Why Accurate Car Shipping Information is Important
When you ship a car, you’re going to need to give your shipper some information. More specifically, car shipping information – information that is crucial to your shipment. Every shipping company will ask for the same basic information – pickup and delivery addresses, for instance. The year, make and model of the vehicle. If the vehicle has any modifications or non-stock items on or in it. And, of course, contact information for the people at the pickup and delivery locations.
This information – all of it – has to be accurate. If it’s not, problems can arise when you are shipping a vehicle, problems that may not be easily solved. Accurate information allows for faster and easier pickups and deliveries, for starters. It allows carriers confidence to be able to get to your pickup and delivery locations without having to wait to reach you for some piece of information they need.
Most importantly, it just makes things smooth for you, for your shipper, and for the carrier. And mostly for you, because we won’t have to keep contacting you for additional information or details. This will allow you to go about your daily life without having to worry about your car shipment. Keep reading to learn more about why accurate car shipping is important.
Article Overview
What car shipping information is needed
Getting quotes is different from booking an order. When you get a quote, you typically just need the pickup and delivery locations, as well as the year, make, and model of the vehicle. But when you actually book your shipment, you’re going to need to give a bit more information.
To start, we’ll need addresses. Any shipper will need addresses. They tell the carrier where they need to go, for starters. They also can let carriers know where they can’t go – i.e., urban downtown areas, or tightly-packed cul-de-sacs.
Your pickup and delivery addresses are not given to anyone until your order is dispatched. This is common, and is done for security purposes. However, they can tell your agent about your pickup and delivery locations – i.e., residence, business, etc. And your agent can then inform carriers of those locations, so they can determine whether they can actually get it.
Addresses are very important, but so is the year, make, and model of your vehicle. We’ll discuss this more a bit later, but for now, you should know that that information is crucial because it tells the carrier what you’re shipping. Some vehicles may not be able to be moved by some carriers for whatever reason. Knowing what you’re shipping will not only allow us to give more accurate quotes, but it’ll help us find carriers more quickly.
More on why addresses are so important
Addresses are crucial because they inform us of where you’re shipping from and to. And while that may seem obvious, in our experience, it’s actually not. Most people understand that addresses are important because they tell the carrier where they need to go. But sometimes, you just don’t have an address to give! Sometimes, you don’t know. And while that is understandable, it’s also not really an excuse. We need the addresses of the pickup and the delivery locations.
As we mentioned above, we don’t share your pickup or delivery addresses with anyone until your vehicle is assigned a driver. This is for security reasons more than anything. But we still do need them because we need to be able to explain the location to the drivers.
Many times when drivers call about available loads, or we call companies we trust to see if they can take your vehicle, they ask about the pickup and delivery locations. Are they private residences or are they businesses? If they’re businesses, addresses are important because it allows us to do a search for their hours and location. We can then scout the location for the carrier to ensure they can actually get there.
Remember, your vehicle is most likely going to be shipped on a ten-car hauler. They are large trucks that can’t fit in certain areas. As we mentioned, urban areas are a big one. Carriers won’t fit on those tightly-packed downtown streets.
Let’s talk about your vehicle
Accurate vehicle information is another crucial part of a successful and hassle-free car transport experience. Most vehicles that we ship are standard daily drivers – think Toyota Corollas and Ford Fusions. These are typical, run-of-the-mill cars that you see on the road every single day. When it comes to those kinds of vehicles, really, we only need the year, make and model.
But there are also many, many vehicles out there that aren’t your run-of-the-mill kind of cars. In this we’re talking pickup trucks, SUV’s, cargo vans – the ones that are big and the ones that can vary in their size as well.
A Ford F-150 is not the same size as a Ford F-350. A Ram 1500 is different than a Ram 2500. A Chevrolet Safari is going to be different from a Chevrolet Express Cargo. These differences may seem readily apparent to some, but is completely missed by others, unfortunately. But when it comes to shipping one, we need to know.
Is your vehicle modified in any way? If so, we need to know. This is especially true if it’s been lifted or extended. We need to know the submodel too – is it an F-250 or an F-450? Is it a Super Duty? What about an extended cab? All of these details, and more, are going to impact the price you pay and the carriers that are able to move your vehicle.
Make sure that you give as much detail and information about your vehicle to your agent as possible. If there is anything that could make the shipment more difficult than a standard load-drive-unload scenario, you need to tell us. It will ensure that we get the right carrier for your needs and that your shipment goes off without any problems.
Did you buy it from an auction?
Auto auctions are really popular. They’re getting even more popular with the rise of online car buying, and the whole COVID-19 pandemic. Buying cars online is a great way to get a new (to you) car at a great price, or to get a good fixer-upper or project car you want to work on. And auctions are a great way to get them for even cheaper than you normally could.
But here’s the thing with auctions – if you’re buying a car from one, it’ll need to be shipped. And if you’re going to ship it, you have to make sure that you give your shipper all the relevant information about the vehicle.
When you buy from an auction, you’ll have to let us know the condition of the vehicle. This is perhaps the one you have the least control over, but we still need to know as much as possible. Is it running? Does it have any body damage that could prevent the vehicle from being driven? What about the tires, are they inflated properly?
These are just some of the things we need to know. With auctions, that’s a little trickier to ascertain because you’re essentially buying sight-unseen. But any information you’ve been given about your purchase needs to be relayed to us.
Not only that, but we will also need the lot number and the buyer number. Carriers cannot pick up from auctions without it. Different auctions use different terminology, but they’re all the same things: the physical lot number that the vehicle is on, and the number associated with the winning bid. Auctions won’t release any vehicle to a carrier without confirming that they have the correct lot and buyer number. This is to ensure that your vehicle isn’t shipped to someone else!
I got 99 problems but my car ain’t one…
Overall, we just want to make sure that your vehicle is shipped without issue and without incident. The more we know about where you’re shipping from and to and what you’re shipping, the more easily we can do that.
We can transport vehicles in just about any condition. We just need to know about it first. Whether it’s pristine and needs an enclosed trailer, or it’s beat to all get-out and you need a flatbed because it doesn’t really roll all that well, we can do it! But we need to know about it first, lest we end up sending the wrong carriers out to you.
And that’s really the thing. If you aren’t upfront about your vehicle’s condition, or the pickup and delivery locations, mistakes are bound to happen. Carriers get dispatched that can’t move your vehicle, which can result in dry run fees and additional expenses. We want to avoid those. You want to avoid those. So help us help you, and just make sure you’re honest with us about your shipment.
Get the most out of your shipment with American Auto Shipping
If you’re interested in shipping a vehicle, we can help! Just take a minute to fill out our free online auto transport quote request form. It’s completely free, takes only a minute, and gets you an instant, accurate transport quote immediately! From there, you can book your shipment right on our website, or give us a call to speak to an agent. They can answer your questions, give you advice, give a quote, book your shipment, and more.
If you know your vehicle is not in perfect condition, or there are stipulations you’d need us to abide by when moving it, give us a call. Our number is toll-free and we are open seven days a week to help our customers. So no matter what you’re shipping, the condition it’s in, when it needs to move, or anything else, we can help you get it done.
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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