In 2021 alone, around 27 million people moved within the U.S. These moves ranged from short moves across town to moves across the country. For anyone planning a long-distance move, you face a lot of logistical hurdles.
You must arrange for a new home, set up utilities, find new providers for key services, and maybe even enroll your kids in a new school. Then, you must get your stuff to your new home.
Many people overlook the problem of transporting cars across the country. After all, how do you even pick auto transport companies? If you’re trying to solve this problem, keep reading for some key tips on picking the right company for you.
Get Recommendations
With so many people moving every year, there is a good chance that you know a few who made a long-distance move pretty recently. Reach out to those people and, assuming they used a vehicle mover, ask them for recommendations.
This should give you a workable list of businesses that specialize in transporting cars across the country.
Visit Their Websites
After assembling your list, you should visit the websites for those companies. While the companies may move vehicles across the country, it doesn’t mean that they operate everywhere. If a company doesn’t normally operate in your area, you can eliminate them from the list.
For the companies that do operate in your area, you should look for some key things. The company should be:
- Bonded
- Insured
- Possess DOT and MC numbers
DOT and MC numbers ensure that the company is registered as an interstate business and allowed to move things like vehicles. You want bonded and insured companies to make sure your vehicle is covered for damage during transport.
Read Online Reviews
You’ll also want to take a look at the online reviews. Reading online reviews can help to alert you to potential problems.
You should keep an eye on the most recent six months to a year of reviews. If you notice a sharp uptick in bad reviews, it’s often a sign of a company in trouble.
Compare Auto Transport Costs
You should also look at their stated prices or ask for an estimate. While comparing auto transport costs won’t necessarily make the decision for you, it’s a good way to get a feel for what is standard pricing for your specific kind of move.
For more on auto transport costs, click here.
The Best Way to Pick Auto Transport Companies
When you need to pick auto transport companies or pick between them, you must consider several elements. Ask people that moved recently about their experiences. See what the reviews say.
Do a bit of due diligence and visit the company’s websites. If they don’t list all the information you want, give them a call. Once you assemble the information, you’ll need to decide based on your budget and your intuition about each company.
Looking for more tips that will smooth the way when you move? Check out our Home and Garden category for more posts.
