Where Have All the Auto Transport Terminals Gone?
Shipping a vehicle is not like ordering fast food; you don’t necessarily get it the way you want it, you usually have to make a compromise here or there, it costs a lot more money, and it takes a lot more time from the day you order your shipment to the day it’s actually completed.
Some people just don’t have that much time to spend waiting around for a carrier – we’re all busy people, after all, and having to sit and wait for hours or days to meet with an auto transporter can be a hassle.
It’s for these reasons that whoever invented the idea of the terminal actually invented them, and for a time they were pretty common; it was easy to drop your vehicle off at a lot, where it would be watched over and protected, waiting patiently to be shipped while you went out and did all the things you need to do.
But those days are long past, and there are several reasons as to why auto transport terminals are going the way of the dodo.
For starters, while it may be cheaper, it’s a lot less safe. Maybe, in a simpler time, it was fine and people didn’t steal from other people (but we’re going to go out on a limb and say this has never happened in the history of mankind), but in today’s world, leaving your vehicle unattended for long periods of time, just for someone you don’t know to pick the vehicle up, load it onto a massive truck, and drive away with it – usually after you’ve paid hundreds if not thousands of dollars for the service – kind of strikes people as a bad idea.
Many customers are not as comfortable with an auto transport terminal when they find out that those facilities of yesteryear are gone, replaced by large, open fields or – if you’re lucky – huge paved, fenced lots that put your vehicle in a spot and let it sit there, sometimes for weeks.
And that’s another thing. Yes, waiting for a carrier to meet you somewhere so you two can meet and sign paperwork is boring and time-consuming, but it’s not a waste of time because you’re personally overseeing the loading or unloading (or both) of your vehicle onto or off of the transport truck.
You’re meeting with your driver, the one person in the world that can protect your vehicle from harm during transport. With a terminal, you don’t get that type of service; you’re not waiting around, and few terminals even have full-time attendants who will wait with your vehicle and sign all the necessary paperwork for you.
Generally, it’s just an open lot that you park your car in and pray for.
All that being said, is it so difficult to see why auto transport terminals are slowly fading out?
There may still be some around – generally in major metropolitan areas and cities – and some people still find use in terminals, mainly those that seriously don’t have the time to wait around for a shipper to show up.
But, the vast majority of customers out there would prefer simple, door-to-door auto transportation services where they can meet the person that’s shipping their vehicle, they can sign off on all the paperwork (after they read it – reading the fine print is always important), and they can actually watch their vehicle being loaded onto or unloaded off of the truck.
This is actually a bigger deal than you’d think – you’d be surprised at how many people are interested in seeing their vehicle get onto or off an auto transport truck.
If you’re interested in a free, no-hassle, door-to-door auto transport quote from a reputable, reliable, five-star rated auto transport company, fill out our free online quote form. You’ll get a free quote directly from us if you do, and you can even book your shipment directly on our website. You can also give us a call at 800-930-7417 to speak to one of our live agents. They can answer questions you have, give friendly advice about the auto shipping industry, help you navigate our website and also help you get your free quote to ship your vehicle. So call or fill out our free online form and 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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