Auto Transport - FAQ
Honest Answers to all Auto Transport Questions
Find frequently asked questions (FAQ) on transport services. At eShip Transport, we want to make your move as simple as possible for you. Here are a few of our most frequently asked questions!
This is a great question, and if you ask 15 different companies, you’ll get 15 different answers. There is no “set” amount of necessary lead-time. Whatever you can give is great, but don’t worry if you have to hold off until the last minute, here at eShip we can get last minute moves picked up as well.
YES. We verify that the carrier we put you on is covered by the requisite amount of insurance and that it is up to date. There is never any additional cost to the customer for this coverage, and their insurance is primary.
Damage is rare, but unfortunately it does happen. The single most important thing for you to do if your vehicle is damaged is to note the damage on your final bill of lading report when you receive the vehicle.
The bill of lading is the report that the driver will fill out on pickup, denoting if there is any pre-existing damage. Any damage that occurs in transit must be entered on this report on delivery. Failure to do so could seriously affect your damage claim, so we cannot stress this enough. Look your vehicle over thoroughly when you receive it. The bill of lading is a document that releases the carrier of liability once signed at delivery
The carrier will contact whomever you tell us to contact, whether it is you, a friend, a dealer, etc. Someone simply needs to be present on both ends to sign off on release and or receipt of vehicle, unless arranged with eShip prior.
YES, Before a carrier is assigned a full refund will be issued. Once EShip secures a driver your deposit is now NON REFUNDABLE.
The most challenging thing for people researching auto transport companies to understand is that the prices they are getting are not hard and fast guarantees, but rather ESTIMATES or offers of what one company thinks it will take to get a vehicle moved, versus another company’s opinion of what it will actually take. Don’t be fooled, there are not carriers committed to take your vehicle at these low quoted prices, the company you choose will still have to get to work, securing a carrier to commit to move it at the price they quoted you.
Your total price breaks down into two parts, the broker’s fee (or ‘deposit’ as everyone calls it) and the carriers fee (your COD amount). Make no mistake about this, EVERYONE you are getting sales calls from is going to broker your transport. In this industry, there are brokers who try to fool you into thinking that they are the actual carriers and there are an equal amount of carriers who sell themselves on the fact that they have a truck or two but are not being honest about the fact that they broker out 95% of the orders they book.
All companies, and we mean EVERY company, brokers and carriers, use a site called Central Dispatch, the national load board, similar to eBay, to post and find a carrier to accept the vehicles available to transport, the main thing you are paying any company for is ACCESS to this site, and a REPUTABLE CARRIER. ALL companies use it, their fees to post your order on it will vary, but the site is the same.
No, all dates given are estimates, unless otherwise arranged with driver, and dispatch. We ask that you give us the earliest possible date you would be willing to release the vehicle to start working on your order.
We than put you in direct contact with your carrier and the carrier and or driver will typically call you the afternoon or evening before your pickup and delivery (they won’t just show up unannounced, and if they do we want to hear about it). However, drivers are out on the road battling traffic, weather and any number of other issues that can throw off their pickup and delivery projections from time to time.If the projected dates we give you come and you are unable to make contact with your carrier, please call our office immediately so that we may help resolve the situation.
The average transit time from pick up to delivery on any vehicle going coast to coast will be between 7-10 days. From either coast to the Midwest averages 3-7 days. From there you can figure your transit time based on how far your vehicle is traveling.
We do both open and enclosed vehicle transport. The majority of cross country moves will be on an 8-10 car carrier, the kind that you see new cars on all of the time. The smaller 2-3 car carriers will tend to do shorter, more “localized” shipments.
Yes, we always ask for your specific pickup and delivery addresses, if the carrier can get right to the addresses you provide, they will. However, if the addresses that you provide us are not safely accessible for a car carrier, you will need to make arrangements with the driver to meet at a nearby location where the driver can safely load or unload your vehicle.
Officially, no. I know not what you wanted to hear, but that is the honest answer.
We are licensed to broker the shipment of household goods as well. You can verify that by viewing our license from the Department of Transportation website, just enter 735249 in the field next to MC. You can do the same with any other company to quickly view the same, as well as find out if they are a carrier or a broker.
You will hear a lot of companies tell you that you can put up to 100 pounds of items in the trunk, but that is not entirely true. That fact is that items of that amount are fairly common and the department of transportation is probably not going to split hairs and fine the trucker over items of that amount, provided they are not over their weight limit.
What about my other questions? Contact us today to learn more!
GET A FREE AUTO TRANSPORT QUOTE NOW!
OR CALL 800-906-6909
Reviews
Jessica Mansch
June 19, 2023.
I can't say enough wonderful things about eShip and its customer service reps. After being put through the ringer with a few other companies, I had the pleasure in speaking with Joanna at eShip. She explained the entire process, how the board works and the reality of what to expect and then patiently answered all of my questions. Unlike the other transport services, Joanna was always available via text or call. Thank you Joanna and eShip for the seamless transport!!!!!
jwbjpb1
May 5, 2023.
I have used Eship to transport my child's car three times. And all three times? Outstanding service from the time the car is picked up until the time it arrives at the destination. Great, professional and kind staff with good prices and great service. I can easily give Eship a FIVE star review.
Plabon
February 12, 2023.
I recently used eShip Transport for the transportation of my household goods and I must say, I was thoroughly impressed with the level of service I received. The team was professional, responsive and always available to answer any questions I had. The delivery was timely and the goods were in perfect condition upon arrival. The pricing was also very competitive and the entire process was seamless. I would definitely recommend eShip Transport to anyone in need of reliable and efficient moving services. Five stars!
Peter Maletich
January 20, 2023.
Mark Anthony was great to work with, honest, transparent, available, direct and competent. I highly recommend trusting him to get your car shipped! I bought a new Telluride on the other side of the country and I was working with the shipping broker the dealership found, but they were hard to get a hold of, I was not a priority to them, and they couldn't tell me how much they take for commission or what their plan was for finding a good driver. After over a week with no progress, I called eship and in my first conversation with Mark, he explained the entire shipping process to me, including unavoidable risks, which other brokers downplayed, and he showed me what the other broker was offering for the job, which helped me realize the other broker was being dishonest. I switched to Mark and eship and he found me a driver within a couple days. It was a small outfit that Mark had no experience with, but Mark explained while that carries some risk, the reputation looked good, he double-checked the validity of their insurance, and he thought we should go for it. The driver was great, responsive during the shipment, and got my car here without a scratch!
