One wrong decision before shipping your car can cost you hundreds of dollars, or leave your vehicle stuck, delayed, or damaged. Many people assume car shipping is simple, but hidden errors occur before the car even gets picked up. In this detailed article we will explain the most costly car shipping mistakes to avoid when you are moving a car across the states. Those mistakes could be not comparing quotations, not preparing the vehicle, incomplete documentation, booking during the wrong season, and waiting for last minute reservations.
Here is a list of state to state car shipping tips or mistakes that you must not do at all.
When you need a car shipping quote, contacting a single car transport company can bring a possibility of scam or price baiting, overpricing, and hidden charges that may surprise you later.
Therefore, you must research car shipping companies in your city; ask your friend, check online resources, and business pages. Choose a carrier with a high rating and positive comments.
Now, either call a few of those carriers, or go to their website and use their online Car Shipping Cost Calculator tool to generate quotations based on your details like car make, model, pickup and delivery locations.
Check each quotation in detail and take notes if you notice any anomaly like over charging, hidden charges, or a quotation with extremely low cost. Find a general average, and then check who’s services are better with affordable prices. In this way, you protect yourself from common auto transport mistakes that could result in a permanent loss while shipping or otherwise.
Not preparing your vehicle means you want to lose your precious car and anything that is inside it. Most car owners leave their personal items inside the car, don’t bother emptying the fuel tank, or don’t clean the car. All of these mistakes will create tension when you receive your car.
So when you ship car to another state, on the way it is exposed to elements, debris, and can have minor or major scratches during transit. If you have not cleaned your car thoroughly, they cannot record its original condition, so after getting scratches you will not be able to prove the post delivery damages. Therefore, always wash your car inside out to see everything on it clearly.
Another important mistake people make is keep the fuel tank full. Keeping the tank full can result in explosion, your car catching fire, or increasing total weight. Transport companies only suggest filling the tank to a quarter portion, so the driver can move it while loading and unloading. Ignoring this point will jeopardize yours and other people's vehicles.
If you don’t do your homework which is detailed research on carriers and then proper planning, you will face trouble during your entire shipping experience.
When you choose a carrier to ship car to another state, verifying the company’s legal status, insurance details, experience and expertise in car shipping, and portfolio is of utmost importance. Without doing these you should not ship a car, driving would be a better option instead.
So go to the FMCSA website and check the carrier's registration and insurance first. If they pass the legal test, try to check if they have a 5-10 year experience in a specific route, and how they handle vehicles on that route.
Further you can check their different projects like luxury, vintage, heavy, and corporate movement portfolio, if it matches with your need, go ahead.
Finally, verify their services through B2B websites like BBB where clients give them honest reviews, if you get positive vibes, make a booking then.
Most issues arise due to lack of communication. It is the sign of a professional and reliable auto transporter who develops a relation of trust through clear and transparent communication. You must be wary of your interaction at the start, if a carrier does not respond to your questions instantly, their response is vague and lacks empathy, or you don’t get the answer you want. It is your sign that this company is a red flag, you need to find another.
You should make sure they will continue with the same communication after delivering the car. Sometimes carriers are good at the start; but they start ghosting afterwards.
You need to properly understand matters related to documentation, not batting an eye to this is a crucial car shipping mistake to avoid at all cost.
First is insurance, you need to ask about the details of insurance, what will it cover and what it won’t. They are liable to give you all information. Some carriers allow insurance for minor details, but some don’t. You must know all the details.
Second is missing documentation for shipment like vehicle title, government issued ID, and details of pickup and delivery location. You must provide these documents for smooth shipments. Without this your and the carrier both could land in legal trouble.
Most carriers do not include insurance for the personal items you leave inside your car. It means if anything happens to them such as if they get stolen, or damaged, you cannot hold the company liable for it. Plus, extra items will add up to the total weight of the car increasing the overall shipping cost. So it is wise to remove everything before they come for inspection.
Booking during peak season is a common auto transport mistake. People normally do not plan or anticipate that in peak months like late fall or summer, christmas, and new year days shipment prices go up, carriers face unavailability, and there is congestion on busy routes. If you don’t want to spend extra money, avoid this mistake, or get Expedited Auto Transport services if you cannot wait in peak months.
Opting out of insurance and driving yourself mean the same thing. Because in both cases if there is an accident, you will be the one paying the cost of a bad decision. So insurance is the core of car shipping, there is no other option to this. Because, even if you choose Enclosed Car Shipping Services without insurance, you are still risking the safety of the car.
To record pre-existing damage after the first inspection, you must sign the bill of lading with your vehicle's current condition. If you forget to check it, and anything happens to the car, especially when it is shipped with Open Car Transport, you may not be able to claim coverage. Not recording the car’s condition means you will put your car at risk despite paying a price for the insurance, because when there is no proof that the damage occurred during transit, insurance alone can’t save you.
When you are planning and preparing a car for state to state transport, pushing the reservations to the last minute will cause shipping chaos. You may not find a carrier on schedule, in holiday seasons prices are already high. You will be forced to either wait or pay twice or thrice the normal shipping charges to get your vehicle delivered on time.
To conclude, every car owner must know about these important state to state car shipping tips and mistakes. For smooth and convenient shipping, always compare multiple quotes, prepare the car before inspection, complete the documentation, book early and avoid peak seasons, and always do detailed research and planning before going to any carrier. Following these points will ensure your comfortable car shipping experience.
On average, car shipping costs about 60 to 90 cents per mile for long distances. Short trips normally cost more per mile. Prices also change based on fuel costs, demand, and route availability.
The cost per mile depends on distance, car size, vehicle condition, transport type, time of year, and pickup location. Busy routes cost less, while remote areas and high-demand seasons can increase the price.
To estimate cost per mile, divide the total shipping quote by total miles. For long trips, expect a lower per-mile rate. For short distance trips, the rate is higher because fixed costs stay the same.
Driving may seem cheaper, but fuel, hotels, food, time, and wear on the car add up fast. Shipping often costs more upfront but saves time, reduces mileage, and avoids unexpected travel expenses.
Yes, enclosed transport costs more per mile than open transport. It offers better protection from weather and road debris. This option is often used for luxury, classic, or high-value vehicles.
