Blog November 30, 2020

How to Find Reliable Auto Transport Reviews

Posted in Auto Transport
Eva Johnson

Digital nomad born in New York but currently living online, Eva knows everything there is to know about packing and moving.

Moving interstate and want to take your car with you? Then finding a reputable and trustworthy car shipping company that can provide you with door-to-door delivery is of utmost importance. And if you’re not sure how you can find it, then auto transport reviews and shared experiences of other users can help you in decision making. Stay tuned cause we will present you with all the facts you should consider before choosing state-to-state movers for your vehicle, starting from where to find authoritative reviews that will help you make the right decision.

Where to Find Car Transportation Company Reviews?

Finding car shipping recensions is the first step for a stress-free moving experience. Internet, auto transport reviews, and consumer reports can be your best ally in this process. Objective recensions and shared experiences in an online environment can help you make the best decision and be sure that you’ve made the right choice.

Aside from the shipper’s website and review page or your family and friends’ recommendations, there is a variety of external online sources that could provide you with honest opinions and experiences of other users. Some of the external car shipping reviews you can consider are:

  • Google,
  • Facebook,
  • Accredited Business,
  • Trust Pilot,
  • Yelp,
  • MyMoving,
  • Review Centre.

Here, you can find literally thousands of recensions, expressed opinions, and consumer reports on this topic. The average rating result is a great indicator of the quality of auto-transport service an interstate moving company can provide.

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Should You Believe All the Reviews?

Finding online consumer reports on auto transport is an easy task. But finding objective recensions, well, this is a little bit difficult to do, and there are multiple reasons for it. No matter what was the reason for an unbiased rating, with little dedication you can easily sort them out and focus on the real ones.

How can you do it? First, read the comments and car transfer review that are rated with four or three since they are most likely to be the most realistic. If some of the opinions are often repeating, like, the shipping company was late, or, I couldn’t reach them in days after I left my car, then this will be a clear sign something is wrong, and you should avoid contacting that service provider. Also, if all the comments are just great, again, you should be cautious because this might be some paid option. Excluding the cases where there are only a few ratings provided, of course.

Man is sitting on a sofa and browsing the internet on his laptop
Online recensions are a great way to decide whether the carrier is reputable or not. However, make sure to get the realistic ones.

How Do I Find a Reputable Car Transport Company? How Car Transport Reviews Can Help You Avoid Scammers

The last thing you need when moving to another state alone is a hassle by the automobile shipping company you’ve chosen. The point is your car gets to the right address, undamaged, and in time. For that reason, if you want to move efficiently, then you will need to know how to recognize and avoid scammers. Here are the indicators that can show you are dealing with a trickster.

Inspect the Car in Detail by Yourself

Car transportation is a process where your vehicle can get damaged. So, before you leave it to the state-to-state movers, make sure you thoroughly inspect it. This inspection implies exploring the interior and the interior of the car and listing or taking pictures of all the damages and mileage on the odometer.

Since damages can happen even with reputable companies, you should have an insurance policy that will cover all the potential costs.
And when the car arrives at your new address, you should ask to inspect it again. In case the shipper insists on delivering it at night, then you should take this as a warning. However, there is a solution even for this problem. Simply don’t accept the bill until you have a chance for another inspection and yourself aware the car has arrived in the condition you left it there.

Check Licenses and Registration

The best way to check any shipper is by researching if it fulfills all legal requirements. This is something you should definitely check before you accept the quote. Since registration with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is mandatory for all vehicle transportation companies, you could start your exploration right there. Other data you can check and be aware of whether you are dealing with a professional or a scammer is a motor carrier number (MC#) and USDOT number. And of course, don’t forget to check the carrier’s insurance record and find out if there are any complaints on safer.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Not only can this data be checked with officials, but you can scrutinize it among the recensions too. If any of the users have had such a bad experience, there is no way nobody will mention it. So, make sure to check reviews, too, so you can schedule relocation without any suspicions.

A “Guaranteed Lowest Price”

When it comes to transportation of your car, this is usually not a good sign. Whenever you come with a quote that is much lower than the average prices of other carriers, you should acknowledge it as a red alarm.

This lower price often implies many hidden costs and extra fees that are later added to a final cost and quote. For this reason, you should always inspect the cost scheme in detail and read all the recensions upon the particular shipper and its pricing policy before you sign or agree to any contract. When relocating from a small town to a big city, changing the quote at the last minute is the last thing you need.

