Auto Shipping FAQ: What is Standby Auto Shipping?
When you ship a car, you have some options in terms of how it actually gets shipped. Most vehicles are shipped door to door via an open auto shipping carrier, considered to be the standard method of transporting a vehicle.
Some vehicles need enclosed transportation, or flatbed shipping; some customers don’t need door to door so they settle for terminal shipping services. Still others need expedited pickup, meaning they need vehicles shipped as soon as possible.
And then there is standby auto shipping, which is the antithesis of many aspects of the vehicle shipping industry that a lot of people don’t know much about. You may have come across the term before, but what does it mean for you?
Luckily, in this blog post we’re going to try to explain that and more about standby auto shipping services, so read on to learn about this niche process in a niche market.
Standby shipping is fairly straightforward. While most vehicles that are shipped try to get picked up as soon as possible, or by a specific date, standby auto shipping services take the opposite approach in an attempt to cut costs for the customer.
Instead of asking what carriers will take to ship your vehicle and then choosing from among them, standby lets carriers choose whether or not to pick a vehicle up at a lower rate than what the route usually calls for. So, for example, if a shipment normally pays a carrier $500, standby shipping may ask $350 or $400 instead.
The hope is that a carrier will still take it, regardless of whether or not it is lower than the going rate, should they need the extra cash or simply need to fill a spot on the truck.
There’s a few perks with standby shipping but there are usually quite a bit more hassles that go along with it. To start, no carrier is obligated to take a vehicle being shipped on standby; it’s mostly just a hope and a prayer that someone will pick it up.
This naturally comes into conflict with the plans of most customers, as we mentioned, so people interested in standby really cannot be upset if it takes a few weeks or months to get a vehicle picked up. Carriers also usually only take standby loads if they need the cash or otherwise don’t have a choice, which will also make it harder to find a carrier.
Standby shipping doesn’t come easy, nor does it happen quickly, but if you’re not pressed for time but don’t have a lot to spend it may be an option. Talk to your agent to learn more.
If you are interested in shipping a vehicle, regardless of whether you need standby shipping or not, take a moment or two and fill out our free online auto transport quote request form. It’s completely free and will get you a free quote to ship your vehicle right away. We work with only top-rated carriers who are fully licensed and insured, so you’ll be in good hands from booking to delivery. If you have questions about our services, or would like to get a quote over the phone, you can speak to one of our live representatives 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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