Car Transport – The Myths and the Reality

In virtually every industry, myths and truths exist about the quality of service and expectations and the car transport industry is no exception.

Myths are common misconceptions that people believe in simply because other people do. When we hear something from someone else, we assume them to be true.

Assumptions are not based on facts, so rather than not assume, we should do some research and ask car transporter providers questions that specifically relate to your situation and your vehicle transport needs.

So, don’t trust everything you hear, no matter how many times you have heard it because here we will debunk some common myths and misconceptions about car transport.

Myth #1: Depot-to-depot car transport is less expensive than door-to-door

If you’ve never had to ship your car, you can’t know for sure what would be the most cost-effective car transport option. Yes, it is true that it does require extra driving and handling to transport your car to your door and this should ultimately cost more.

However, despite the fact that depot-to-depot car transport saves petrol and money to the carrier, some depots may charge an additional fee to keep your car. This extra charge could raise the final cost of shipping your car and will cancel the expected advantages of depot-to-depot transport.

Myth #2: Shipping to and from a depot increases the chance of transportation delay

This is a big myth that is very often incorrect.

Depot to depot car transport should not increase the time for car delivery because it depends completely on a customer’s availability to pick up their car.

Myth #3: Avoid brokers and deal directly with the carrier

It would be great if car transporter were both a carrier and a broker but this is an ideal situation.

Many brokers provide a competitive environment in which car carriers compete against each other to win your business. Sure, this may seem great from a price standpoint but be very careful.

If you have contacted a broker only, you may want to reconsider that.

Often, when dealing with car carrier, you will be faced with the challenge of inferior customer relations department that cannot update you on your car delivery. As soon as your booking is complete, it seems the carrier will do everything within their power to avoid responding to calls or following up on enquiries.

This may turn your car transport exercise into quite a challenge when you don’t know where your car is on the road and you have no easy way of finding out.

A broker on the other hand, will arrange for you car to be collected and delivered, while offering customer service department that will answer all your questions – no matter how silly they may appear.

They’ll help you understand the terms and conditions of their respective carriers, whereas, it seems with a carrier, they’ll take your money leave you in the lurch. Consequently, since the reputation of car transport brokers depends entirely on their customer relations and customer service, they will offer more attention and do the best to accommodate you.

Myth #4: Car transport costs depend solely on the distance

Vehicle transport costs do not depend only on the distance. There are several major factors affecting the car transport cost and certainly, distance is one of them.

Vehicle size, if your car is running, whether you choose open or enclosed transport option, accessibility of final destination and flexibility in dates all contribute to the final cost.

When charging for shipping, car transport companies may consider the distance as major factor, but it’s not the only one. If shipping your car to a rural, more difficult to access location that would cost you more since the carrier has to go off the main route.

If your shipping dates are not flexible, that also may increase the cost because the car transport companies may have to make additional arrangements.

Therefore, car transport costs depend on many factors.

Myth #5: It takes more time to transport than to drive the car myself

People often think that it would be easier, cheaper and faster to drive their car to the new place than to trust it in the hands of a car transport provider. It may be true sometimes, but it depends on the situation and the car transport company you have chosen.