How Auto Transport Works
How Auto Transport Works
The car shipping industry can be best separated into Brokers and Carriers. The Brokers book the vast majority of customer orders and rely heavily on car transport Carriers to move the vehicles. This very efficient system allows Brokers and Carriers, usually on CentralDispatch, to collaborate and get the vehicles shipped.
The Brokers absolutely need Carriers. The reverse is also true as the Carriers, too busy on the road, depend on the Brokers to fill their truck space.
When Do You Need Auto Transport Services?
People turn to auto transport services when they are buying a vehicle hundreds or thousands of miles away, and they need it shipped to their home. Or they are moving to another city or state and don’t want to drive their vehicle themselves. So they ship it instead. College students and military personnel commonly use car shipping services for the same reason. Retirees, often called snowbirds, will use car transport companies to save the hassle of driving. Auto transport services are usually very affordable because carriers use the same trucks that also deliver new vehicles to dealerships.
Our Hassle-Free Auto Transport Process
Simply enter your origination and destination zip codes. The city, town or area will usually auto-populate. Then choose the year, make and model of the vehicle(s) you are shipping. Select whether it is running or non-running? And then finally, choose whether you wish to go Open or Enclosed transport? That’s it. You should see your car shipping cost in 5 seconds or less! Direct Express does not ask for any personal information before providing you with a car shipping quote. We are one of the only car transport brokers in the business to do this! Your name, phone number and email address are not required to get a quote.
At Direct Express Auto Transport, we offer three tiers of pricing based upon how much of a hurry you are in? Most customers don’t realize it, but they are actually competing against other customers for space on a car transport trailer. Obviously, a carrier will want to select the best paying orders. We are very good at figuring that out. Our car shipping cost calculator determines the most basic rate (Standard Tier), that works well on popular routes with little competition. But in remote locations at either end, or in stiff competition on popular routes, we recommend selecting the Expedited Tier. If in an even bigger hurry, choose the Rush Tier.
Once you’ve decided the best car transport cost tier for you, please proceed online to easily place your vehicle shipment order in just minutes. Or call a Direct Express Auto Transport customer service representative during normal business hours at 800-600-3750. Either the online form or customer service representative will ask you to provide pertinent information such as your pickup and destination contacts, and the first date that your vehicle is available for pickup. Upon checkout, please enter your credit or debit card information so that your order is officially entered. Your credit card will only be charged upon assignment. Isn’t that nice? No deposit is required to place an order.
Upon booking, you will instantly receive an Order Confirmation email. Look for that in your email inbox or drag it over from another folder. Direct Express Auto Transport will notify you via email regarding your carrier assignment, which will contain the name of the driver, his phone number, and the estimated dates for pickup and delivery. The earliest you may see the Carrier Assignment email is a few days prior to your first available date to ship. But it may also be a number of days after your first date available before a carrier calls to lay claim to your order. It is generally not every day that a carrier is leaving one town with a full load for another. The first available date is simply the starting date and might take longer. Talk to our customer service team about how to hasten the car shipping process
At the same time that Direct Express notifies you via email of the Carrier Assignment, we also send the carrier your pickup and destination information, including contacts. Please be sure your contacts make themselves available to speak with the carrier. Your pickup contact needs to be vigilant and react quickly. You don’t want to miss the car transport carrier because it might be awhile before another is ready to go. The carrier driver will not just show up unannounced. He or she will call your pickup contact first to coordinate time and place to meet, and also verify information. Most times it is necessary to meet the carrier close by your neighborhood at a place the driver can safely maneuver his or her big truck. That is still in the spirit of door-to-door service. Keep in mind no money changes hands at pickup. Simply fill out a vehicle condition report authorizing the car shipment and hand over the keys. No other paperwork is necessary. It’s actually very easy.
The vehicle transporter, or carrier, is once again not supposed to just show up unannounced. The driver ideally should call the day before to alert your destination contact of his pending arrival, and will give a rough estimation of what time of day to expect. They almost always miss the target time, so please be patient and understanding. Other customers may delay him. Traffic conditions might slow him. Mechanical difficulties or inclement weather might throw a monkey-wrench into his plans. He wants to deliver your car as fast and as badly as you do. Time is money and delays frustrate him too. When the car transport carrier does arrive, you should thoroughly inspect your vehicle for any damage, which rarely happens. That is your opportunity to speak up, make proper notes on the vehicle condition report and even take digital photos. Any issues will be addressed later. Regardless of the condition, industry rules state that you are to pay the carrier the balance owed with Cash or Money Order before receiving your vehicle. There you have it. Direct Express Auto Transport usually makes this six-step process a breeze and you can drive off with your vehicle
Direct Express Auto Transport’s Three Tiered Pricing
There is such a thing as a basic auto transport quote and this is it. You are competing against other customers for car transport trailer space. Standard tier, or rate, works well when there is little competition and the route is popular. Otherwise, go to a higher tier to avoid being frustrated.
If there is a logjam of similar vehicles priced at or near the Standard pricing, just a little bit more can go a long way. With the Expedited tier, or rate, all of a sudden your vehicle is more appealing to car carriers than other vehicles waiting for a lower price. The Expedited car shipping quote might also be used to lure a transport service to a remote location. Take our good advice and just do it. The Expedited car shipping quote is very popular with our customers ...
Some people are in a big hurry. The higher paying Rush tier, or rate, orders tend to get assigned to a car carrier quicker. Since most orders get picked up within one or two days of assignment, the customer also receives his vehicle faster. Of course, there still needs to be a car delivery service making that run and one vehicle alone cannot make that happen. But those situations are the exception and not the rule. Don’t want to mess around? Go with the Rush car shipping quote.
