How to Ship Cars As Freight
If you are moving a long distance and can't drive your car to the destination you can ship it as freight instead. Cars can be shipped as freight both across the United States and across the ocean to another country. Typically there are two ways to ship cars – as roll-on/roll-off or container shipping. Roll-on/roll-off is when a car is driven onto a boat or trailer to be transported and then driven off at the destination. Container shipping is how you ship a car as freight. It is when a car is secured in a 20-foot or 40-foot container so that it can be shipped anywhere via boat or train.
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Instructions
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Select a car shipping company. If you are moving, ask your moving company for a referral. Or you can use a site like Move Cars to see a directory of car shipping companies.
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Visit the website of your preferred shipping company, or a few of them if you want to do a comparison, and use the online freight quote calculator. Enter in the origin of the car, its destination, the type of vehicle and your contact information. Some websites will give you an immediate quote and others will send it to you by email or give you a call. Inquire about insurance and liability with the shipping company. If they do not cover your vehicle, they will be able to refer to you an insurance company that specializes in insuring cars shipping as freight.
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Select the shipping company that you want to use and schedule your car for shipping. Typically a pickup date can be agreed upon but the delivery date can fluctuate depending on how long it actually takes the freight to arrive. Let the company know if you plan to pack any household materials in with the vehicle in the container. Some companies will drop the container off at your home for you to pack everything but the car in and then take it back to the shipping dock to await arrival of your car.
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Drive your car to the shipping dock, or arrange with a friend or driver from the shipping company to bring the car to the shipping dock. Once the car is at the shipping dock it will be put into the container and the container will be sealed. Typically a car can have no more than a quarter tank of gas in it for transport, so make sure that you meet this requirement.
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Sign the shipping manifest and verify the delivery location and tentative pickup date. Make sure you get copies before you leave, as you will need them to pick up your car once it reaches its destination.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are shipping your car to another country, you will have to pay duties and fees at customs to pick up the vehicle. The amount varies by country, but your shipping company can give you an estimate of the amount to expect to pay.
