Are There Things a Car Shipper Cannot Transport?
Believe it or not, there are quite a few different things that your standard car transport company won’t be able to ship, and there are a number of possible reasons as to why. Most of the time it’s because the vehicle is too big, either due to weight or size restrictions. Other times it’s because a vehicle doesn’t have the ability to roll, brake or steer, which is important when it comes to loading and unloading a vehicle. Sometimes a car shipper won’t transport a vehicle because it’s not actually an automobile – a lot of people try to ship boats with a standard car carrier, which is actually almost impossible unless they offer specialized boat transportation services via a flatbed hauler.
What your car shipper can and cannot transport will depend on who exactly you are looking at having ship your vehicle as well as their policies and terms and conditions. Some companies can handle anything under the sun, including specialty vehicles such as motorhomes and ATV’s, boats and even travel trailers. Some companies only specialize in a few different vehicles, notably standard cars and trucks and maybe oversize freight. It all depends on who they know and what they’re familiar with; many companies use fleets of standard open auto transportation trucks, which is great for most customers but can’t handle everything.
This is why it’s important to get quotes to ship a vehicle before you actually choose a company to transport it, and also why it’s important to have all the pertinent information about the vehicle you are shipping on-hand while trying to find the right shipper for your needs. By giving your representative the information up-front, they will be better able to accurately price your shipment. With more accurate prices, more accurate timetables and windows you will have for pickup, transit and delivery, and you will have a better experience overall. But you must realize that there are always going to be things that car shippers cannot transport, and it’s best to know and understand their limitations before you get in too deep.
If you’re looking to ship a vehicle and need some quotes to get you started, take a minute to fill out our free online car transport quote request form. It takes only a minute and nets you multiple free quotes in your email, which you can then compare against one another to find the right shipping company for your needs. You can compare prices, services, and even discuss your shipment over the phone with a customer service agent that can explain more about their process, what they can do to help you and the things that they can and cannot ship. If you have questions about our services, or need some help getting your free quotes, give us a call any time at 800-930-7417 to speak to one of our own live agents.
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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