Vehicle Shipping Cost – Page 7 – Direct Express Auto Transport

Car and Truck Driving Tips In Winter

Written by Mike Rupers on December 19, 2022. Posted in Auto Transport Tips, Seasonal Fluctuations, Van Shipping Cost, Vehicle Shipping Cost.

These figures are alarming, particularly when you consider that 70% of America’s roads exist in places where the temperature regularly drops below freezing during the winter. Most drivers will have to drive on dangerous roads at some point each winter. Even drivers in Southern states where it rarely freezes may encounter snow and ice because of a freak storm or because they take a road trip north. Everybody needs to know the next car and truck driving tips in winter conditions.

No one should ever expect to drive in perfect conditions all the time. Likewise, everyone should know how to drive safely when there’s snow in the air, ice on the road, or fog on the horizon. Keep yourself, your passengers, and your vehicle safe by following these winter car and truck driving tips compiled by the transport experts at Direct Express Auto Transport:

Be Good To Your Tires

Your tires can make winter driving a lot easier or a lot harder. If possible, use tires specifically made for driving in snow and ice. They offer extra grip to keep you from sliding around the road. At the start of the winter season, inspect your tires for signs of wear and tear (or have a professional do it for you). That is a great time to replace old tires – even if you don’t replace them with special winter tires – and start the winter with something new. At the very least, watch your tire pressure – under-inflated tires don’t perform as well in slippery conditions.

Avoid Cruise Control

Cruise control can be a great feature, especially on a long drive, but it only makes driving more dangerous in the winter. You might encounter ice on the road or a sudden snow shower without warning. Or there could be an accident caused by winter weather or a traffic slowdown that appears out of nowhere. Winter travel requires dynamic driving in many cases. You need to slow down quickly and vary your speed all the time. For that reason, it’s safer to leave cruise control off and keep your foot on the gas or brakes.

Take the Essentials

Even with preparation and defensive driving, there’s no way to guarantee safe passage on winter roads. As the stats above demonstrated, accidents are more common in winter, and you could also end up stranded because of bad traffic or impassable roads. That’s why it’s essential to take some precautions before you leave the house for any extended winter drive.

Ensure your car has at least half of a gas tank so that fuel issues don’t leave you stranded in the cold. But don’t assume you won’t get stranded – pack a winter travel kit with essentials like blankets, food, water, flashlights, glass scrapers, windshield wiper fluid, warm clothes, and first aid supplies. You can keep a frustrating situation from getting worse (and more dangerous) by keeping this kit in your car throughout the winter months.

Go Slow

We mentioned earlier that driving on ice or snow requires dynamic control of your speed. In general, though, you always want to drive slower in wintery conditions, regardless of what the speed limit says. Go more gradually on the highways and residential streets. Follow this rule even if the roads appear clear and dry, especially if they have visible snow or ice on them. Preventing your car from slipping and sliding is always better than trying to correct these problems once they start.

Maintain More Distance

You want to go slow because it takes your car significantly longer to stop when the roads are slick. Even if you press hard on the brakes, your car can’t get enough traction to stop as fast as normal. Travel five to six seconds behind the car in front of you, especially in bad weather. That should give you enough time to stop if you suddenly see brake lights ahead of you. Extra stopping distance can also help you avoid hitting another car if you start slipping on the pavement. Try to give a wide berth to every other car on the road.

Accelerate Slowly

Too much gas too quickly can cause your tires to slip out on frozen roads. When the stoplight changes to green, apply the gas in a slow, steady manner, and don’t expect to come up to full speed as quickly as you usually would. The same goes if you have to reduce your pace on the highway – don’t hurry to speed up again because it could accidentally cause your tires to lose traction.

Correct Your Slide

If and when your tires start to slide in a way you didn’t expect, don’t panic. Take your foot off the accelerator, and resist slamming on the brakes. Instead, hover your foot over the brake pedal while turning the steering wheel toward the slide. Turning into the slide helps your tires regain traction, at which point you can apply brake pressure gently. Your driver’s instincts will want you to keep the car pointing in the direction of travel, but it puts you and other drivers at risk if you turn against the slide because you could completely lose control of the car. Remember, being in a minor traffic accident is better than a major one. Turning into the slide could mean the difference.

Don’t Overestimate Your Vehicle

You could drive a pickup or SUV with four-wheel drive, a crossover with all-wheel drive, or a make/model that promises superior traction control. These are all great features to have, and they can come in handy when driving in snow or navigating around patches of ice.

