Auto Transport Tips: What to Expect When Shipping Your SUV
The sport utility vehicle has been around for ages, it seems – certainly longer than this writer has been alive, that’s for sure – but really didn’t gain prominence as a consumer vehicle until the late 1980’s and the early 1990’s. Now, though, they’re everywhere, and sales of sport utility vehicles really took off at the turn of the 21st century, and you can’t walk outside without seeing one. You probably know someone (or two, or ten) who own an SUV, and you likely know someone who has also shipped theirs. Shipping an SUV can be relatively smooth and simple, like shipping a large car, or it can be a nightmare akin to trying to move an M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank with some rope and a bunch of five-year-olds (okay, maybe not that bad, but you get the idea). In this blog post we’re going to cover the different types of SUV’s and what their various sizes and weights mean for you and your next auto transport experience.
The smallest SUV on the market, historically, has been the subcompact SUV. Examples include the Fiat 500L. Mainly popular in Europe, the subcompact SUV typically sees no oversize or overweight vehicle shipping fees while transporting them, as they are hardly larger than a standard car. Next up is the compact SUV, like the Ford Escape, and these are also one of the cheapest SUV’s to ship, again due to their size. You may see some companies charging a little extra over the price of a car on the same route, but it won’t be anything major. The third-largest SUV style is known as a mid-size SUV, and these are some of the most common on the road. Examples include the Ford Explorer. These tend to carry minor oversize or overweight fees, due to their added size and weight, but not as much as the next-largest, the full-size SUV. Full-size SUV’s, like the Ford Expedition, are some of the largest on the road and are also some of the most expensive to ship because of that size. The largest sized SUV, though, is known as an Extended-Length SUV, and these are like Chevrolet Suburban – the largest on the road. Because they are the largest, they tend to be the most expensive to ship.
Sport utility vehicles serve a variety of different functions, depending on what size they are and who is driving them. When it comes to transporting them, giving your auto transport representative as much information about your SUV as possible is a great idea, because it helps them more accurately quote your SUV. Lying about the size or type of SUV you’re shipping can lead to major problems, as the right carrier and price needs to be matched up to the SUV. If you lie and say you’re shipping a Ford Escape when you’re really shipping an Expedition, the price will be too low and the auto transporter, upon arriving to pick it up, may just spit in your face, call you a liar, and refuse to pick it up unless you pay more. Okay, he probably won’t spit, but it’s not something that’s ever a good idea to do anyway.
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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