Eight Tips To Make It Easy To Ship A Car This Holiday Season

The hard truth is that shipping cars between 12/24 and 1/14 are the most difficult time of the year. It is possible to avoid a disaster by being prepared and aware of what to expect. It is important to remember that the industry's pricing system and availability of carriers are always determined by SUPPLY AND DEMAND.

The DEMAND for people to ship cars during the holidays is greater than the SUPPLY of carriers. This situation is made worse by the fact that most carriers are off between 12/24-and 1/1 and spending time with their families. There are virtually no pick-ups or drops that week. The carriers will be back at work on 1/2. There are inexorable numbers of cars that need to be shipped ASAP. This allows the carriers to service only the highest paying loads, causing price spikes in the first half.

These are 8 tips that will help you avoid frustration.

• It is almost impossible to find a carrier that will pick you up between 12/24-1/1.
• To save time and headaches, ship well before Christmas Eve or the first half of January.
• If this is not possible, you should be willing to pay significantly more for a spot on a truck.
• The cost of a carrier can be almost twice the usual, especially for "snowbird" shipments that are sent from up north to Florida and Arizona.
• Low price quotes are not to be trusted. Brokers can quote carriers at any price they like. However, if the price is too low, your vehicle will not be shipped on time. The reason that carriers will have too many cheaper shipments is that they are more likely to accept them.
• Bad weather in January can increase the risk of carriers not being available, causing prices to rise for longer than the first two weeks.
• Brokers should have a transparent and fixed broker fee. This will ensure that you don't fall for brokers who charge higher broker margins due to holiday price spikes.
• It is important to be upfront about holiday and January shipping issues.

Our goal is to help customers understand what's in store during holidays. If you want to enjoy a safe and smooth car transportation experience, education, transparency, and honesty are key.