But they don’t make your vehicle immune to the hazards of driving in the winter. Anyone who’s gone through a winter storm before has probably seen large trucks on the side of the road. These and other vehicles that offer extra traction may be more capable in the snow or ice, but they’re not any better at coming to a stop quickly. The point is, no matter what you drive, drive carefully. How you go in the winter weather matters a lot more than what you drive.

An Alternative to Winter Driving

Just because you know how to drive in the snow doesn’t mean you want to. Even in the best of conditions, when the weather forecast and the roadways are clear, winter driving can sound less than appealing. It would be best to deal with a cold car cabin, dry air, salt everywhere, and extra stress on your car. There’s a reason most people take road trips in the spring or summer.

If you need to get your vehicle from one place to another – because you’re moving, going on an extended vacation, headed off to college, or getting a car to a friend, family member, or buyer – you don’t have to drive it there yourself. Car shipping is also an option. And in the winter, it’s often the better option.

When you ship a car, you arrange for a vehicle hauler to pick it up somewhere close to your location and load it onto the back of a vehicle trailer (or into an enclosed trailer for maximum safety). The professional driver then transports your vehicle to your destination – whether across the state or country – and drops it off wherever you want. You save time, your vehicle saves miles, and you don’t have to worry about driving on ice or snow.

If vehicle shipping sounds better than a winter-weather road trip, Direct Express Auto Transport makes it easy to arrange a pickup.

The Original Car Shipping Quote Calculator

Direct Express Auto Transport originated the instant car shipping quote calculator in 2004. It is still the best, most sophisticated, reliable tool available anywhere online. We offer three options that we call tiers of car shipping estimates. The standard rate is the cheapest car shipping quote, but it may take longer. Use it if you are patient. We recommend the expedited car shipping rate and have countless satisfied customers because the shipping process tends to go quicker.

photo of a man Maintain your car change the tires

How to Maintain Your Car’s Drivability

Written by Mike Rupers on December 13, 2022. Posted in Auto Transport Tips, Auto Trends, Car Safety, Vehicle Shipping Cost.

How long do today’s cars last? According to Consumer Reports, only around eight years or 150,000 miles on average. That’s a little short, considering how much you spend on a car and how much you depend on it daily. You need to maintain your car’s drivability.

Fortunately, you can make a model last much longer than average with some proactive steps. Addressing issues early, before they leave you stranded on the side of the road, can extend the lifespan of anything you drive and help you get the most from your investment. No matter what make or model you depend on, use these car maintenance tips to prolong drivability:

Read Your Owner’s Manual

That is the first item on the list because it’s the most important and neglected. Your owner’s manual gives you a roadmap for keeping your car running. It likely has a schedule showing you what kinds of preventative maintenance it needs and when. The manual will also supply advice from the manufacturer about what you can and can’t do with your vehicle – e.g., put on snow tires or use different kinds of motor oil.

Since this advice comes directly from the manufacturer, it’s the best information available about the needs of your specific model and model year. Those needs are sometimes obscure, too. Some autos have specific but unexpected requirements that could eventually affect their longevity if neglected. Your owner’s manual might not offer a thrilling read, but it can put you in much better touch with your vehicle, which is a prerequisite for keeping it running smoothly.

Obsess Over the Tires

Of all the things on your car that require monitoring and maintenance, your tires are arguably the most important. They’re where the rubber meets the road – a saying highlighting how essential tires are and how much wear and tear they get subjected to. Maintain your car’s drivability by keeping your tires rotated.

Long miles could cause the tires to lose air pressure, which throws off the vehicle steering and reduces fuel efficiency. Aging tires are also at risk of bursting, which is highly annoying at best and extremely dangerous at worst. You can prevent these issues by checking your tire pressure regularly and inflating your tires to the level the manufacturer recommends (printed on the side of the tire).

Rotating your tires is also essential, ideally with every oil change. Most important, though, is replacing your tires once they reach thresholds for age, miles traveled, or visible signs of wear. Traveling with worn-out tires is a significant safety hazard that puts you, your passengers, and your ride at risk.

Always Change the Oil

Ask an expert how to maintain your car engine, and he will probably tell you to change the oil. Oil is the lifeblood of your vehicle. It lubricates all the moving parts inside the machine. When oil becomes dirty and sludgy or the oil level drops too low, it can cause engine parts to seize up, overheat, and fail in countless different ways. You ignore your oil at your peril.

Conventional wisdom says you should change your oil every three months or after every 3,000 miles of travel. Some manufacturers acknowledge you can wait longer than that, but it’s better to be overly cautious about your oil. Getting it changed on a regular schedule ensures it never becomes a problem. This routine also gets your car in front of a trained technician every few months, which is extremely helpful for spotting mechanical issues early.

