Shipping of one of your most expensive items that you possess, your car, can be a daunting task.
This is even more evident when a customer is moving from one state to another. The thought of having to sell your home, pack things, part with some things and then move to new territory can be overwhelming.
Then comes the worry of having to shop around to find an auto transport company that can suit your needs.
Now, you have some things you do not want to ship in the moving van or it might be the last minute things you kept with you which you do not want to take with you on a flight since the airlines charge you for everything now including carry on luggage, clothes, books maybe a television.
Here is something that you will need to know. Auto carriers are NOT insured to carry contents but they do try to help you out with your move.
It also depends on the independent transporter. Some ask you not to put anything at all in the car. The majority of them will ask you to limit the contents to 100lbs. The reasoning behind that is as follows:
When an auto carrier is fully loaded the maximum allowable weight for them is 80,000lbs. This includes the tractor head, trailer and the vehicles on it. While moving anything cross country, all commercial vehicles have to stop at weigh stations along the way. Federal requirements ask them not to exceed this allowable weight. If an auto carrier is overweight when they enter the weigh station, they face a minimum $1,000 fine and are charged $1.00/lb. of excess weight. Imagine facing that fine every time they enter a weight station until they reach their destination. Most transporters live trip to trip. They are one man operations. This type of fine cannot be absorbed by the carrier and there isn’t a customer out there that will want to foot that type of bill. So they do ask you to be kind to them and take due care and they will take care of your auto transport needs.
While the auto carrier is shipping the car, there are a few things they do ask you not to put in the vehicle.
Please do not put anything that is hazardous in the car such as:
Propane tanks, gas cans, household chemicals (yes, transporters have had customers put their gas cylinder from a barbeque grill in the back seat of a car).
They also ask you to try and limit putting anything in the car itself. Things can shift and cause interior damage to the car and they cannot and will not assume responsibility for that type of damage if it occurs. Carriers also ask that if you are putting anything in the vehicle to also make sure you have ¼ tank of fuel or less. Also, MOST IMPORTANTLY, you need to let your broker know. This way when they are speaking to the independent transporter the information is communicated to the trucker and they can plan their load and prevent possible overweight situations which usually results in them losing a car and therefore losing money.
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