the minimum requirements for this insurance generally easily covers most car's full blue book value or even the cost of a new vehicle.
Gratefully, damage to a vehicle during auto transport is fairly infrequent. Still it does happen. The most common type of damage is to the vehicle's exterior, in the form of major dents and scratches and an occasional broken mirror or window.
This type of damage is fully covered by the Car Haulers insurance and in almost all cases the customer will be fully reimbursed for the cost of repair.
The Bad:
Like all insurance certain exclusions apply. For example, most homeowner insurance policies exclude flood and earthquake damage. The same holds true for Car Shipping Insurance. Because each Car Hauler maintains their own insurance policy the exclusions are different for each Car Hauler. However there are general themes. Here is a list of common exclusions that most Car Hauler Insurance policies have.
Common Exclusions:
1.) Not on the Bill of Lading:
Virtually all Car Hauler insurance policies exclude all damage not noted on the Bill of Lading. This is the single most important exclusion that a customer of Auto Transport needs to understand. If there is damage to your vehicle it must be identified at the time of delivery and noted on the Bill of Lading and signed by the driver. If not it will be an uphill battle to obtain coverage for your damage.
2.) Acts of God:
These are generally characterized as weather related damage. For example your car is damaged in a hail storm.
(I've always wondered why God gets the credit for all these "bad" events. Isn't He also responsible for the beauty and plenty all around us. A tangent for sure - sorry)
3.) Road Hazards:
Many Car Hauler insurance policies exclude what is define as road hazard damage. This class of damage often includes rock chips, grease, tar, and oil damage that is common to simply being on the open road.
4.) Personal Items:
Virtually no Car Hauler insurance policy will cover personal items left in the vehicle during a transport.
5.) Mechanical Damage:
It is uncommon for a Car Hauler to cause mechanical damage and this type of damage is frequently excluded. Mechanical damage generally relates to the engine or transmission or other operating systems of the vehicle.
The Ugly:
If you understand how Car Shipping Insurance works and you take some simple precautionary measures there really isn't anything ugly about it. However, like most things the key is understanding the product's capabilities and limitations.
Posted on Mon, Jan 24, 2011
The cost of auto transport is determined by 3 major variables.
- The vehicle you are transporting. Large heavy vehicles cost more, while small lighter vehicles cost less. Also vehicles with modifications like large tires, lift kits, luggage racks, extra fuel tanks etc... may increase the cost of transporting your particular vehicle.
- The route of your transport. The old real estate adage "location, location, location" is very applicable to the auto transport industry. Locations or routes as we call them make up a large part of the cost of a transport. The lowest cost routes will be those with easy access to a major freeway, have easy access for the driver and his 75 to 80 ft long / 14 ft high truck, have low toll costs, and have a good supply of other vehicles for the driver to load before continuing his route.
So routes with a remote pickup or delivery location will cost more. Routes that have no direct major freeway linkage will cost more. Routes that are in high demand will also cost more. Routes that go into highly congested areas like city centers or that require the driver to pay expensive tolls will also cost more.
- The timing of your transport. The more time and the more flexible you can be about your dates the lower your costs can be. Conversely, if you have tight time constraints it will be much more difficult to find you a driver that can accommodate your constraints and generally this will increase your costs.
Auto transport prices can change very fast. Often they can change 10 to 20% in a matter of a few days. This is all driven by the volatile supply and demand forces at operation in the industry.
Check out these other resources from Total Car Shipping:
Posted on Sat, Jan 22, 2011
The BEST Reasons to use Enclosed Car Shipping
First off, I have to admit I love enclosed car shipping. So, I'm a bit biased in my perspective. Still, if I'm going to have my car transported, then I'm going to use enclosed car shipping.
Enclosed car shipping does cost more than open car shipping and because there are fewer enclosed car shipping trucks, it can sometimes take longer to get an enclosed car shipper to transport your car. Still, here is why I so highly prefer enclosed car shipping:
1.) My car is protected the entire trip from the weather and road hazzards. It will arrive just as clean as it was when it was picked-up.
2.) It is shut away from searching eyes while traveling accross the country and is much less likley to be vandalized.
3.) The drivers of enclosed car shipping rigs are simply the best in the industry and know how to care for your car.
4.) Enclosed car shipper's generally carry better auto transport insurance. So, in the unlikley event that there is a problem, there is a better chance of a favorable outcome.
In short, I really like the peace of mind that enclosed car shipping offers for a marginal increase in cost.
So there you have it; my top reasons for perferring enclosed car shipping.
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Other resources from Total Car Shipping related to enclosed car shipping or that you might find interesting:
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Posted on Mon, Jan 17, 2011
6 Things to Look for in a Boat Transport Company
There are many ways of transporting a small boat and many companies that can provide the service. Here are several items to investigate before you select your boat transport company.
- Is the company fully licensed and insured? A Boat Transport Company is required to be licensed by the Department of transportation. They are also required to maintain insurance . You can confirm the companies license and insurance by going to the safer www.safersys.org website and searching on the company's name, DOT# or MC #.
- Is the company really a boat transport company or do they just do boat transport boat transport as a sideline? Investigate the company's services. Do they do boat transport regularly or infrequently? Do they understand what it takes to move a boat safely and reliably?
- Is the company accredited with the BBB? Check the company out on the Better Business Bureau. Do they have a good reputation. Do they resolve their customer's complaints?
- Is the price right? We recommend that you get quotes from several companies. Don't take the lowest quote. Don't take the highest quote. Instead choose one in the middle. Generally, the best companies will give you a competitive quote that reflects the real cost of completing your move but won't over price the work either. Lower quality companies will under quote the work to try and get your business.
- Does the Company require an upfront deposit? Don't go with a company that requires an upfront deposit. It is not necessary and could cost you. Instead pay for the service as it is being delivered or once it has been delivered.
- Can you pay for your service by credit card? Paying by credit cvard gives you the most protection should something go wrong with the service.
With a little homework you can do a lot to ensue that your boat transport company is a reputable company that will do a good job. Be an informed consumer. You'll be glad that you do.
Other resources from Total Car Shipping that might be of interest:
Tags: boat transport, boat transport company, boat transporter, boat transporters