It is a common thing in today’s world to have a reason to engage in car shipping activities. You probably have friends or relatives abroad that you want to send a car, or you are probably parking out of the country and need to carry your precious car along. By one way or the other, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to ship a car, here are some tips that would help you achieve just that.
1. Do Your Research
When you want to ship a car, it is certain that you already have a shipping company in mind. You probably heard of them through a friend, a colleague, or some random advert. However, if you have no company in mind already, you can start looking for any shipping company around you. Make a list of about five shipping companies, and start your primary assignment. You want a reliable and trustworthy company to ship your car. But how do you know which of those companies in your list have all the qualities of a good shipping company? You have to make research both online and offline. Join shipping forums and communities to see what members are saying about these companies. Ask people around you if they know anything about them. Find out the good and the bad. Then you can weigh your options and know if any of this company is good enough to ship your car.
2. Check To See If Your Hauler Is Insured
By now, you must have fished out the best shipping company out of your list, and you can say; oh! What an efficient service they got. But you do not want to be in a hurry to hire them. First, find out what will occur if any mishap happens to take place. You probably have your car insured already, but it is important to know that the agreement you signed with your insurance company might not cover shipping your car to another country. Therefore, it is a vital step to ask your chosen shipping company of a copy of their insurance agreement so you can see how covered your car is while it is in their ship. This will help you know if you can recover for any loss that will happen if it ever happens.
3. Ask Questions, Ask Again, And Repeat
Yes, you need to ask questions. Car shipping isn’t something to joke with. You need to make sure you are doing the right thing, taking the right step and dealing with the right people. If it wouldn’t look stupid asking everybody on the street how well they know the company you have chosen, I would have told you to do so. But let’s be civilized. Approach the shipping company themselves, and ask them all the questions you have. Ask them about the cost of shipping, how long it will take to ship and many other questions. Make sure you are cleared and you understand everything they say perfectly. Brainstorm question to ask and if by any means you notice any unwillingness in them to answer your question, it could be that it is time to go back to step one, and start your search for another shipping company. Think of this. If a shipping company is reluctant to attend to your questions even before you hire them, then how well will they attend to them when you have hired them and your car is in their possession. They might not even give you any update during shipment.
4. Get Your Vehicle Ready
Once you are sure the shipping company is perfect for you, you can now prepare your vehicle for its journey. Call in your mechanic for the regular maintenance. Change all vehicle fluid, and leave the gas tank quarter filled only. Be sure to remove all personal belongings. Make sure the vehicle is clean as you would need to take pictures to take note of present damages and scratch.
5. Book Fast
You can now book a space. If you want your car to arrive at its destination early, it is important to book early as there are so many people that are also looking to ship their car which means the faster you book, the faster it gets to your turn.
6. Make Arrangements For Pick Up
If you are shipping a car across the country, then it is probably impossible to be on-site for pickup. However, it is possible to appoint someone to represent you. After all, you are sending the car someone. This person should go for the pickup. You would need to send the pictures you took earlier to this person so he can inspect the vehicle and sign the necessary documents. You can also arrange for delivery. This way, the vehicle would be delivered to the designated address, and payment would be made for this.