Whether it’s a dealership, a local mechanic, a big-chain lube shop, or your driveway, find a place you feel comfortable changing your oil and commit to doing it often.

Replace Parts Early and Often

In addition to your tires and oil, many other parts of your car need replacement during its lifetime: wiper blades, brakes, timing belt, air filter, engine coolant, transmission fluid, battery, and so on. For all of these elements, find out their expected lifespan and plan to replace them close to their projected failure date.

True, you may end up replacing a part that still has life in it or flushing away some fluids that could have gone for hundreds more miles. But this solution – replacing things before they fail – is always cheaper than the alternative in the long run. Why? Because it costs less to replace a part that still works than to repair a vehicle where that same part has failed – and possibly damaged other components, led to an accident, or required fees for tow trucks and emergency mechanic services.

If you’re serious about how to maintain your car, make a multi-year calendar outlining every part, fluid, or component you will replace. When done consistently, staying ahead of car maintenance can keep your car running indefinitely – for as many years or miles as you still enjoy driving it.

Drive Differently

When people think of how to maintain a car, they focus a lot more on the car’s performance than their performance behind the wheel. But it’s undeniable that how you drive impacts the health and well-being of what you drive. For example, if you frequently brake hard, your brakes will wear out faster, along with your tires; if you don’t slow down when you go over speed bumps, you may damage the undercarriage of the vehicle; if you drive recklessly in rain or snow, the chances of an accident go up significantly.

Driving conscientiously at all times can help you avoid taking unnecessary risks or putting unwanted stress and strain on your car. Changing your driving habits costs you nothing – a completely free method that could save you thousands in car maintenance.

Drive Less

It might sound evident on a list of car maintenance tips that you can maintain the drivability of your vehicle by simply driving it less. But many people need to pay more attention to how much unnecessary driving they engage in yearly. Sometimes you want to drive or need to drive. However, occasionally you log hundreds or thousands of miles behind the wheel when there are viable (and often superior) alternatives to driving.

Auto transport, for instance. Imagine getting a vehicle from one side of the country to the other. You could commit to a coast-to-coast road trip, eating up days of your time and putting thousands of miles on your odometer. Or you could ship the car, in which case it rides on the back of a car transport trailer driven by a professional (instead of you).

Other ways to drive less and maintain your car include biking or using public transport instead of driving around town, consolidating more of your errands into one trip, or having more things delivered to your home. You can keep your vehicle around for longer simply by giving it a break occasionally.

Direct Express Auto Transport – Maintain Your Car’s Drivability

It would be best if you had a ton of time, tools, and automotive expertise to maintain a car entirely on your own. You’re going to need some help along the way. That means working with a mechanic who can perform routine maintenance or automotive repairs if something unexpected breaks down. It also might mean working with a vehicle transporter.

People ship cars for many different reasons: to a winter home, for work, for school, to a buyer, etc. Anytime it’s impossible, inconvenient, or just unwanted to make a drive yourself, auto haulers are willing to make the drive for you and spare your car, truck, or SUV extensive wear and tear in the process.

When you need to find a vehicle hauler, rely on Direct Express Auto Transport. We created the first online car shipping quote calculator. We connect with auto transporters across the country who are traveling through your location en route to the destination where you want to send your vehicle(s). It’s surprisingly easy for you.

The Original Car Shipping Quote Calculator

How to Properly Jump Start a Car

Written by Mike Rupers on December 11, 2022. Posted in Car Safety, Car Shipping Advice, Vehicle Shipping Cost.

It happens to everybody at some point. Your car battery is dead and needs an emergency jump start. The leading cause of drained car batteries is the vehicle sitting idle for too long.

Luckily, the solution is simple: jump-start the battery. This process is unfamiliar to some and intimidating to others, but rest assured that it’s easy and safe. Rely on this comprehensive guide to highlight everything you need to know about how to jump-start a car.

Signs You Need to Jump-Start Your Car

Before you do anything else, you need to confirm that a dead car battery is the source of your problem. Lots of things can cause a car not to start. Luckily, there are some tell-tale signs that battery is the issue:

Dashboard Light – Many modern vehicles have dashboard indicators to warn you when the charge in the battery is too low. Check the dash for any new lights, and consult your owner’s manual if you’re unsure what to look for.
Clicking Sound – Your car battery provides power to the starter motor, which starts your car. If the battery doesn’t provide enough energy, you will hear a clicking sound from the engine when you turn your key in the ignition.
No Electrics – The battery powers your car’s electric system that comes on even when it’s not running: things like the radio or the dome lights. If you can’t get these things to turn on as expected, it’s a clear sign that the battery needs to be jumped.

