Cars are very important when it comes to road transportation but the problem is they are not manufactured everywhere. Therefore, they need to be shipped from production sites to where they are needed. Most times, across the ocean.
The process of transporting a car is pretty straightforward. Your major concern is hoping it gets there in one piece with no parts missing. But that’s not a big deal if you go through verified channels.
When you plan on moving to an entirely different location (one that you can’t drive to) and plan on taking your car along, there are two main ways to do that — by water or air. You need to take into consideration which would be right for you in terms of safety, convenience, and budget. Even though shipping your car isn’t all that cheap, it’s more economical than getting a new vehicle upon arriving at your new destination.
Learn in this article what you can do to make the process go as smoothly as possible so you can concentrate on other activities you need to handle or wrap before your final move.
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Do Some Research
There are quite a number of companies that can help you ship your car. It’s only wise that you do some research on those companies before using their services to know if what they offer matches what you need.
You can simply begin by searching related queries on Google or any other search engines. “International car shipping companies” or “car transportation services” are good entries, to begin with. You would definitely see a long list of companies you can begin with. Ensure that any company you intend to hire meets the requirements listed below:
- Their service extends from your current location to your intended destination.
- It has the required license, is bonded, and is also insured.
- The third parties they work with like freight carriers are equally licensed, bonded, and insured too.
Exclude any company that doesn’t meet these requirements from your preferred list. If you come across anyone whose licensing and insurance status you’re not sure of, ask the company directly. Demand for their licensing numbers so you too can double-check and be sure yourself.
After narrowing down the companies to those that meet the requirements, you can now take your comparison a bit further. Check out reviews online; what their clients are saying about them, or ask for their rates. You can see some affordable rates at AmericanAutoShipping.com and you need these requirements as a baseline so you know how safe your vehicle is when in transit and who you can count on to fulfill their promises if anything goes wrong with your car.
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Arrange Your Documents
You should note that most things that relate to the international movement have lots of paperwork involved. The safety of your car is at risk if the shipping company you want to hire doesn’t ask for any document; that’s fishy with a capital F. Say you’re moving out of the United States, you’d need to provide export documents to the U.S. Port of Entry precisely the one your car will be shipping out from 72 hours before the actual shipping date.
What are the export documents? They include a completed U.S. Customs & Border Protection Vehicle Export Cover Sheet, original certificate of title for the car or a certified duplicate of the original, and two more copies of either document.
You need a letter from your lienholder if there is a lien on your car, permitting you to ship the car out of the country. The letter has to include the brand, model, year of the car, VIN, and a clear statement granting you permission to take the car overseas.
Anyone who promises you easy passage without these documents has no good intention towards you. Contact your Port of Entry directly before your move so you know exactly what they expect from you and when.
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Get The Vehicle Ready
You’ve got the right company and have all your documentation ready, the next step is to get your vehicle ready for transport. This involves thorough washing, servicing, removal of customizations, disabling alarms, and a whole lot of other activities.
It is not an opportunity for you to try sneaking some items into the car. Items generally left in the vehicle are only those related to it like the spare tire. As a matter of fact, the shipping company would tell you what can or can’t be included even down to the quantity of fuel you should leave in the car they shoud also tell you whether there is a roadrunner vehicle transport near me.
Note that if you skip any of these tips, you might not be able to confidently claim your car is safe and en route. You would also need to properly research how your car can be cleared in the receiving country.