Insist to Sign the Contract

Always insist on signing the contract, otherwise, in case any of your assets are damaged, you will not be able to get the reimbursement for it. Another point of the contract you should especially focus on is about delivery-date conditions, and what are your rights if the delivery is late.

Insurance policy is also something you should consider because in case something unforeseen happens, you should know what is the amount insurance will cover.

open trailer on the road
Before signing a contract and start moving state to state, make sure you've checked all the legal and practical issues with your car ship

How to Choose the Right Car Shipper?

No matter what are your reasons to move, choosing the right car shipper depends on your needs and the type of vehicle you have. For that reason, we decided to provide you with a list of essential questions you should ask the car shipper before you contact it and make a decision about hiring movers that will safely and in time deliver your car to your new home address. Knowing these questions will definitely help you decrease anxiety about relocating out, which is especially important when moving out for the first time.

Ask the Shipper What Types of Vehicles Do They Transfer

The first question you should ask a professional motor car transporter is what type of vehicles do they transport. Are they focused on transferring family cars, hybrid vehicles, sports cars, or they simply cover all the vehicle types? In case they do not cover the service you need, then you should move on and continue to search.

Also, do not hesitate to ask your shipper for some additional car shipping tips that will help you prepare your machine better and organize your move in time. When speaking of tips and relocating hacks, you can always ask them to help you with details such as how to register a leased car in another state, what security measures they use to secure their facility, and what are conditions of renting storage.

Check With Auto Carrier if They Cover the Area You are Relocating To

Although interstate moving companies usually cover the whole territory of the US, still you should confirm that it covers just that specific state you are relocating to. There is always a possibility that the shipper is focused only on one coast, or it covers a few states only, so you better check if the city you’re moving to is on their list.

Schedule the Delivery Date in Time

If you’re moving for a job, or you plan to relocate your family to another state and depend on your car as the means of transport, then finding a carrier that can ship and deliver the vehicle in time you need is of the utmost importance. Also, it would be great to choose a shipper that provides full relocation service and covers packing services as well. This way it will be much easier to align all the processes of relocation simultaneously and make the whole experience of moving to a new state much easier.

Request from Motor Car Shipper to Provide You With Detailed Cost Scheme

Add the cost of shipping your car to another state, and you will get a final quote and the cost of interstate moving. Since this is a considerable amount, you will definitely have to compare a couple of offers and decide which of them is budget-friendly for you.

However, keep in mind that every service counts and that some of them, such as door-to-door delivery, moving in the peak season, or the case where the truck can not use local roads may be pricier. Even the choice of an enclosed truck can impact the final price while choosing an open-transport truck may decrease the final cost up to 20%. So, if you’re looking for the cheapest way to move out of state, then you should consider this option, too. That’s why it is so important to thoroughly explore all the potential cost increases with your chosen service provider that will ship your vehicle. This is the only way to avoid misunderstandings.

When resolving this issue, don’t forget to ask about the payment method and the deposit amount. In case some of the shippers don’t demand a deposit or require to receive the payment in cash, then you should think about their trustworthiness, and accepting their quote.

Explore How to Prepare Your Car for Transfer

You shouldn’t forget to ask about what to do to properly prepare car for shipping and check if they could give you some useful car shipping tips on it. For example, the most common thing people forget to do before the relocation of their car is disabling the alarm. Can you imagine the sound of it all the way on the road?

Don’t Forget to Ask The Car Shipper About the Insurance

Don’t forget to ask your shipper about the insurance policy and what happens in case your car doesn’t reach the destination in the condition you handed it over. Since the car is such a valuable asset, you should definitely check if the insurance policy will be defined by a contract. If not, then you should seriously think about whether to cooperate with the shipper that refuses to confirm its service by signing the contract.

Open automobile carrier on the highway, transferring the cars
Choosing the right transporter that can ship your car in time is of utmost importance

What Is the Best Auto Transport Company to Use?

The best auto shipper you can use is the one that fulfills your needs in terms of vehicle transportation and its safety during the whole process. Although finding a reputable, reliable, and trustworthy shipper is not an easy task, with a little effort and using an online auto transportation review as a means of help, you will be able to find it and organize your relocation and transfer your car seamlessly.

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