Just as there are companies that specialize in moving the
contents of one's home from point A to point B, across town or across the
country, there are also companies who specialize in moving motor vehicles in
the same manner.
We have all seen the auto transport semi-trucks that are
used to move cars between Automotive dealerships, and most of
us have had to call upon a tow truck at one time or another. What most people
do not realize is that they have other options.
When someone needs to move a broken car to the mechanic's shop, the towing service is
usually the first service provider the individual will consider. Towing
companies provide a valuable service to their clients, but given the cost of
hooking up a car to the tow truck and moving it across town, an individual will
seldom consider a tow truck service to be an economical means of moving a
vehicle from one city or state to another.
The Challenges Of Moving Vehicles Without Professional Help
When one needs to move a vehicle several hundred miles,
people seek out methods of moving the vehicle that will not require a tow truck
service, due to the high cost of transport.
This writer has moved vehicles twice over three hundred
miles, once by tow strap and once by car trailer hooked up to a pickup truck.
Tow Straps Are Only For Short Distances
There is a very good reason why the packaging with a tow
strap recommends that it should only be used for short moves. The first twenty
miles were okay, and then the decision to move the car on the cheap leads to a
nightmare scenario.
Moving down the freeway at 45 mph, with the lead car only
twenty feet in front of your own requires absolute attention to everything
going on around both vehicles --- remember, the back car provides the braking
system for both vehicles. The need for absolute attention grows more difficult
with every passing mile. When one adds the elements of freeway traffic, rain,
cold, and a lack of power or heat in the back vehicle, the job becomes even
more difficult.
Car Trailers Should Not Be Hooked Up To Just Any Pickup
Truck
The next time out, we rented a tow-hitch package and a tow
trailer to pull behind a pickup truck.
People may be surprised to learn that not all pickup trucks
are equipped to haul trailers. A standard pickup truck package is designed to
haul a few hundred pounds of materials in its bed, but adding a trailer to the
truck is beyond the manufacturer's original design specifications.
Pickup trucks that are designed for towing trailers
generally have a stronger engine, bigger transmission, better cooling systems
--- including oil coolers, and improved braking systems.
The first 125 miles went well, and then the pickup truck
began to overheat, and we were forced to stop every twenty- to thirty-miles to
let the truck cool down. Those last 175 miles required us to adhere to a speed
limit of only 40 mph, and we still had to sweat every mile wondering if the
truck could hold up under the additional weight load. The last 50 miles were
the worst, as we slowed the truck to 30 mph to ensure that we were not going to
destroy our truck in the move.
When one takes the time to consider what might be required
to upgrade their vehicle in order to ensure that it will survive towing another
vehicle, the cost of the expensive tow truck becomes even more attractive.
Fortunately, the standard tow truck service is not the only option available to
consumers.
Moving Home And Family To A New Town
Most people who need to move a vehicle from one destination
to another will be doing so because they are actually moving residences and
work locations.
When moving across the country, it frequently makes more
sense to hire a moving company to handle moving the household goods from one
location to another. In addition, many people would prefer to have a similar
option open to them for moving their family vehicles.
There are many reasons, beyond its low-cost, for which a
family would consider hiring a professional automotive shipping service to help
them move their cars and trucks to a new city.
No matter where one might move to in the United States, if
that move covers a distance of more than 100 miles, then the distance might
include long stretches of barren countryside, perhaps even hills, valleys,
curves, and mountains. If one decides to drive to their new home, he or she
will have to travel these roads they have never driven before, making the
journey more perilous than a trip across town. Within these long stretches of
roadway, local traffic mixes into the equation, making the road even more
dangerous.
When families land in a new town, they will have to find
restaurants and motels to stay the night. Many criminals prey upon people who
seem out-of-place in a location. Travelers stand out in a crowd, and this makes
them especially susceptible to criminals who target the weak.
Many people find an auto transport company to be an
essential element of a safe move from one place to another. For that reason
alone, the cost of the auto shipping can be well justified.
Beyond the safety aspect, many automobile owners would not
want to add the potential wear-and-tear to their vehicles, in order to get
their vehicles to their new home.
Hiring A Private Driver
Some people decide that the most economical way to get a
vehicle across country is to hire a local driver to drive the vehicle to the
new destination. On the surface, this seems a logical option, but when the
risks and costs are considered, the option soon shows itself to be a poor
choice.
For this option, an individual must find someone whom they
trust to drive their car. The car's owner must provide this person the keys to
the car, money for fuel, hotel rooms and food for the trip, and they must
provide them money for the return trip home. The vehicle's owner must also
provide insurance for this individual to drive the vehicle legally.
This nickel-and-dime approach to saving money could very
well cost the car owner far more than it would have cost them to hire an auto
transport company to move their vehicle(s).
Professional Auto
Transport Services Provide A More Economical Solution
Auto transport companies bring a whole new element of safety
and protection to the car's owner. From the time the Bill Of Lading (BOL) is
signed at the pickup location to the time the BOL is signed at the destination,
the vehicle is usually insured at full-replacement value, depending on the auto
transport company. Some companies provide insurance with a deductible; better
companies provide insurance on the vehicles they transport with no deductibles.
Depending on the circumstances of available time, the car's
owner can choose to get door-to-door or terminal-to-terminal delivery.
Door-to-door is often a better option, but it does require someone to meet the
truck driver to sign for the vehicle at both the pick-up and drop-off
locations. Of course, door-to-door delivery is sometimes controlled by the
circumstances on the ground, which means that pick-up or drop-off might need to
be handled down the street at a shopping center parking lot.
It is recommended that vehicles should be operational at the
time of transport, but this is not an absolute requirement. Since
non-operational vehicles require more physical labor to move and load, there
will be additional costs for the transportation of inoperable vehicles.
Most cars are transported in open-air carriers, but it is
possible to contract an enclosed auto transport carrier. Enclosed carriers can
add additional protection to vehicles, most notably protection from paint
damage due to road debris, but they are more expensive to contract. Open-air
auto transport trucks can generally carry 8-10 vehicles, compared to the 4-6
vehicles that enclosed auto transport trucks are able to carry. As a result,
the use of an enclosed auto shipping truck will result in a much higher cost of
transport.
Improved Safety And Reduced Cost Makes Auto Shipping A Good Choice
When one is moving their family 100 miles down the road, the
do-it-yourself approach may be the ideal solution for most families. But, when
the move is even more distant, auto shipping will prove to be safer for your
family and the cost of transport will be much less than any other option
available.
Once a family has decided to hire a moving company to move
their belongings and an auto transport company to move their vehicles, the
family will be able to enjoy their own journey to their new home. Riding on an
airplane can be a real treat for the children, and where available, a long,
leisurely train ride can provide the family a scenic vacation trip to their new
home.
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