Auto transport cost now explained
The Californer/10230794

LOS ANGELES & MIAMI - Californer -- An unmistakable message people receive today is that faster is better and companies are counting on people's impatience to sell their service or product. Transporting vehicles is not an everyday service. The accuracy of the price is more important than the speed with which people receive it.

Potential customers always start their search with certain expectations about price, only to get disappointed in the middle of the process.

The cost to ship a car depends on several factors. A software that calculates prices based on preset parameters cannot provide an accurate quote even when those parameters match all main factors affecting the cost to ship a car. Some major factors are variables that change daily and thus a parameter set weeks in advance cannot reflect current market conditions.

The first factor is vehicle make and model. Customers understand that smaller cars are cheaper to ship. Modifications to the vehicle also affect the price. Second factor is transport type. Open trailer is cheaper than enclosed. Sometimes enclosed auto transport could come cheaper or equal open price due to last minute cancellation or supply/demand fluctuation.

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Next is vehicle condition. If the vehicle is operable nothing changes. When the vehicle does not run on its own power this changes the situation. If the car rolls and steers, it can be pulled onto the trailer with a hitch, but it is still considered inoperable. If it does not then the carrier needs a forklift and this increases the price. Another factor is location. When shipping to or from a big city this means higher demand and high supply of carriers. When the location is rural the chances of getting a truck diminish and price of the service increases.

The last two main factors are distance and supply/demand situation.
The more carriers travel the more profit they make. Loading, unloading, weather and traffic conditions, as well as customers' delays affect truckers schedule and take time which they would use to travel. Thus short distances often cost as much as long distance.

Supply and demand is the last and often decisive factor in the auto transport industry. It is that one factor shippers never think about. Higher demand increases the price and the highest paying loads move first. When supply is high and demand low then customers benefit from lower rates. And this supply and demand situation changes daily across the country. Thus an accurate quote will always be a manual price reflecting current supply and demand condition, not an automated quote send by a software.

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Now, the question remains: "How much does it cost to ship a car?" Do not bet on automated quotes, do not be lured by the initial desire for instant gratification. Talk to companies and discuss all aspects of vehicle shipping.