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Rather than driving your car long distances yourself, the most sensible and economic way to go is auto shipping, which can save you time, money, wear on your car, and hassle. There are many types of carrier trucks that can carry your car by road, or also shipment by sea, air and rail for vehicles from Mini Coopers to Ford Explorers, motorcycles, vintage, classic, and sports cars.
The term “auto shipping” naturally implies that your car will be delivered to the specified destination whole and on time (rather than gradually and in parts). And surprisingly large numbers of people regularly commit the mistake of taking a company’s dependability for granted. It would certainly be strange for a company slogan to read: “We deliver (most of the time)!” Yet one must just the same realize that it is a trick of language to imply reliability while in fact the company may not be deserving of its name, to say the least. Company names and official titles are platonic ideals: language suggests what function the establishment is supposed to represent in principle, but it does not attest to its actual performance in the field down on Earth. Hence, it is inadvisable to go with just any company or to rely on the company to perform impeccably no matter what.
Keep in mind, also that most auto shipping companies are small, independent operations distributed over most large countries by the thousands. They probably own just a few trucks.
The most basic factors of time and money should be your first consideration when looking for a dependable shipping company. If you give the shipper a flexible timeline, the price will be less than if make a specific time demand, and you will have a better chance at dependability of performance. Prices go up the more you are pressed for time.
The deal is generally set up with either a broker or a single carrier itself. You will find that some enterprising shipping company’s now act as their own brokers. This being true, make sure that you know that you are dealing with the carrier that also brokers for himself and not a carrier that brokers it out to some unknown company..
Before signing a contract, there are two absolute musts for you to remember to do. First, make sure the carrier shows you a valid MC license and second, request a copy of their Insurance Certificate. You will then contact the insurance company to ask about the terms of this specific policy, what it covers and what it does not cover. A good, reliable auto shipping company will applaud your efforts because they have gone to the trouble to be comfortable enough to give you this information On your end, you want to be absolutely certain that that smokin’ car of yours is guaranteed to be insured all the way to journey’s end.
Do some research on several companies. If there is nothing to research, ditch that company. You want to see a track record. Some good information can be found in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration publication. For one thing, you can check to be sure that the carrier you are dealing with directly is not one of those clandestine broker/carrier companies, but actually does the transporting themselves.
It is, of course, not a silly notion at all to put all this work into a broker’s capable hands and let him do the research and select a few reliable companies from which you can choose. A broker can get information that possibly you cannot and that may just give you the warm, secure feeling that your car will wind up where its supposed to be after a reasonable period of time and all in one piece.
Visit JMN Logistics for more information on Car Shipping or follow JMN Logistics on their blog.
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Tags: auto, auto shipping, auto transport, automotive, autos, business, car, cars, logistics, shipping, trucks