Why You Might Need to Jump-Start a Car

You could have a dead battery for multiple reasons, even if the car or the battery is new. We already mentioned that sitting idle can drain the battery because some systems draw small amounts of power even when the vehicle is off. Cold weather is another potential issue because batteries lose strength as the temperature drops. Here are some other circumstances that could leave you with a dead battery:

Human Error – If you forget to shut a door all the way or leave your headlights on by accident, it could drain all the power out of your battery. Be alert for warning signs from your vehicle that something needs your attention before you lock the doors and walk away.
Bad Wiring – Aftermarket electronics systems like a new stereo or extra vehicle lighting can draw too much power from the battery if they’re not wired up correctly. You may need a bigger one if the wiring is OK but still has battery issues.
Broken Alternator – The alternator is what recharges your car battery while you’re driving. Like every engine part, it wears out over time and requires replacement. If battery problems become a recurring issue, investigate the alternator.
Corroded Battery – Time and extreme weather will cause corrosion to form on battery terminals, which makes it harder for them to function as intended. All batteries need replacement (typically after 4-5 years) because of corrosion and other inevitable consequences of age.

When not to Jump Start a Car

If your car will not start and you’re sure the battery is the problem, there are a few situations where you should not attempt to jump-start your car. The first is when you drive an electric or hybrid vehicle. These models have complicated electrical systems and battery arrays that either need to be jump-started or require a detailed, non-standard approach.

Plus, if something goes wrong, it could cause severe damage to the electrical systems these vehicles need to drive. Therefore, it’s always best to have a professional address power problems in a hybrid or electric model.

The other instance where you shouldn’t try to jump-start your car is when the location of the vehicle becomes a safety hazard, like when it’s on the side of the highway. If you put yourself or others at risk trying to get the car started, enlist the help of a professional.

How to Jump-Start a Car Step By Step

The instructions below are for the traditional methods for jump-starting one car battery off another. However, the easiest way to jump-start a car is to use a battery pack built for a specific purpose. You charge it on a wall outlet and keep it in your car whenever needed. Then, you hook the pack to your battery to initiate the jump start. It takes the hassle out of finding another vehicle and getting them positioned correctly. Barring that option, here’s how to jump-start a car the old-fashioned way:

Find Another Driver – It could be a family member, roommate, neighbor, or stranger. One way or another, you will need to find someone else with a vehicle with a battery you can use for a jump start.
Position the cars – Position the vehicles so that the jumper cables can stretch from one battery to another. The typical way is to line the cars from hood to hood, but the circumstances may require a different position. Before you do anything, though, make sure that someone has a set of jumper cables.
Prepare the Vehicles – Both vehicles need to be in park or neutral and turn the ignition off. The jump start could take 10-15 minutes total, so be sure you’re in a spot that gives you enough time to work. If necessary, you may want to push your vehicle somewhere safer or more convenient to work from.
Hook Up the Jumper Cables – People often get confused about how to use jumper cables, but it’s a simple process that’s the same for almost all vehicles. Attach one of the red clips to the positive terminal (it will have a + sign or say POS) on your battery and the other red clip to the positive terminal on the battery in the other car. Then attach the black clip to the negative terminal on the battery in the other vehicle. Finally, attach the last black clip to a piece of unpainted metal under the hood of your car and away from the battery – most people use a metal strut to hold the hood open.
Start the Working Vehicle – Start the vehicle normally and let it run for about five minutes. If you see sparks or hear sounds from either engine, turn off the vehicle, unhook the jumper cables, and repeat the previous step.
Start Your Vehicle – After letting power from the other vehicle travel through the jumper cables and into your battery for a few minutes, it should have enough charge to start your car. If it doesn’t start, shut your vehicle off and let the other vehicle run for five more minutes. If it still won’t start, your battery likely needs replacement.
Charge the Battery – Once your car starts, let it run for a while so the alternator can charge the battery. If possible, go out for a drive of 10-20 minutes. Then head to an auto parts store or a trusted mechanic to get your battery checked out. It might need replacement even if the jump start worked. Most auto parts stores will now replace the battery for you.

