Moving the vehicles that your family owns to a new home can be quite a challenge. If you’re already hiring a moving truck or plan to fly with your children, shipping your vehicle to your new location may be the simplest option. Getting the best price means you will need to review the shipping costs of all of your possessions as well as your vehicles.
Why Are You Shipping Your Vehicle?
If you’re moving, the right family vehicle can be put to better use as a people and product transport tool. While using a motorcycle shipping service may be more effective for your two-wheeled vehicle, the family minivan or SUV can carry kids and suitcases. Another family car can carry delicate electronics or art pieces while the truck can follow on with the large pieces.
Often, people need to ship a vehicle because they have a limited number of licensed drivers to move all the family cars.
Be aware that you can hire a licensed, bonded driver to drive your car across the country. If you’re on the ragged edge of needing a bigger, more expensive moving truck but have two SUVs, it may be more cost-effective to load up one of the larger vehicles with your possessions and pay someone to drive it across the country. Do be aware that you will also be responsible for expenses, such as a hotel room and meals.
Where Are You Going?
Of course, if you’re moving over water, your shipping needs will drastically change. Before a move to Hawaii or other points further over the sea, take the time to get your vehicle fully checked out. Shipping requirements can include making sure they leak no fluids. If you have an older car that will be pricey to repair, it may make more sense to sell it and replace it when you get to your destination.
Do be aware that most car shipping companies require you to empty the vehicle and drive down the gas tank before you load them up. The spare in the trunk is acceptable; there are even a few shipping options that will allow you to ship a suitcase in the trunk. However, a clean, drip-free and mostly empty car is generally the rule for moving a vehicle on a transport ship.
Power and Mobility
If you have a car that is not working or moving right now, your shipping options may be limited. While most car shipping companies can crate your vehicle, you do need to be able to drive it into the box or onto the deck before disconnecting any power sources.
Again, an unusable car or one in poor repair may not be the best item to ship over the sea or across the country. If you really have to have that classic delivered to your retirement dream home so you can finally work on it, it may make more sense to tow it behind a moving truck or a large rental van. If you’ve never driven such a large vehicle before or towed anything, consider hiring a driver to simplify the process.
Insurance Concerns
Car shippers must carry insurance. If you know that your car works and will be driven on and off the truck, rail car, or boat, it’s a good idea to carry replacement insurance until your car arrives at your new door. Over-insurance may cost a bit more, but if something goes wrong, it can cost much less than under-insurance.
Do carefully review all paperwork that comes with your rental contract before you sign. What you think of as coverage may be very different from what the shipper actually covers. Talk to your current insurance provider to confirm that your vehicle coverage will extend to the point that the shipper takes over. If this is your only vehicle, a rare or vintage item, or a new car that isn’t fully paid for, consider getting any extra coverage the shipper offers just to be sure.
You may need to change your insurance agent if you’re moving to a new state; if you’re moving to a new country, regulations may be entirely different. If you have the room within your budget and are shipping over a large body of water, carefully consider what day your vehicle will cross borders and find out if you can start and stop insurance on those days or if there will be any extra charge to do so.
Timing Your Move
Car shippers have to follow the schedules of their transport base. If you’re getting your car loaded onto a single platform truck and moved by a private driver, you have lots of flexibility. If you need to move your car over the sea in a shipping container, your flexibility will be limited.
Take a look at the gray zones around your move and the move of your vehicle.
You may need to rent a car for a week or two to cover your family’s needs once your car is loaded and on the road, rail or seas. Because those few weeks leading up to moving time can be quite hectic, do make sure that you rent something large enough for your entire clan and any boxes or gear you need to haul. Multiple trips to collect empty boxes is not a quality use of your time and effort.
If you’re headed across the sea or into higher elevations, keep your eye on the weather. Stormy seas may mean a re-routing of your shipping container; one bad snowstorm can close a highway or shut down a freight train route. Stay flexible with your vehicle rental choices and if things really get delayed, consider a one-month lease from a private vehicle owner.
Moving is seldom fun but it is a wonderful time to downsize and declutter. If you have two career cars, an old truck for projects and hauling, and a motorcycle for fun, you may need to sell the truck or even get rid of one car. Carefully consider the lifestyle you plan to enjoy at your destination and ship vehicles accordingly.
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