Everyone loves to have options when it comes to making an important decision, like how to transport your car long distances. If you’re looking for the best method for moving your vehicle, you have two excellent options: using the traditional shipping services or having someone drive it to its new location.
However, when it comes down to the details, it might not be as simple as choosing between A or B; there are a few considerations to tick. Should you go for the car shipping or would using a professional driver be more convenient? Let’s look at several aspects that affect how each works to help you make an informed decision.
Car Shipping and Driver Service: What They Are
Car shipping is when your vehicle is shipped using trailers or trucks specifically designed for this purpose to move it to another location, usually far from where you currently are. In such a case, nobody drives the car but it’s loaded onto the flatbed of the trailer or truck while someone drives the heavy-duty truck carrying the vehicles.
On the other hand, a driver service employs skilled and professional drivers to drive the vehicles long distances to the new destination. These drivers usually have years of experience on the road and use special equipment and route mapping to ensure the journey is smooth, fast, safe, and seamless. As you can see, these two methods of transporting cars are distinct, each with its perks and downsides.
The one you choose will depend on specific needs and what your travel goals are. There are key differences between car shipping vs. driving services, such as cost, travel means, and speed of delivery. Let’s break them down for better understanding.
Differences Between Car Shipping and Driver Services
Before we break down the factors mentioned above, we want to point out that an important consideration is your new location. Cross-country movement is usually across state lines into new states a long way from where you currently are.
However, if you’re moving to or from a place like Hawaii or Alaska, you must consider the issue of crossing the water. While there may be routes to drive the automobile on land, it might be better, quicker, and more convenient to use a car shipping service to ferry the cargo across the water.
From there, you can opt to use a professional driver to get it to the new destination or continue with the shipping company to transport it with a trailer. In special cases like this, you might have to combine the two services to get the desired result or pick the one that best suits your needs.
The following are some considerations that show the differences between the two services to help you pick the best option.
- Security and Protection
Using a transport service to move your vehicle is usually a preferred method in this case. The reason is simple: there’s no case of car theft or damage because it sits secure in a moving trailer with other cars.
While a driving service has insurance and takes steps to ensure the cars are safe by using trackers and GPS monitors, some owners still prefer shipping instead of driving. Moreover, insurance for driving services is a little complex, while that of auto transport is straightforward. Click here to learn more about car trackers.
- Travel Method
Another consideration is the travel method. For one, your car will be driven to the new place, increasing its mileage and leaving it vulnerable to the elements and debris. While auto transport services that use an open carrier for moving vehicles means leaving them vulnerable to the elements, the risks are lower compared to physical driving.
There’s also the issue of weather, which affects both services. Extreme weather conditions may cause delays in delivery and increases the chances of accidents, more so for the physically-driven car.
- Costs
Then, there are the costs of transportation. For car shipping, the costs are usually given before the journey begins and you don’t pay anything extra, except in unique situations. But for a driving service, you must consider several factors, such as extra insurance, parking fees for rest stops, tolls, and gas.
There’s also the cost of the return trip for the driver, something you don’t have to worry about with auto transport. Overall, consider the cost for both services because the distance, time of year, and urgency generally increase or decrease it.
Peak periods like summer are expensive for car shipping or driver services, while off-peak periods like the colder months are less expensive. This resource, https://www.cooneyconway.com/blog/14-tips-driving-extreme-winter-conditions, explains how to safely drive in extreme weather conditions.
4. Speed of Delivery
Driving services typically deliver faster than auto transport because they have flexible routes, although there are planned routes to make the journey easier by avoiding obstacles. If you have only one vehicle that needs delivery or need it to be delivered quickly, you may find the driving service more suited to your needs. However, they can only operate one car per driver, while an auto transport can move several cars per driver.
Bottom Line
Costs, insurance coverage, weather conditions, time of year, urgency, and speed of delivery are only a few of the factors to consider when choosing between car shipping and driving services. Each comes with its perks and downsides, so carefully which works according to unique requirements and make the best decision.
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