Automobile Transportation Tips

One of the things to consider when you are moving house is the automobile transport. This is important, especially if you are moving to far distances and are not going to drive down in your car.

There are specialized automobile transport services which help you with your automobile transport. They usually pick up your car and then deliver it at the new address. These services usually employ different methods of automobile transport.

These are transport trailers which are normally used to haul about 8 to 10 cars at a time across various distances. Normally, these trailers are about 14 feet high and 80 feet long. As such, this is the least expensive option to use.

However, since these trailers are open, your car will be exposed to the elements. Also, since they transport quite a few cars at a single time, you may have to wait till the auto transport company gets those many cars to be transported in the same general destination direction or location as yours.

Also, because of their length, these trailers can only travel on roads that support their weight and cannot take tight turns that easily.

This is similar to the transport trailers mentioned above, but they are enclosed. Usually, rare and expensive cars are transported using this method. This way the car is not exposed to the elements while transportation.

It is therefore, considered to be a safe and secure method of automobile transportation. However, the downside is that this method is quite expensive.

This third alternative uses any one of the above mentioned methods, but instead of an automobile transport service, you are the one who is doing the hauling around. Therefore, if you have not driven a trailer before, you should be careful.

Ask for hints and try and test drive the trailer before you embark on your journey. In this case you may be renting the trailer from a company, so make sure all their terms and conditions are fully understood by you.

Once you have figured out which mode of transport suits you the best, there are some other things that you must know. These tips will guide you through the rest of the intricacies of transporting your car:

As mentioned before, the auto transport company will often need to have several cars being moved in the same direction or location as yours. So you may need to give them at least 4 weeks advance time period for the movement of your car.

• Make sure that your car is insured properly by the auto transport service. Usually the movers will also check the car beforehand for any scratches, dents, etc., and make a note of it on the bill of lading.

• Also make sure that you have insured your car properly for damage and theft.
  
  
• Before giving your car away for transportation, make sure it is washed and cleaned properly, so that you are aware of any scratches and dents, etc.

• Remove all your personal items from the car before it is moved away. If there are any spare tires and such stuff in the car, make sure it is tied down properly.

• Make sure that you have approximate delivery times for the car from the service. Usually, it takes about 8 to 10 days, but it may take more time depending upon the distance to be traversed.

• In case you may not be there at home when the pick up or drop of the car is happening, ensure that you have authorized someone else (like a family member or a neighbor) to do so.

• Another important tip is to work out the costs between you and the auto transport service. Some services may need an advance payment, while some will accept your payment upon delivery. Others may need a deposit which will be adjusted against the final bill. Make sure the terms and conditions are properly understood by you.

• When your car is received by you, inspect it properly to ensure that it is in the same condition as when the service picked it up from you. Check for changes in mileage and definitely look at the roof and under the car for any discrepancies.

• Keep all the documentation of this process with you because if any disputes arise, these documents will help you.

All said and done, make sure that you take care of these small things, and the big things will take care of themselves.