John is a talented business administrator in one of the country’s prominent business consulting companies. As the company launched its plan to expand its business in the market and open new branches across the country, John was nominated to administer one of its new branches in another state.
The news came to him encouraging and promising new opportunities; however, once John started preparing for relocation, challenges for transporting his vehicle across state lines safely and timely unfolded. Here is where he started researching reliable methods to transport cars and realized how much knowledge about state-to-state car shipping he must possess before taking this step.
So, this article came in response to John and all individuals like him facing the same trouble when relocating cars across the country, explaining state-to-state car shipping and addressing crucial shipping aspects they must consider.
Demystifying State to State Car Shipping
Hundreds of brokers, companies, and marketplaces in the United States offer a wide range of options and services for shipping cars from state to state. While each might operate differently, all aim at the same goal: facilitating car shipping for individuals and excelling in the shipping market.
The following is a breakdown of how each of these service providers work and their role in simplifying car shipping processes:
1. Car shipping brokers
Brokers take a significant share of the car shipping industry, almost predominating the American car shipping market. Brokers can be individuals running their businesses independently or a registered company that offers brokerage services at a reasonable fee.
They don’t usually own their fleet of car carriers but rather have connections and a good network of carrier drivers to whom they propose shipping offers and make win-win deals to all parties.
Car shipping brokers facilitate car shipping for individuals by finding a reliable and professional car shipper to ship their cars and bringing them the best shipping offer in the market.
2. Car Shipping Companies
Car shipping companies offer the same services for shipping cars from state to state. They own their shipping fleet and employ specialized shipping staff who work for the company, and they are fewer than brokerage companies. They may also collaborate with independent carrier drivers for such collaborations.
It is worth noting that these companies may not vastly cover clients’ different shipping needs and preferences as they can have a limited fleet and operate in restricted areas. Another area where brokers are found better than private companies is competitive prices. Brokers usually can provide more competitive offers to people shipping their cars because of their large network of drivers. In contrast, car shipping companies don’t always have the same level of pricing flexibility.
3. Car Shipping Marketplaces
A car shipping marketplace is usually a self-service platform that allows people seeking car shipping services to find a spot for their vehicles and close shipping deals with car shippers on their own.
These marketplaces connect car owners with carrier drivers by offering a space for requesting quotes, comparing prices, and booking shipments at individuals’ own pace and convenience.
An example of a car shipping marketplace that operates in the United States is uShip, a popular and one of the largest car shipping marketplaces in the country. Over a million shipments have been completed on this platform, which allows more than 30,000 car transport carriers to display their services.
The Best Practices for State-to-State Car Shipping
Regardless of the method people choose for shipping their cars, they all need to follow healthy practices that contribute to a smooth shipping experience. Car owners must bear many considerations in mind when shipping their vehicles, like finding a reliable car shipper and doing due diligence checking for the company’s reputation and legitimacy.
However, the following are the most crucial practices to follow when shipping cars from state to state:
- Prepare a checklist of the essential factors needed in the car shipping company: The checklist will help car owners know what kind of service they are looking for and simplify researching a reliable car shipper. It can highlight the essential factors the car shipping company must have, such as experience in shipping the same vehicle type and navigating the same shipping routes, besides offering the service type they want, like open or enclosed shipping, express delivery, etc.
- Stay away from car shipping scams: During the process of researching car shipping companies, car owners are likely to find a number of options that can be reliable or scams. It is essential to remember that offers that seem too good to be true or requests like paying the entire shipping cost beforehand using untraceable paying methods are major red flags. Other significant marks that define a car shipping scam are not having an official website, clients not finding customer reviews of the company, or missing MC (Motor Carrier) and DOT numbers.
- Trace the car during shipping through the company’s tracking system: One thing that must be present on the checklist of the ideal car shipping company to ship your car is that it offers tracking services, allowing clients to stay updated about their vehicle shipment status whenever they would like to. Most car shipping companies usually offer GPS-tracking service that comes at an additional fee but allows clients to keep a trace of their vehicles throughout the process.
The Best Company for State to State Car Shipping
The best company for state-to-state car shipping would be one with long experience in the industry, and that has shipped different vehicle types across different parts of the country. After all, experienced car shippers are the best to handle the shipping logistics of any vehicle safely and conveniently.
Tempus Logix is a top-rated car shipping brokerage company on the uShip load board that operates nationwide. The company also ranks among the top car shippers on many third-party reviewing platforms and is experienced in shipping any vehicle type.
Conclusion
There is no need to fret about relocating to a new state and allowing the hassle of moving the cars to spoil the excitement of new opportunities, just like what John did. People relocating cars from state to state primarily need to learn about car shipping, how it works, and the best shipping practices to have a smooth shipping experience.