The Original Car Shipping Quote Calculator

Direct Express Auto Transport originated the instant car shipping quote calculator in 2004. It is still the best, most sophisticated, reliable tool available anywhere online. We offer three options that we call tiers of car shipping estimates. The standard rate is the cheapest car shipping quote but may take longer. Use it if not in a hurry and are patient. The expedited car shipping rate is most recommended, and we have countless satisfied customers as a result because the shipping process tends to go quicker. The rush rate is our highest level of car shipping service, and we have many customers who are glad they went with that method.

photo of hand with money Sell buy shipping your car

8 Things to Consider Before Selling a Car

Written by Mike Rupers on December 6, 2022. Posted in Auto Shipping, Car Shipping Advice, Door To Door Auto Transport, Vehicle Shipping Cost.

Whether you are a seasoned veteran at flipping cars or a newbie selling your first ride, it never hurts to have a refresher course (or a crash course) on how to sell a car. If you are ready to learn (or relearn) how to do just that, you’re in the right place. Our car shipping experts at Direct Express Auto Transport cover eight essentials to consider before selling a car. Learn everything you need to know before selling and shipping your vehicle with our trusted team today!

Get Your Paperwork Together

Before even considering selling a car, ensure you have the title. A car title is a legal form establishing a person or business as the legal owner of a vehicle. Without it, you cannot make someone else the legal owner of your car. Each state has slightly different rules for transferring car titles, so make sure that you research exactly how you have to transfer ownership of a vehicle in your state. If you have moved states recently but still have a car title from your old state, you might have to title your car in your new state before you can sell it there. Again, researching the different state’s rules on title transference will help put you on the right track.

Research a Good Price, Then Set Your Asking Price

Picking a price for your vehicle can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be rocket science. Regarding pricing, online research is once again your best friend. Look into Kelly Blue Book prices for your car by searching for the same make and model year with similar mileage. After browsing Kelley Blue Book, search online car marketplaces to see what others are asking for similar makes and models.

When selling a car, “when” matters; after you’ve established a price range from your research, you’ll find that your selling timeframe will dictate which end of the spectrum your asking price will fall on. Just like with selling a house, if you have to sell your car fast, you will probably need to list it at a low price to generate the desired interest. But on the other hand, if you plan (which you most definitely should!), you can afford to list your car at the high end of the range and hope that you find someone looking for exactly what you are selling at a price that is great for you.

Establish a Minimum in Advance of Negotiations

In the United States, second-hand car selling is one of the last places where an asking price isn’t necessarily set in stone. Know this before you put your car up for sale so that you aren’t surprised and turned off by potential buyers that throw you numbers lower than your asking price. You can always be firm about only taking offers that are your exact asking price, but once again, this might lead you to lose out on potential sales.

Before putting your car on the market, establish a minimum number you will take for your vehicle. Write that number down. Tape it up on your fridge. Look at it every morning before breakfast. Burn it into your head so that when negotiation time rolls around, you won’t get sweet-talked into a price lower than you are willing to take. Bad at bartering with people? Enlist friends or family members with natural sales tendencies to negotiate for you. They may not know how to sell a car, but they will learn how to deal with haggling. They’ll likely be able to get you a much better price than you could get on your own.

Get Your Car Looking its Very Best

Sometimes, it’s the little things that make all of the difference. A few hundred dollars spent on the front end could save you thousands on the back end when you finally try to sell your car. Do an inventory of the damages to your car, both minor and major. Before you bring the car into your local body shop, see if you can fix any of the dents or clean away any scuffs with affordable auto care products found at most shops.

If you’re not that handy and not that comfortable fixing the minor surface issues yourself, ask a gearhead friend to try it, or get your local body shop to do it when you take your vehicle in for more extensive repairs. Be wise about how much money you will put into your car before trying to sell it. If it looks like you’re going to have to put in thousands of dollars to fix up your car, and you’re only going to sell it for a few thousand, it may be best to forgo the repairs. It’s always an option (sometimes the best) to sell your car in its current condition.

Take Great (Current) Pictures of Your Car

A good photo will go a long way in upselling your car. A great picture will go even further. Cell phone cameras are getting nicer and nicer, so you can handle taking photos on your own. If you don’t trust your eye, enlist the help of a friend with a good-looking Instagram or Facebook.

Once you have the pictures, compose them on your computer to ensure the lighting and colors are correct. Here, you should talk to someone with a few photo-editing skills to make your pictures pop. That will help distinguish your car from the thousands of others sold online. A final suggestion: make sure you upload current photos of your vehicle. No one wants to be fooled by five-year-old photos. That’s a surefire way to face haggling from the start.

