On its own, shipping single vehicles over long distances can be nerve wracking, and when you have many different employees with different work duties, preferences, and expectations it can get overwhelming pretty quickly. This is one of the many reasons that a good relationship with a car shipping company is crucial for your business.
If you own and operate a fleet of company vehicles, it’s time to learn more about the services that make managing your fleet easier. Any business that is purchasing new vehicles to match their fleet or considering expansion, will have to consider how to move vehicles from one place to the next. Here are ways that successful companies are relocating all or part of their fleet to meet the needs of the company.
Driving Versus Shipping
If you are in the position to be able to pay employees to dive your vehicles from one location to another, you can take advantage of paying them their regular wages to do so. But consider the following.
- How long will the drive take, and what kind of lodging and per diem requirements will you be forced to compensate your drivers for?
- How much fuel will the trip take, and are you traveling through fuel-price inflated areas?
- Are your vehicles ready to make a long journey on the road?
- Can you afford to put that many miles on your vehicles?
The benefits of having your car shipped is that you may be able to avoid all of these disadvantages when relocating your fleet. If you have highly customized vehicles with flashy paint jobs, you may even wish to use services such as shipping them in an enclosed container. Your cars will not have added mileage and this can ensure that the life of the vehicle is extended. Long distance drives can be hard on some vehicles.
Another benefit is that of having insured, certified, professional drivers transporting the vehicle. I’m sure that we’re all perfectly safe drivers, but there is always going to be a difference in skill between layman and professionals.
Hiring a professional also ensures that potential traffic infractions and tickets are avoided. Professional drivers adhere strictly to the driving codes and rules across all of the states they transport in. Having a professional driver in charge of transporting not just one car, but several others at once, guarantees that should any perceived traffic violation occur, you will not be held liable.
How to Find a Reliable Transportation Company
The internet can be a valuable resource. You can search companies that operate in any state that you are considering purchasing from, or delivering vehicles to. Be sure to read customer reviews and pay special attention to any red flags that involve property damage or accidents that may have occured.
Just because a company may have had an accident in the past with a particular client, shouldn’t deter you from their services. What’s most important is how the incident was resolved, and whether their customers walked away from that incident feeling satisfied that they were adequately compensated.
You may also be able to ask other business owners in your area for referrals. You can even search for business owners that operate near you online. This is a great way to also build relationships with other businesses around you. By simply opening a line of conversation as to what car shippers they are using in California or other US states, you can then continue the conversation into many different aspects that can benefit both of your businesses in the form of mutual collaboration.
How to Go About Scheduling Auto Transportion
Once you’ve decided which car needs to go where, you can begin requesting quotes. The things you will need for an accurate quote includes
- Total distance of the transportation
- A timeline. Will you need expedited shipping?
- General vehicle information such as makes, models, and weight of the vehicles being transported.
- Any special requirements you have, such as vehicle coverings, enclosed transportation, lower ground clearance, or oversized addons that vehicles may have.
- This is also time to take note of any requirements that the transportation service may have for you. You may need to have fuel or oil drained beforehand. Make sure to take note of what requirements you will be required to fill before transporting.
You’ll want to select a safe, easily accessible location and time for a technician to pick up your vehicles. Before departure, you and your assigned technician will do a quick inspection of the car to catalog any potential, pre-existing dings, scratches, or blemishes. After the inspection is completed and the paperwork signed you’re all set.
Once delivered, you and your assigned technician will once again go over your car/s from bumper to bumper to ensure that you received your property in exactly the same condition you left them. Provided you are satisfied with the service and inspection, all that is left to do is sign the receipt of the vehicle and be on your way.
Driving your own company vehicles over long distances yourself is risky. It involves careful planning and an extensive amount of time and resources that the average, regular busines owner does not have access to. Hiring a responsible company with a stellar reputation and business history is a far safer bet.
