Auto Transport Tips: Shipping a Totaled Vehicle
In the course of the life of a vehicle, sometimes catastrophic things happen, like an accident that leaves your precious, most favorite mode of transportation reduced to a crumpled heap. A lot of people have been in this situation: driving across the country to a new job and a new home when BAM! Out of nowhere they get side-swiped or somebody crosses the double yellow line and rams them head-on.
It’s not fun being in an accident, even a minor one, and when it comes to fixing it up when you’re 500 miles away from your dealership – not to mention in between homes – you want to try and get your vehicle to wherever it needs to go, usually by shipping it.
However, shipping a totaled vehicle, or a vehicle that can’t be driven under it’s own power due to an accident, is no easy feat. Most of the time the vehicle that has been in an accident does not run and has difficulty even rolling; this can make it ten times harder for an auto transport company to arrange transportation because how exactly is it going to be loaded onto the carrier?
Truth be told, any standard carrier probably won’t do the trick – you’ll need an auto transport company that operates flatbed carriers to handle something that doesn’t run or roll.
The good thing about flatbed trucks is that they’re designed to load and unload vehicles that can’t get on or off under their own power, and special tools are available to flatbed truckers to help them do the job. The downside, though, is typically two-fold: cost and wait-time. Flatbed shippers can take a while to find because there are so few of them on the road, and because of this they tend to cost more as well.
If your vehicle is stranded in the middle of nowhere and it’s going to take weeks to get it fixed, you can opt for flatbed transportation of it to get to the body shop of your choice; however, sometimes it’s better to just let the local auto body shop take care of the repair job.
Your insurance should cover the cost of repairs, but even if they don’t, if you’re contemplating flatbed transportation for a totaled vehicle, chances are you can afford whatever the auto body is charging. The most important thing in that situation is to get your car back on the road, whether it’s on the back of a truck or under its own power.
If you’re interested in shipping it, you can give us a call at 800-930-7417 and speak to one of our live agents who can answer your questions and help you get a free quote to ship it. We understand what it takes to move vehicles of all conditions, including those that do not roll, brake, steer, or start. So give us a call or go online to get a free quote and get your shipment started.
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.
- When to go with an Enclosed Transport - October 2, 2023
- Understanding California’s EV Mandate - August 1, 2023
- Top Reasons Auto Shippers Are Delayed - January 9, 2023
