Things You Need To Know Before You Ship Your Car

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Know the facts about shipping your vehicle, don't believe everything you read on the web page or are told, it's your car, PARAMOUNT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, the leading vehicle transport company in America, has some good advise for you, so read on...

Shipping your car can be very frustrating and stressful, but it doesn't have to be. The intention of this blog is to give you some insight into how auto transport works and things you should be careful of, or try to avoid.

What do you do when you want to ship your car, or find any service for that matter? You conduct an internet search. Searching the internet for an auto transport company is like trying to make your way through a life size maze. There are literally thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of sights that come up, depending upon how you word your search. So, you begin reading through the different web sites until you find the one that tells you what you want to hear, which usually consists of providing fast pick-up and even faster delivery or a guaranteed delivery window or date, door to door service, and the list can go on. The harsh reality is, that the majority of the web sites that claim to be actual "auto transport companies" are actually "auto transport brokers".

You may be asking, what is the difference between and "auto transport company" and an "auto transport broker"?

An "auto transport company" is a trucking or transportation company that specializes in transporting cars or vehicles of all kinds. Auto transport companies actually own the auto transport trucks and are licensed and regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the US Department of Transportation. Trucking companies are restricted to certain interstates, thruways, and highways depending on their length as well as being restricted to 11 hours of driving per day and 70 hours of driving per week per driver. These two regulations directly affect the length of time it takes to deliver your vehicle and how close they can get to your front door. In addition to these are the state and local regulations and restrictions. Auto transport vehicles can carry from 4 to 11 cars or vehicles on one truck or trailer. These auto transport truck/trailer combinations range in length from 30' to 80' and sometimes longer. These vehicles are usually prohibited from leaving truck routes and entering residential neighborhoods. Now, you may say that it is OK for trucks to come to your house because the moving company brought your furniture to your house, but what you don't know is that household goods movers are exempt from the regulations prohibiting trucks in residential neighborhoods. Auto transport companies do not share this exemption for the simple fact that cars are generally easily moved from one place to another. Auto transport companies do not generally require a deposit for the transport of your vehicle. You can either pay the entire charge when your vehicle is picked-up or when your vehicle is delivered.

An "auto transport broker" is either a single person, a family, or small business that does not own any trucks. What they do have is the correct internet connections and direct contact information for the "auto transport companies". Most brokers will give you the impression that they have trucks and you will be dealing with only them or one of their subsidiaries. They will sell you their transportation service, requesting a deposit, and telling you that your vehicle will be picked up within a specific amount of time and delivered within a specific amount of time, sometimes even providing a guarantee that you will receive your car when you want it. They will offer "door to door" service and more.

When you start searching for a company to ship your car, be careful of the companies that offer you "door to door" service, a narrow window for pick-up and delivery, or guarantee delivery on any specific date. These offers are generally a good sign that you are dealing with a broker and not an actual transport company. The transport companies will give you a window of time when they expect to pick-up your vehicle, and delivery is generally within 7 to 14 days later. Delivery on any specific date will never be guaranteed unless your are shipping your nascar to your next race, or your show car on a car show circuit.

Transportation of vehicle has many variables that affect the pick-up and delivery of every vehicle. The amount of hours a driver has available to work on any given day, the number of miles to transport the car, the weather, road construction and traffic conditions, the schedule of each and every customer when the vehicle is picked up and again when the vehicle is delivered are just a few things that affect the pick-up and delivery dates and times. Here at Paramount Transportation Services, we pride ourselves in providing the cusomer service you deserve. We are an actual "Auto Transport Company" and the safe and sound delivery or your vehicle and customer service are of paramount importance to us.

Transporting your car is a stressful time, call us with any questions or concerns you may have, we would be happy to assist you no matter who you ship through.