Auto Shipping: How much does it cost to ship a car?
Whether you are traveling to your native place or planning to relocate to new surroundings you will always need your car to be shipped to make traveling easier and faster. Shifting or relocating to a new place can often be an exhausting and overwhelming task for you and your family. There are so many things that you might have to take care of such as arranging your belongings, checking local amenities, legal documents or paperwork, and many more. In addition to that, self-driving cars to long distances will only add up to your workload. At times driving for long hours in new surroundings often leads to unwanted and dangerous road accidents, especially if you are not used to driving your car for a long period of time.
This is where the auto shipping companies come into the picture. Auto-shipping companies are a team of experts who have years of experience and knowledge in the shipping industry. These companies offer a variety of shipping services for you to choose from depending on your needs and requirements.
Here in this blog, we will walk you through some of the most common considerations that will help you understand how the cost to drive a car per mile is calculated whether you are shipping your car to the neighboring town or across the country.
What is the average cost to ship a car per mile?
The cost of shipping your car depends on many factors that you will come across later in this article. Generally, most car shipping companies tend to charge on a per-mile basis that can cost you around $1 or more depending on the mode of transport you opt for your car. When you calculate or break down the average cost to ship a car per mile, you will be able to notice that hiring shipping services can cost you less compared to the average cost per mile to drive your own car across the country. Furthermore, they can also handle the paperwork on behalf of you in case of interstate car transport that would otherwise consume a lot of your valuable time and money. This means the average trucking cost per mile can also be less than self-driving your car to different states.
You must make sure to ask for shipping quotations before finalizing or scheduling your car shipping. This way you will get access to competitive shipping rates and will be able to make decisions accordingly.
What are factors that impact shipping cost?
Your car is an essential part of your life and as a shipping company, we understand the same. In order to ship your car across the country safely, we have to take into consideration many factors that eventually help us determine how much to charge for a car delivery per mile. Here we have listed down some of the factors that create an impact on your car shipping cost per mile or more.
1. Type of auto hauler
Your hauling rates per mile primarily depend on the type of auto hauler you choose to ship your car in. Most shipping companies offer you two auto haulers to choose from such as open and closed auto haulers. In open haulers, your vehicle gets exposed to many elements such as wind, sun, rain, dirt, and other related factors. However, irrespective of being exposed to certain elements, there are fewer chances of your car getting damaged by these elements. In the case of the open mode of transportation, the car shipping cost per mile is comparatively less to other shipping options available in the market.
In the case of enclosed auto haulers, your car is shipped in a completely safe and secured environment. This way your car not only gets protected from harsh weather conditions but also from road thefts and other unwanted incidents. Enclosed auto haulers generally are the most expensive means of transportation available in the market. This type of shipping service is most suitable for luxury or new cars.
2. Condition of your vehicle
Another factor that can affect your car shipping cost per mile is the condition of your vehicles including your make and model, size of the vehicle, and more. A small car might cost less to ship than a huge SUV or related vehicle. Big size vehicles can take a lot of space available for other vehicles in the hauler and hence they are charged accordingly.
3. Time of the year
The time of the year plays a major role in determining the average cost to ship a car per mile and the availability of various means of transport options. If you are planning to move your child to a new city right before the start of the new academic year then you are likely to witness a rise in shipping prices due to changes in demand and supply. Further, it can also be extremely difficult to book slots as per your needs and requirements during such times of the year. You might just have to give up and take the shipping slots offered by the company.
4. Type of service
While booking your auto shipping services you will be given two options to choose from such as the economy and standard services. Economy type of services is the most popular and cheapest option available in the market. In these types of services, your car will be picked up from the location anywhere between 1 to 5 business days. These types of services are more flexible for people who are not in a rush to relocate or travel to a new place in the country.
In standard auto shipping services, you get access to quick services where your vehicle will be picked up from the location within 1 to 3 business days. If you are planning to move within a certain time frame then this type of service can be a suitable option for you, however, it can cost more compared to the economy shipping service.
5. Route
One of the major factors that determine the delivery charge per mile is your shipment route. For places that are difficult to reach are generally costly. Interstate shipping can also cost you huge amounts of money due to many legal requirements and different rules and regulations imposed by states across the country. However, if you choose to take shipping services during the off-season for locations that do not have much-developed transportation infrastructure then you might be charged less for car shipping cost per mile.
How to ship your car cheaply?
If you have budget constraints then we have listed down some suggestions that you can take into account in order to save some money while shipping your vehicles to different locations.
1. Off-season shipping
As mentioned above, off-seasons are one the best time where you can reduce your average cost to ship a car per mile. During the off-season, the shipping industry is not in much and you can take the advantage of the same. If you can wait or have ample time before relocating then you can consider shipping your vehicle during the off-season period.
2. Advance booking
Shipping companies often give priority to customers who book their shipping services in advance. At times some companies can also offer you exciting discounts and other related offers to their customers.
3. Opt for terminal-to-terminal shipping
Door-to-door car delivery services often add more cost to your shipping services. If you do not have any issues traveling a few miles to pick up your car from a certain location near to your desired destination then you must definitely consider opting for terminal-to-terminal shipping services. This way you will be able to save some money on your average trucking cost per mile.
4. Open car transport
Open car transport is one of the cheapest modes of transportation options available in the market. With this option, you will be able to enjoy the less expensive car shipping cost per mile and save money at the same time. This option is most suitable for old or used cars.
Best car transport to handle your move
The best car transport company to handle your move is the one that maintains transparency with their customers and pays utmost attention to all their needs and requirements. One of the major factors that most customers are usually concerned about is the shipping cost of their vehicles. You must make sure to do appropriate research and then select the company that offers the best services at reasonable prices. You can also search for shipping quotes or visit online websites that provide a wide range of reliable shipping quotes or car costs per mile rates of different companies in the market.
We hope by now you must have a clear picture of how the average cost per mile to drive is calculated. We at BBK Transport offer the most flexible services at reasonable prices across the nation. Contact us today to learn more about our shipping rates and services.