Disseminate Your Ads

In this day and age, selling your car is a digital endeavor. The days of window advertising and pasteboards are all but behind us. (Though if you still want to advertise this way, we won’t stop you.) With the internet, there is an incredible collection of advertising and research tools at your fingertips. Kelly Blue Book is the first place you should start when listing your car. It is the largest, most reputable site out there for buying and selling cars. But don’t just stop there.

Consider listing your car on Autotrader.com, Cars.com, eBay Auto, and Craigslist. If you have a specialty car, do some research on specialty car sites to find an audience that’s more likely to give your vehicle a look. Be smart about your listing choices, but don’t be too discriminatory. The wider the net you cast, the more likely you’ll catch a buyer.

The Sale Scale: Local, National, or Worldwide?

Before listing, decide whether you want to sell your car to local, nationwide, or worldwide buyers. In the previous section, we recommend casting as wide of a net as possible. This same logic primarily applies here. You never know if there’s a rancher out in Wyoming or a Soccer Mom in Connecticut dreaming of buying a ‘06 Grey Toyota Camry with 135,000 miles on it. Plus, you stand a much better chance of being able to sell your car for the full asking price if you sell to the entire nation. Haggling is much harder online, and opening up your vehicle to a wider audience increases the likelihood that you’ll find a buyer willing to pay top dollar.

However, if you sell your car to an interstate or international buyer, you’ll likely have to ship it. Ensure you establish a way of safely and effectively transporting the money, title, and, eventually, the car safely and effectively. Invest in a car shipping company that is highly reviewed, priced affordably, and offers the options you’re looking for.

Think About Your Safety

Knowing how to sell a car safely is an essential component of the car-selling process. Have a safety plan before listing your vehicle so that when interested buyers start calling and emailing you, you will know the proper precautions before meeting up for a test drive.

Set up a separate email account that you will use specifically for the sale of the car, and consider getting a Google Voice number so that you don’t have to exchange your actual phone number and email address with random internet strangers. Don’t worry about letting calls go to voicemail. Assess whether callers seem sketchy or legitimate based on their voicemails or email responses. If they pass your litmus test, propose to schedule a meet-up in a public place.

If things go well, go ahead and offer a supervised test drive. Bring a friend to one or both of these meet-ups for safety. Your potential buyer will also do the same because safety goes both ways. Think about safety early so you can plan accordingly for each step of the process.

Learn More and Ship Your Car With Direct Express Auto Transport

If you end up selling your car to an interstate buyer and need to find a reliable and affordable auto transportation company, look no further than our direct Express Auto Transport team. For years, we have led the interstate car shipping industry in the contiguous 48 states with our passionate team of dispatchers, drivers, and customer service representatives working round the clock to get your vehicle to its new happy owner. Don’t believe us? Please read what our satisfied customers say on Trustpilot, get your instant quote, and ship with us today!

The Original Car Shipping Quote Calculator

photo of Military Car Shipping Honor Guard

Military Car Shipping During Deployment

Written by Mike Rupers on December 5, 2022. Posted in Auto Shipping, Auto Transport Tips, Military Car Shipping, Vehicle Shipping Cost.

Suppose either you or your family member serve in the United States military. First things first: Thank you for your service and your sacrifice. At Direct Express Auto Transport, we are truly grateful for all you and your families do to support, defend, and protect our country. And we want to make it as easy as possible for you and your family when you need military car shipping services.

Maybe you’ve shipped cars before, or perhaps this is your first time shipping a vehicle. Any time you need to move your car from one place to another, it’s a challenge, especially if you cannot be there to either drive it yourself or do the organizing and planning legwork from the comfort of your home.

Fortunately, the Direct Express Auto Transport team is here to help ease the burden by walking you through all the steps to transport your vehicle. This guide covers two things. First, it tells you what you’ll need to do regarding your car to prepare for deployment. Second, it will help guide you through the tricky waters of how to go about moving your car if you’re already deployed.

What to do with Your Car During Military Deployment

When you’re facing deployment, whether it’s your first one or the umpteenth, there are a million things to do in a short period. We’ve taken the sting out with these simple tips and reminders. This list shares answers to military car shipping questions so that you don’t have to figure out what to do with your car while on deployment.

