How to Ship a Car

A car is priceless. And it is so because you spend so much time and effort in choosing, financing, buying and re-modifying the car. You spend all your sunday afternoons cleaning and tuning the insides of the car to ensure that you get the perfect 'vroooom' out of it. As far as emotional attachments go, the car is right up there. Almost like your child. So how can you let it go just because you are moving?

There will be times when you will have to move to another place. Often the places may be such that you may not be able to drive there. So are you going to leave your precious behind?

No! Because you can now shift your car to the place with you. Only thing is, you will need to trust that some professionals in the car shipping company to ship your car for a few days, but yes, you will be reunited with your beloved car again!

Shipping a Car
It is not always going to be possible to drive your car across the country, especially if you have a hectic job. It is definitely not going to be possible to drive your car across the Atlantic! So why not avail the services of a professional car shipping company for the same? Moving is a hectic time for you and your family, so trust the experts to ship your car.

Step 1: Plan out the date. If you're shipping your car across the country, it's going to take a bit more time than if you drove it yourself, because the shipping company may have to deliver other cars along the way.

Step 2: The next step is to look into the telephone directories and google to find car shipping companies and the cost. There are websites such as epinions and uShip that will help you locate a shipper and comments of people who have used their service. You will have to approach different companies depending upon whether you are shifting the car overseas or shipping the car across the country. Asking people is another effective way to select the best companies. It may happen that a company may be on your priority list, but people have had a bad experience with that company. Always stick to a company that has a good, long reputation in selling cars. You can even check the record of the company you've selected with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Step 3: Once you narrow down your options to 3-4 companies, call them and ask for availability and price quotations. Most companies insure the car over the shipping period.

Step 4: On the day of shipping, or a day before, wash the car thoroughly. This will help you identify all the existing dents and scratches and make a note of them so that, if at all there are scratches during the transport, you will be able to tell. Remove all the valuables from the car. Make sure that the alarm of your car is turned off. Remove all additional car parts like the music player if you have installed it.

Step 5: On the day of shipping, be sure you're present. After all, it is your car and you will want to be ensured that the car is in good hands. You'll also need to sign a few documents like the insurance papers and the bill of lading. You might also have to make an initial payment. Ensure that the price you are signing for matches the price quoted by the company. If you are shipping overseas, you are going to need some paperwork for your car such as Shipper Export Declaration as well as a Declaration of Dangerous Goods. You will also need to make sure that you have a document that certifies that the car meets all the safety requirements of that country. Other documentation may vary from country to country. Make sure that the man in charge can ensure car safety.

Step 6: On the day of delivery, make sure that you are present at the delivery spot. It might be a parking lot or a large road as those huge trucks aren't going to fit in most neighborhoods. Ensure that the car is in the same shape as it was when you left it. If the car is shipped overseas, you'll need to be present at the docks to receive the car. Otherwise you can even contact the local company that will ship cars in that country to deliver your car, if you are living in a city quite far from the coast.

Following these steps should make things easy. Just remember to get a good follow-through on the transportation by being updated on the situation.