Preparing to Ship Your Auto

By Tom Kearns


Have you ever prepared yourself for a long trip and had a deep, foreboding sense that you forgot something? It is a fear of many travelers going to far away places that have forgotten an essential item that can?t be purchased at their destination. When you pack for a long journey, you are focused on making sure the things you need are traveling with you; things like keys, cell phones, tickets, wallets chargers, money conversion tables and other necessities of life. Then once beginning your journey, you worry for hours that you didn?t turn off the coffee pot. Preparing to send your car on a journey can be just as fretful.

Shipping an automobile is not unlike shipping yourself somewhere. Checklists must be made to ensure everything is in order and then must be double checked so that your car travels over long distances with the involvement of many third parties as smoothly as possible. A review of the checks and preparations that must be made by you and between you and your shipping partners would be helpful to you in avoiding undesirable situations along your car?s long road to its final destination.

When shipping your auto, success will always smile on the prepared. There are some issues that may be beyond your reach, there are many over which you have control. First off, you must clean your car thoroughly; doing so will uncover minute details of its condition that may have escaped you before. You must note all these details found during the cleaning and inspection of you car for documentation of its condition that will come in handy later on should a dispute arise as to its original condition. You should take photographs as well and do anything you can think of to prove the car?s condition prior to putting it in the hands of the shippers.

Most buyers and shippers will inspect the vehicle in minute detail, so having your report prepared with pictures, notes and documentation of the vehicle?s condition will aid greatly in reducing frustration and resolving disputes. Note that you should also in your preparations disarm your car alarm so unnecessary disruptions don?t occur during the vehicle?s transfer.

Also, things like extraneous and removable racks and parts should be separated and accounted for as to not make the shipping process any more difficult. Items such as a cumbersome antenna left up or an unneeded tow hitch left on can cause nightmares for those trying to transport an automobile through traditional methods. Important decals and toll access passes should also be secured as to avoid any unnecessary charges or loss of property. As these are some of preparations we can make on our end, let?s look at a few checks we should confirming with our auto shipping partners externally.

The transfer, protection and release of funds should always be a huge concern for anyone shipping a vehicle. It will be key to make sure whatever money you are spending or receiving is through a trusted and reliable source. You will also want to check on what type of repercussions you may have if something goes awry with the exchange of funds.

You must thoroughly research all parties with which you are doing business. Your time and money are at stake here, so investigating the quality of the services and the people you are dealing with is of absolute necessity to ensure that all goes smoothly for you and your car. No matter how much time and effort you spend on preparation, none of it will matter if in the end you entrust your vehicle to nefarious dealers.

Do not forget diligent follow-ups. Following up on the processes as they move along is very much a part of your job as a successful auto transporter client. Taking a proactive position and double checking on the process as each step progresses is another way to assure that there will no surprises along the car?s long trek.

Do not let large gaps of time elapse before asking or getting confirmation that the auto shipping process is on track and adhering to the original schedule. Solving problems early will keep the project running smoothly without surprises. Like the Boy Scouts always say, ?Be prepared.?

Realize that auto shipping in not a one day wonder. If you have ever had the occasion to step out of your comfort zone or deal with a subject of which you know nothing, you may have some idea of how important thorough preparation can be to successful results. Like a great actor or even a frequent flyer, the more preparation that has taken place before the performance or trip, the better the results will be. Auto shipping can be compared to the actor hoping he won?t forget his lines, or the traveler risking a missed flight in the way that one false step can result in severe consequences. Always be prepared.




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