As you can see, shipping your vehicle is not only better than driving, it is better than hiring a professional driver or having someone you know drive for you. Instead of finding a professional driver, you could reach out through your network and find someone willing to earn some money driving your car to its new home. If you need to move your car a long distance, and do not want to do the driving yourself, one option would be to hire a driving service.
That is, if you are stressed out from starting a new job and you do not like the idea of being stuck inside your car with your spouse and kids for days at a time, hiring a car hauler is likely your best bet. Taking into account the distance, the timing, your cars condition, and your comfort, car transportation services would be the safer choice on any given day.
Shipping your car cross-country might not have crossed your mind at all, but there are valid reasons for choosing auto transportation instead of personal driver services, although every transportation method will have pros and cons. While spending days on the road is not convenient, you are probably going to save money over shipping the car using an auto transportation provider. It is easy to look at the overall cost of the shipping companies contract and forget you would need to pay gas, meals, and lodging yourself if you decided to drive the car cross-country. When you pay the shipping company for its time, you are almost always splitting costs for driver time, food, and accommodations with the other person who has also booked the vehicle transportation for their trip.
Having a professional driver haul your vehicle is almost always going to cost more than having a car shipped by truck, since you are paying the drivers food and accommodations directly. If you are driving yourself or hiring one of the drive away companies, that is going to be a lot more expensive, since you will need to pay for the drivers food, lodging, and other expenses. At first blush, purely looking at the direct costs, driving your car is almost always cheaper than having it shipped. It depends on the location, the type of car, time of year, shipping method, condition of the vehicle, etc. Once you add up the costs and headaches involved with driving the vehicle yourself, the investment is worth it.
With a vehicle transport service, you do not have to pay for transportation costs while it is being transported. Your vehicle can arrive at its destination faster than a shipping service because it is a straight line, point-to-point journey without diversions to accommodate other vehicles. Private driver options are typically more expensive than using a vehicle mover, but they can provide greater control over timelines since drivers do not need to make extra stops for loading or unloading of other vehicles. One advantage a drive-through service has over other types of auto transportation, like towed cars, is the fact that there are less restrictions.
Instead, a drive-away service is used by individuals who have a lengthy trip and are looking for cheaper alternatives than renting a vehicle. Using a drive away service puts miles on your vehicle, and this adds hidden costs for services like oil changes and fluids.
A drive away service can take quite a while to find a driver for your car if the drive is especially long. The amount of time it takes to get your car, or the unusual routes, may cause your vehicle transport process to take longer than expected. Seasonal fluctuations may also affect your transportation costs, so you will want to try, if at all possible, to send your vehicle during times just outside peak seasons.
Since not everyone is in the position to take their car far, let our auto transportation professionals explore a few more alternatives. You will find most auto transport companies offer rates that are extremely reasonable, and being able to ship your vehicle to your new home with someone else may end up being a great advantage in general versus making the trip yourself. If car shipping seems to be your best option, you could take the bus, score a cheaper flight, or get your friends or family members to take you to your new home. If you have to drop off your car for pickup once you have moved, you may be able to do so if a friend or family member is willing to meet with the moving company to help them load up the vehicle and begin driving it to your new home.
The Cost to Ship All Your Household Goods & Personal Effects With A Moving Company: You will be able to bring just a few personal items when traveling via plane or train, and you will have to trust any of your other belongings to a moving company (if you decide to drive to your new home, you can bring a few items with you in the car). For the ultimate security, consider having your vehicle shipped on a covered trailer – cars in open-air trailers are exposed to the elements and are susceptible to damage and theft, so if you are moving during the winter or are moving a high-end car, then the additional expense is well worth it. Your car will be protected from the elements if it is shipped in an enclosed truck, and the cost of transportation will also be fairly affordable, since businesses are not booming during the winter months, and the demand for vehicle transportation services is far lower than during the busier summer months, when the majority of home moves occur.
Shipping your car using a professional, door-to-door auto transport service may cost less, plus offers better safety and protection, as well as professional liability insurance. Shipping is a far safer way of moving a vehicle cross-country: using reliable car transport services will limit the wear on your car, minimize your accident risk, and keep your car protected from adverse weather conditions. The primary benefit to using professional drivers services for transporting your vehicle on your road trip or relocation is that you will be able to carry however much luggage in your car, provided that it does not interfere with the drivers ability to drive the car safely.
