Paying for Your Auto Transport Services
Paying for car shipping services is a topic we’ve discussed in our blog before, but – let’s face it, here – we highly doubt there is anyone who is sitting there combing through our blog archives trying to find every instance we’ve talked about auto transport services and how much they cost and how long they’ll take.
So, if you’re well-versed in the car transport industry and understand exactly what you’re doing when it comes to paying for your auto transport services, congratulations! You have a leg up on everyone else.
But for those of you who are new to shipping a vehicle and are looking to get as much information about it, we highly recommend reading about how to go about paying for your car shipping services and what you can expect when it’s time to ship a vehicle.
The first thing that you need to know is the fact that car shipping companies come in two varieties, the car transport broker and the auto shipping carrier. The broker finds the carrier for you and handles all the paperwork and the back end stuff; the carrier physically transports the vehicle.
Brokers are important because they cut down your search for a carrier to usually a few days after booking, though sometimes it can take longer. As you likely have guessed by now, car transport brokers and car shipping carriers each take their own slice of your total cost – the broker’s fee is called the deposit, while the carrier’s fee is the actual price to transport your vehicle.
Most every top-rated car shipping company will take their deposit either when your vehicle is dispatched (that is, when your vehicle is assigned to a carrier) or when it’s physically been picked up. Note that brokers usually only accept debit or credit cards for payment, though many will work with you if you cannot pay in conventional ways.
When it comes to paying the carrier, however, you will need to have certified funds upon delivery to pay the driver. Certified funds typically means cash, cashier’s check or a money order – in other words, cold hard cash. Certified funds are necessary because car shipping carriers just don’t have the time to stop at their bank and deposit their money; they need to be able to get immediate access so they can keep their trucks fueled and on the road. Personal checks or other non-certified funds run the risk of bouncing or returning unpaid, which means the carrier just did a whole ton of driving for absolutely nothing. Therefore, cash upon delivery is the preferred method of paying your carrier.
If you are interested in shipping your vehicle and are looking for somewhere to get started, take a minute to fill out our free online auto transport quote request form. When you do, you’ll get a free quote to ship your vehicle right away. We work with only top-rated carriesr who are fully licensed and insured to haul our customers’ vehicles. We make sure to only work with the best, so you only work with the best. If you have questions about our services, or if you need some help getting your quote or placing an order, give us a call any time at 800-930-7417.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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