Change your car insurance while deployed. Contact your insurance agent, broker, or provider. Speak to a real, live human being, and don’t try to do this via computer. Talking to a real person will make updating your car insurance a much easier process. Unfortunately, you can’t cancel the insurance and reactivate it when you return stateside. But you can reduce the coverage to the required minimum. And while you’ve got someone on the phone, ask about a military discount.
Service your vehicle. Nothing is worse than getting home from months abroad to a car that is running improperly or doesn’t run at all. When leaving for deployment, get it serviced before you go rather than after you return. It will help prevent any potential problems from worsening.
Safely store your documents. Find a safe place to keep your insurance card, title, and registration. Consider supporting the insurance card and registration in or near your vehicle. But not the title. Keep that with your folks back home. If something needs to be done with the vehicle, it’ll be easy for whoever is acting on your behalf to know precisely where the necessary papers are. Some people prefer a lockbox or filing cabinet. Decide what’s best for you and your family.
Decide on the right storage option for your car. If your home has a garage, it’s easy. If not, research your car storage options. Maybe a friend or family member will allow you to store your vehicle in their garage. Or perhaps a covered storage facility or storage unit is the right fit.
Make duplicate sets of keys. You’re in the military, which means you know that the best-laid plans sometimes go awry. Maybe a loved one has car problems and needs to use yours (with permission, of course). It’s possible that the place you’re storing your car can no longer accommodate it. Having a duplicate set of keys entrusted to a close friend or family member makes their ability to protect and care for your vehicle much more manageable. After all, it’s better to have the keys and not need them than to need them and not have them.

Military Car Shipping Personnel

Sometimes the “home sweet home” you leave is not the same place you’ll return to after deployment. Let us help make it easier on both you and those coordinating your relocation with this step-by-step while you focus on staying safe and accomplishing the mission at hand.

With technological advances, much of the research and planning is online, allowing you to be part of the process even while deployed.

Step 1: Get shipment quotes. Most interstate car shipping companies have online quote calculators. Reputable transport companies won’t ask for personal information. If asked, choose open-air shipping, which is safe and sufficient for 97% of vehicles. (Enclosed trailers are usually for $100,000+ cars.)
Step 2: Research shipping companies and book your transport. Reading online reviews is worth a little time to ensure you choose a reliable company. Some car shipping companies are all talk and have no follow-through. The logistics of hauling multiple vehicles to and from numerous locations can get very complicated quickly. Read Trustpilot reviews to see what others are saying. Direct Express Auto Transport makes it easy to book online. Plus, you can call and talk to one of our helpful customer service members.
Step 3: Get your documents together. While not much documentation is required to ship a vehicle, the person acting on your behalf should still have easy access to anything needed.
Step 4: Ship your car. Military bases do not allow auto transport trailers onto their premises. If you are shipping from or to a military establishment, you’ll need to arrange for someone to meet the transport outside the gates. Make sure the fuel level is left at a quarter of a tank. (Not so much that it adds extra weight for the transporter, but enough to get your car off the trailer and to its final destination.)

Vehicle Shipping While Deployed Overseas

At Direct Express Auto Transport, we appreciate all you do for this great country. And we want to make shipping your car–especially while you’re on deployment–as easy and seamless as possible. That’s why we’ve put together these FAQs. Contact us at 800-600-3750 with any further questions or concerns. Schedule your transport over the phone or book online.

The Original Car Shipping Quote Calculator

The Real Cost of Shipping A Car

Written by Mike Rupers on December 3, 2022. Posted in Auto Shipping, Auto Transport Quote Calculator, Auto Transport Rates, Auto Transport Tips, Car Shipping Cost Calculator, Vehicle Shipping Cost.

The most common questions are about the cost of shipping a car. People can see the advantages of auto shipping, especially when compared to taking a long road trip that lasts for days or weeks. But they worry that shipping a car will cost a bundle – so much that it’s not worth it.

We have some good news for you at the start: a competitive auto shipping market has lowered the cost of getting your vehicle onto the back of a vehicle trailer. Plus, it’s always been challenging to arrange auto shipping, especially with the help of an online shipping broker like Direct Express Auto Transport. It’s an option for everyone!

But you’re probably still wondering how much it costs. We will get to that figure shortly. But before you consider the cost, consider the cost of the alternatives. You might spend more money when you think you’re paying less.

The Cost of Driving

People expect that driving costs less than shipping. But when you consider all the costs of a road trip – whether of hundreds of miles or thousands of miles – the economics start to look differently:

Gas – Depending on what you drive, how far you’re traveling, and the current cost of gas, you might spend hundreds or thousands of dollars fueling your vehicle.
Food – Food costs can add up fast when you’re eating three meals a day on the road (plus any snacks you buy), especially when traveling with multiple people.
Lodging – Paying for hotels or motels can be a considerable cost, and even if you’re willing to pitch a tent during your travels, you must pay for campgrounds.
Wear and Tear – Long drives add tons of miles to the odometer, lower the value of your vehicle and mean you will need maintenance (oil changes, new tires etc.) sooner.
Time – You can fly across the country in the afternoon, but it takes days and days to cover the same distance by driving. Your time is valuable, and you must invest a lot of it whenever you take a road trip.
If One Thing Goes Wrong! – Even if you’ve sharpened your pencil and determined it is cheaper to drive if just one thing goes wrong, a flat tire, overheated radiator, blown transmission, a speeding ticket (ouch!), or more, then you will be in the negative and wishing you had just let Direct Express Auto Transport ship your car.

