Motorcycle Shipping Companies: What They Are
When you’re looking for motorcycle shipping companies, you’re looking for shipping companies that specialize in shipping motorcycles. And we don’t blame you – that’s what we’d do too. But while you’re probably finding plenty of auto transport companies, not a lot of them ship just motorcycles, and therefore don’t fall under your definition of motorcycle shipping companies.
And that is why we are writing this article: to let you know that not all motorcycle shipping companies do just motorcycles. They often ship cars, trucks, SUV’s, cargo vans, utility trucks, and a lot more, in addition to motorcycles.
And we also want you to know that these companies can ship a motorcycle just as easily as motorcycle shipping companies that just ship bikes – and probably for a lot less, because they have income from many different shipments, not just motorcycles.
Motorcycle Shipping Companies: What They Do For You
If you’re searching motorcycle shipping companies in Google, chances are this is your first time shipping your chopper – and that’s just fine, we love educating newcomers. It’s part of what we do.
Motorcycle shippers usually don’t just ship motorcycles, but when they do ship them they use a specialized motorcycle transport crate because it’s hard to secure a motorcycle on an open transport truck designed for vehicles with four wheels. It’s actually cheaper, despite the fact that you’ll probably need to buy the crate, and it’s also a lot safer to put your bike in said crate as opposed to just tying it down; especially if your motorcycle is custom-built or else really, really shiny.
Your motorcycle will, of course, be fully insured by the carrier’s own insurance during the entire transport, and as insurance fees will be included in your overall price you won’t need to worry about paying additional money above the price you were quoted.
Motorcycle Shipping Companies: What To Watch Out For
Reputable motorcycle shipping companies will go through a specific process when shipping your motorcycle. For starters, you should always do an inspection of the vehicle prior to pickup and note any existing damage with your carrier. This is important for insurance purposes.
While many motorcycle shipping companies will simply walk your motorcycle up a ramp before assembling the crate around it, some will use lift-gates, which are technically safer but can be more expensive. This comes down to personal preference; if you think your motorcycle shipper might drop your bike, maybe you should do it yourself or request a truck with a lift-gate prior to booking your shipment.
Upon delivery, you should inspect your bike again, despite the fact that it’s been crated the entire trip – you never know what might happen, and while a driver going all Ferris Bueller on it is incredibly illegal and probably jail-time worthy, we actually have had reports of drivers doing just that.
Those motorcycle shipping companies, however, are always rated pretty poorly, and we make sure to only work with top-rated, reputable and reliable carriers. To get a quote to ship your motorcycle, take a minute to fill out our free quote form. You can also get a free quote over the phone by calling us any time. Our agents can give you a quote, answer questions, and even book your shipment if you’re ready to take that step.
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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