We live in a world where people often move across the country for their careers. For that reason alone we’ve seen the emergence of cross country relocators that are quite adept at shipping your household belongings over long distances. But in today’s two and three car families what do we do about car shipping? In a recent move to Texas car shipping saved a good friend of mine several hundred dollars in expenses and several days of valuable time. There was no need to hire a private driver or rely on the kindness of friends and family. He enlisted the services of a well known automotive shipping company.

Shipping a caracross country isn’t cheap. For example one company quoted $750 in costs for a San Francisco California to Houston Florida car shipping request. The average person will spend between 1000 to 1500 dollars to ship a car from coast to coast. This depends upon the size of the car, the method of shipping and the speed in which the car must be delivered to its final destination. There are two primary methods of transporting a car: trucking or train.

Transporting by truck allows for a more precise delivery where transportation by train requires a pickup at one terminal and a delivery at another. This may or may not be convenient and depends upon where your final destination is. Another important aspect to transporting a car is the care your car or truck will get in transit. It’s important to pick a transporter that will take care to secure it carefully. Using the tow hooks as tie points is preferred to chaining around the front and rear axles. It is a good idea to ask if the car can be covered during delivery; this will protect the finish from the elements or your transporter’s bad habits.

When choosing a transporter ensure you understand the following critical issues:

* Is the transporter bonded? Are they financially responsible for the health of the car and if something does happen will you be able to collect?

* Does your insurance adequately cover the incidental damages that might occur during transit?

* Fully understand the terms of the agreement or contract and make sure it’s written down and signed by both parties.

* Ensure that the terms of the agreement clearly state any drop-off and pick-up restrictions.

* Identify any hidden storage costs that might be accrued if you don’t pick up the car on the scheduled delivery date.

* Make sure that the transporter has an eye towards security.

If you’re going to ship additional items inside the trunk of your car you may be at risk of theft or uncovered damages. Ask for references when choosing a car shipping company. Get feedback from your friends or family that used these companies before. Local car clubs are often a great source of information; classic car owners are very particular about their vehicles and can help point you in the right direction.