Driving to an adjacent state can be expensive when you add up all the costs. It would help if you also had to factor in danger or to go – you, your passenger, and your vehicle are all at risk on the road, no matter how skilled you are behind the wheel. Plus, you might dread spending long hours behind the wheel as you inch toward your destination. Consider all this when considering the cost of having a car shipped.

The Cost of Car Shipping

How much you pay for shipping depends on several variables:

Make/Model – The larger the vehicle, the more space it takes up on a vehicle trailer. People with a truck, SUV, van, or large auto will pay more than those with a sedan or compact car.
Trailer Type – Most people ship their vehicle on the back of open-air auto trailers similar to the ones you see on the highway all the time. You can also ship inside an enclosed trailer for more safety (a popular option for auto collectors), but it costs more.
Route – The longer a vehicle hauler has to travel with your vehicle, the more you will pay for the shipment. The pickup and dropoff location can also affect costs; if you need pickup or dropoff in a remote location far away from a major highway or population center, it could elevate the cost of shipping a car.
Schedule – You can pay more to have your car picked up and delivered sooner, within days of scheduling the shipment. Or you can spend less if you’re willing to wait a week or more for pickup.
Availability – There are certain times of the year, usually around major holidays, when there are fewer vehicle haulers on the road, in which case it will cost more to schedule one that’s available.
Condition – If you want to ship a vehicle that doesn’t run, the hauler will have to manually get it on and off the trailer, which takes more time and effort and therefore costs more money.

Another thing to remember when considering the cost of shipping a car is that vehicle haulers carry multiple vehicles on the back of a trailer. That means the price of gas and the driver’s time are split between everyone shipping their car. Since you share the financial burden, you often spend less than when you take a road trip and shoulder the entire cost yourself.

What Will Your Car Shipment Cost?

Thanks to Direct Express Auto Transport, you don’t have to estimate the cost of having a car shipped. Thanks to our car shipping quote calculator, you can get an exact quote instantly. We invented this innovative tool in the early 2000s, and it remains the simplest and fastest way to explore the cost of auto shipping. That way, you don’t have to guess about the best option – you can know for sure using real numbers.

Here’s how it works: You enter the type of vehicle you want to ship, the kind of trailer you want to ship it on, your pickup and dropoff locations, and whether the car runs. Then, we give you quotes for the cost of shipping broken down into three tiers:

Standard Tier – This is the least expensive option. Shipments are usually assigned to a vehicle hauler 1-8 days from the first date you make it available.
Expedited Tier – This is the middle (and recommended) pricing tier. Shipments are usually assigned to a vehicle hauler 1-4 days from the first date you make it available.
Rush Tier – This is the most expensive option. Shipments are usually assigned to a vehicle hauler 1-2 days from the first date you make it available.

For your reference, vehicle haulers typically cover about 500 miles a day. You can get a rough estimate of the shipping time by dividing the total shipping distance by 500. However, haulers must also make stops for pickups and dropoffs, which can add a day or two to the shipment time.

Is the Cheapest Option the Best?

The cheapest shipping options are sometimes better. Sure, you pay less. But you also entrust your car to a vehicle hauler with a spotty record or rely on a shipping company that couldn’t care less about service. Auto shipping doesn’t have to be expensive to be exceptional. That being said, beware of prices that seem too good to be true. You get what you pay for with auto shipping. You might take a considerable risk for something as important and expensive as your car by seeking out the lowest prices possible. The better strategy is to work with a company that balances affordability, quality, consistency, and commitment.

Direct Express Auto Transport – High-Value Car Shipping Options

As an innovator and standard-bearer in the auto shipping industry, you can count on Direct Express Auto Transport to make auto shipping as valuable as possible. That means we do everything we can to keep the cost of shipping a car low. But we also only work with the top vehicle haulers in the industry. You’re paying for the best in the business, so you know your vehicle is in good hands.

If this is your first time shipping a car, read this beginner’s guide, and get some tips and tricks from experts.