Shipping a vehicle can take a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the distance and shipping routes. The season, moving company’s availability, vehicle type, trailer conditions, and mover’s process all affect shipping timelines. Here’s how shipping a vehicle with car movers looks like and an overview of key factors that affect the timeline:
The Car Shipping Timeline
Auto movers have initial transport booking and paperwork that involves discussing your needs with the hauler and providing shipment parameters. Car movers also discuss the pickup timeframe, inspection requirements, and pre-existing flaws to the vehicle. After the initial booking and paperwork, your mover schedules inspection and vehicle pickup.
After inspection and contract signing, your vehicle is loaded onto the transport trailer. The next step is the actual overland transportation from pickup to hand-off locations. The time for this step depends on distance and routes. Your mover may stop several times to load more cars onto the carrier if they’re shipping multiple vehicles, or they may go straight to the location. Another inspection is done once the vehicle arrives at the final destination. The shipper signs proof of delivery and offloads the vehicle from the carrier.
Factors Affecting the Shipping Timeline
Longer distances involving crossing state boundaries take longer than those with shorter distances between drop-off and pickup. Shipping a vehicle over thousands of miles may require more stops and mid-transit trailer inspections. Auto movers offer terminal-to-terminal transport, while others offer door-to-door delivery. Terminal-to-terminal transport involves picking up and dropping your car at specified locations. Door-to-door delivery picks up and drops off your vehicle wherever you are, which is convenient but can result in longer timelines.
Shipping a car to a remote rural town could require longer timelines than deliveries to metropolitan areas near major interstate roads. Traffic and driving conditions also influence your shipping timeline. Transporting a car during winter is more difficult because of the slippery roads, fog, and harsh weather conditions. Navigating through snow, harsh weather, and heavy traffic takes longer. Heavy, oversized, or luxury vehicles also require specific carriers to protect them. Other factors that affect your shipping timeline include mechanical issues and the number of cars being shipped.
Car Shipping Timeline Optimization
There are several ways you can make it easier for your car to be transported to you sooner. While circumstances like weather, construction, or breakdowns can’t be controlled, there are still ways to expedite the process.
- Pick metro region transport hubs instead of remote or rural destinations to optimize your shipping schedule. This may cut down on costs and shorten the time it will take to ship your vehicle.
- If you want your car to arrive concealed, opt for enclosed shipping for the final leg of the journey and open transport for the freeway portions. These options help keep your vehicles safe on the road as they travel.
- Ship your car during off-peak days when road freight companies have less demand. Your shipping company may list dates to help you decide the best time.
- Avoid shipping around national holidays and school opening or closing dates when the roads are busy.
- Provide detailed information about your car to help the hauler estimate lead times before you commit to the service. This will help them decide which shipping option is ideal for your vehicle.
- Book your shipping services a couple of weeks before your ideal delivery date.
Car Movers You Can Trust
Auto movers can determine the timeline of shipping your vehicle once you provide details of the car and locations. Choose experienced movers with well-maintained trailers, open and closed shipping carriers, trustworthy drivers, and discounted rates. Contact car movers you can trust to learn more about vehicle shipping timelines.
