Snowbird Season: Everything You Need to Know When Shipping Your Vehicle
Winter is coming! For a lot of people, that means getting somewhere warmer. While you only really need the necessities like clothes, your car and a cold drink, shipping your vehicle often times can be a hassle. Keep reading if you want to find out how to get the best service when hiring a company to ship your vehicle.
Snowbird Rates
Although costs of shipping have been up and down lately, one thing is certain; shipping on a snowbird route tends to get expensive. States like Florida, Arizona and California have a higher chance of costing more $$ when booking a little too close to your pick up date. Don’t wait til it’s too late! The auto transport industry works with first come, first serve. If you wait too late to book, there won’t be many spots available for your route and desired schedule. With the high demand for car shipping during the winter season, spots fly off the shelves like hotcakes!
Still looking for place to move to for the winter? Click here for a list of the best states to move to during the winter!
The Perfect Time to Book
We typically recommend that you get a quote and book an order about 2-3 weeks before your first available pickup date. This will help reduce the likelihood of your transport being more expensive. Getting quotes for your vehicle’s transport might take some time. Now, on the same token, you don’t want to book too far in advance either. The auto transport market changes on a regular basis. Typically, the change in the market isn’t much on a daily basis, but becomes noticeable as weeks go by. If you book 2 months in advance, you risk the chance of your quote being overpriced or underpriced, and neither of those are good. When the market changes and your quote is below the average cost per spot (otherwise known as the ACPS), you’ll miss your opportunity to get your vehicles spot secured on the driver’s truck. You also don’t want your quote to be over priced!
Booking Your Trip Back
BEWARE OF ANY COMPANY OFFERING YOU A ROUND TRIP DEAL! Unfortunately, it’s hard to know what the future of auto transport will look like. If a company is offering you a round trip deal, more than likely the price on the return trip will be inaccurate or too high. This can happen when a company is trying to book your first trip and will get you a “low cost” for the return trip. But in reality, they just want to bait you in for the first leg of the trip.
How to Choose The Best Company For You
When receiving quotes from companies you find online, make sure you do your own research. A lot of companies can offer you below the average cost of transport in hopes that they earn your business. After they’ve booked your auto transport order, they will hit you with fees that can amount to you paying double the cost of what they promised you. Make sure you look at websites like Yelp and the BBB. These platforms offer verified reviews from customers that have worked with a certain company. If the reviews on a company are low, you’ll probably want to stay away from them. Make sure you aren’t going with a quote just because it was the cheapest cost you found!
Ready to get started! Click here to request a free quote or call us at 224-236-7989!