How to Ship a Car

You might not realize it, but you can indeed ship a car from one place to another. How you ship a car depends on many factors, including what car it is, how far it is being shipped and the reason you want to have it shipped. Very often, the types of cars that will be shipped are cars that are worth lots of money, such as classic cars or certain luxury cars.

There are several steps in being ready to ship a car. First of all, you need to do some research about the companies that will ship your car. There are many different companies that specialize in shipping cars and some even specialize in shipping certain makes and models of cars. Try to pick three or four companies that are willing to ship your car and investigate them further. Check the better business bureau and ask each company for recommendation from car owners that they have shipped for previously.

When you call to schedule the shipper to ship your car, you want to make sure you call plenty of time ahead. If possible, you should make plans to ship your car at least two weeks before you have to move it. You will also want to ask what kind of insurance the company has on the cars that are being shipped and find out if there is a deductible on that insurance.

On the day that you are going to ship your car, you will want to very carefully watch the mover. You want to make sure the mover fills out a bill of lading. The bill of lading should include the condition of your car at the time of its being shipped and you will be asked to sign that form. Make sure that there aren't any notations about dents or scratches that don't exist. You will also want to be ready with your payment when your mover comes to ship your car.

Keep in mind that the truck that the mover will use to ship you car is going to be around 75 feet in length. It might not be possible for the driver to get that truck into smaller driveways or into an apartment complex for example. Some residential areas may have low hanging wires or trees that could get in the way of a large truck like that. Make sure you check things like this ahead of time and communicate with the company that is going to ship your car in case you need to pick another location to drop off your car for them to ship.

Make sure that you remove everything that belongs to you from the car before you ship the car. Anything inside the car is not likely to be covered by the shipper's insurance.

Finally, understand that when you ship a car, your car may not be covered by your own insurance company. Again, you'll want to be aware of what insurance the moving company has on your car when you ship it so that you can avoid any monetary losses that might occur during the process of shipping your car.