Auto Shipping FAQ: How Far in Advance Should I Book?
When shipping a vehicle, time is a rather important factor that too many customers do not give themselves enough of. Transporting a vehicle is much more time-consuming than simply driving your vehicle yourself that same distance, and there are several different reasons as to why.
The main one is that auto transport carriers have to pickup up and deliver other vehicles than yours on their travels. You spend a lot of time waiting on your shippers to do things when you book your shipment, and all these need to factor into the planning you do when shipping a vehicle, as these factors can affect when the best time to book your shipment will be.
If you know you’re going to have to ship a vehicle but you’re not sure exactly when, get quotes now. More than one – try to get anywhere from 8-12 different price quotes from different transporters. You should do this regardless of how much time you have to book your shipment, of course, but it’s really useful if you know you have to ship a few weeks or a month down the line.
Getting those quotes will give you the extra time you need, and once you have them you can book your order with one of those shippers at any time. When you book is important, too, but if you’re unsure of when exactly you need to ship your vehicle you should jump on it right away – the more time you give yourself, the better your shipping experience will be.
But what if you have to ship your vehicle next week? The answer? Book now. Today. If you have to ship by the end of this week or next week, you need to book your order as soon as possible. You need to understand that there’s going to be a waiting period after you book, usually 4-7 days, before your vehicle will actually be loaded onto the carrier.
Of course, then there’s the transit time – auto shippers average about 300-400 miles per day, so you can do the math there, but it’s more important that you book as soon as possible if you need your vehicle picked up within a week or two.
If you’re shipping to or from smaller cities or towns, especially those that are 50+ miles away from a major city, you may want to give yourself an additional week, and maybe budget a bit over the quotes that you get, because small cities and towns are not popular shipping locations for carriers and they tend to bypass loads out of there for more lucrative ones in bigger areas.
This is a big reason why shipments to or from smaller, less-populated areas tend to be more expensive; car transporters need incentive to alter their routes and go off the beaten path, especially if you’re the only one they’re doing it for.
If you need to ship out of a smaller area and need it picked up ASAP, it’s going to cost more, so if you’re not planning on shipping for two or three weeks you should get your shipment booked now.
If you don’t know where to go or who to talk to about shipping your vehicle, fill out our free online auto transport quote request form. If you do, you’ll get a free quote built to move when you need it moved. No matter what you’re shipping, we can help you get ti hauled at a great rate when you need it. You can also give us a call at 800-930-7417 to speak to one of our live agents, or fill out our free form yourself to see what American Auto Shipping can do for you.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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