The ABCs Of car shipping

You can learn more about auto shipping and understand the terminology used by car transport companies.

A through F

• An Auto Transport - Auto transport is the most common term for shipping your vehicle somewhere. Other terms include vehicle transport, car shipping and vehicle shipping.
• B- Bill of Lading - The bill of lading serves two purposes: it is proof that your car has been picked up and also acts as a contract between your transport company and you for the shipment. A bill of lading contains information such as the car being shipped, its destination, and who will be transporting it. It also records the vehicle's condition at pickup and drop-off.
• C Carrier- This is the name of the truck your car will be shipped on. There are many types of car carriers. There are three types of car carriers: open-air, enclosed and flatbed. The most common type of car shipping is open-air. It has two decks that can carry cars and are exposed to the elements.
• D – Door-to–door - This is the shipping method that your vehicle will be picked up at your home and delivered to your destination. This is in contrast to dropping off your car at shipping hubs, which can take hundreds of miles.
• E – Enclosed transportation - Enclosed transportation is when your car is shipped on a car carrier with decks and cars that are covered by a roof or walls. This type of car shipping is less common than open-air transportation, but it is often used for expensive cars like antiques or luxury cars.
• F-Fleet management - Fleet management is the ability of a car shipping company to transport a whole fleet of vehicles on behalf of an individual or company. An auto transport company can handle the transportation of twenty Amazon delivery vehicles from one state to the next.

G through K

• G – Ground clearance - Ground clearance is the distance between your vehicle's bottom and the ground. Ground clearance is essential in car shipping. A ground clearance too low could pose a problem for open-air transport. Enclosed carriers can handle low ground clearances. An open carrier will generally need to have four inches or more of ground clearance in order to ship your car.
• H- Heavy equipment transportation Heavy equipment transport is when a company can ship large vehicles like tractors, buses, construction equipment, and RVs. These items are usually shipped on flatbed trailers.
• I Instant quote Instant quotes are estimates of the price and transit time for a car shipment you're considering. Some websites offering auto transport will ask for your shipping information and then contact you with a quote. This is not an instant quote. An instant quote allows you to get your quote online immediately after you have entered your shipping information.
• K Keys Keys are essential to a car shipment as your driver will need them in order to be able to drive your car onto and off the carrier. You may need to transport your car to the carrier during the loading or unloading of other cars. Your keys will be required by your auto transport driver for the duration of your shipment.

L through P

• L- Lien- These liens are part of a loan that was taken out to purchase a car. You will need to provide a copy of any lien on your car to the shipping company if you have taken out a loan like this. To find out if there are any liens on your vehicle, contact the bank from which you obtained the loan.
• M- Mimic websites - These websites mimic the websites of car shipping companies to steal leads or personal information. To ensure that the website you're considering getting a quote for a car shipping service is legit, call them first.
• N – Non-running - Cars that are not in use can still be shipped. These cars are often called "inoperable". Shipping a non-running vehicle will be more expensive than shipping one that is running properly. You will also need to plan your shipment earlier than usual. To transport inoperable cars, car-carrier trucks must have a winch. These types of carriers are rarer so you should book your shipment sooner than usual.
• O- Open-air transportation - This is the most popular type of car shipping. It is a car-carrier truck with two decks. Because there are no walls or roofs, both decks are open to the outside. Open-air shipping accounts for approximately 90% of all car shipments. This type of shipping is both the most convenient and the cheapest.
• P- Pickup Date - The date that your driver will arrive to pick up your car and begin the transportation process. Any reputable company will give you multiple pick-up dates. Instead, you will receive a pick-up window of between two and three days when your driver will arrive to pick up the vehicle.

Q through U

• Q-Quote calculator- These online tools allow you to generate instant car shipping quotations. They analyze your shipment information and factor in shipping costs for the dates that you choose. Then they will give you an estimate of how much the shipment might cost, also known as your quote.
• R- Reliable - This word should be used to describe the car shipper you choose to ship your car to. To determine whether a car shipping service is reliable, you can use online resources such as Google or Consumer Affairs. This will allow you to read reviews from past customers about that particular company.
• S- Standard auto transportation - Open-air transport without any extras like "top loading".
• T Towing Towing your car is different than shipping it for a few reasons. Tow trucks are limited in their ability to move one vehicle. This means that availability is lower. Towing companies typically only transport cars a few miles. This can be up to 100 miles. Towing is always more expensive per mile than shipping a vehicle.
• U-Unload During delivery, unloading your car will occur. This may take some time depending on how many cars are on the carrier. It will generally take between 30 minutes and an hour.

V through Z

• V- Vehicle condition report - These reports will be used by many auto shippers to document any pre-existing damage, as well as the current running condition of the car and its mileage. This information is usually included in the bill of lading.
• W- Window - Window - This refers to the "pickup window" or "delivery window", which are typically two to three days in length during which your vehicle can either be picked up or delivered.
• Y - year-round shipping- This refers to the fact that car shipping takes place twenty-four hours a day, seven days per week, and three hundred sixty-five days a calendar year. There are no holidays or "off-seasons".
• Z – Zipcode - The zip codes are an important part of the information that is used to calculate auto transport quotes. Distance is calculated using the zip codes of your pickup and destination locations. Without the zip codes, it is impossible to estimate the price and transit time.