We answer common questions that first time transporters, and even frequent transporters, may be curious to know about. The vehicle transportation industry offers a wide variety of options when it comes to shipping vehicles. Browse through our informative database of transport tips to get a better understanding of how the vehicle transportation process works.

Several service options are offered for your vehicle transport. This depends on your patience and how quickly you want your vehicle transported or shipped. It also depends on the money you are willing to pay and where your vehicle will be picked up and delivered. The most known types of services that will be offered to you when shipping your vehicle are terminal-to-terminal and door-to-door services. The difference between the two is that door-to-door services simplify the process of auto shipping and terminal-to-terminal may offer savings.

Most vehicle transport companies provide door-to-door options, which means that your vehicle will be collected and delivered as close to the given address as possible. On certain occasions (narrow roads, low hanging trees or powerlines, etc) a vehicle cannot be delivered to the front door of your house, because depending on where you want the vehicle delivered, many trucks and trailers cannot travel down narrow – or in many cases – steep roads and streets. It will be more than likely that your transporter will contact you and request a meeting in a nearby parking area to collect or deliver your car. You must plan on being flexible with the carrier, as long as the requests are reasonable. You need to ensure that you, or somebody that you designate, will be available for pickup and delivery.

A few larger shipping companies are able to offer the customer terminal-to-terminal shipping at a discount price. A terminal is simply a storage facility that is usually located in a metropolitan area. Vehicles being transported to and from a terminal allow the transporters to deliver or collect vehicles going to the same area. This simply means that terminal-to-terminal is slightly less expensive than door-to-door. This option seems to benefit people who need to deliver or collect their vehicle on a specific time and on a specific date. At a terminal your vehicle can be delivered and stored until the owner or representative is able to collect it. Once your vehicle is delivered to the terminal you will be contacted.

So what will be your best option? First you have to consider your budget and when you are deciding on a transport service to collect and deliver your car – either door-to-door or terminal-to-terminal. Terminal-to-terminal may seem cheaper than door-to-door at first, but the extra costs and the inconvenience it may cause could make door-to-door the better option. When you start comparing quotes from transport companies, read your contract carefully, especially the terms and conditions – to be 100 percent sure of the service your vehicle transport company is offering.