How Safe is Car Shipping?
Let’s start by saying this – nearly every vehicle has been shipped at one point. Few people pick their vehicles up at the factory or build them from the ground up. Before you buy your car from a dealer, it was already transported several times. These professionals have been trained to move vehicles and have extensive experience. So, without a doubt, vehicles can be transported safely. What car shipping safety concerns do you need to be on the lookout for then?
Car Shipping Safety Concerns – And How We Address Them
There are two major car shipping safety concerns to watch out for.
Theft
The first is theft – either theft of a vehicle or theft of personal belonging from the vehicle. For the latter, it’s pretty difficult to do, bordering on impossible. Once a vehicle is loaded and locked, the keys are stowed securely. A thief would have to break into the transporter to get them, then get into the vehicle. To offload, they would have to operate the transporter’s controls, which are locked up.
And, of course, they’d have to accomplish all of this without being seen or heard. The idea of your vehicle being stolen in transport is borderline crazy. The only valid worry you need about vehicle theft is from a dishonest company.
So, what about belongings? Along the line of stealing a whole vehicle, getting into the vehicles is also fairly hard. Car carriers are pretty unfriendly layouts for thieves, especially the top row. They’re not getting the keys from the cab. Breaking into vehicles in a parking garage is hard enough – on a large transport trailer or carrier, they’ll have to try and break in while doing a balancing act and not being seen by the driver or other truckers in the area. Not a worthwhile effort for run-of-the-mill thieves.
At Number 1 Auto Transport, we guard against these worries by working with carriers with the best records on the road—trustworthy carriers with reputations for security.
Accidents
A second concern is an accident. This concern is more well-founded than theft – on average, there are more than 150,000 crashes involving large trucks such as vehicle transporters every year. Inattentiveness, poor roads, bad weather, or bad luck can cause them.
We address accident concerns by keeping tabs on the incident and accident statistics of the carriers we work with. If a carrier shows a pattern of poor safety, we stop working with them. We do understand those actual accidents can happen. Still, repeated violations and easy-to-avoid incidents are causes for us to put a stop to our working relationship with the carrier.
We also make an effort to encourage and push for transportation when bad weather is less likely. Why transport a vehicle in the blustery, blizzard-prone northeast during winter or through the Midwest in tornado season? If we can’t work around the time of year, we can work around weather patterns, and our carriers pay attention to forecasts to avoid or get around areas of poor weather.
Tips to Make Sure Your Vehicle is Safe During Car Transport Journey
The good news is there are ways you can make sure your vehicle is safe during transport.
- Weed out any unsavory transporters: Read reviews and take 10-15 minutes to research and read up on each potential shipping company. Look for red flags, including reviews that mention vehicle damage or missing personal items. If you see them, crossing that transporter off your list is probably a good idea.
- Watch out for fraud: This includes registered and unregistered car transport companies. Make sure a motor carrier is registered with the FMCSA – you can look up any accidents or customer complaints. It allows you to verify the service is properly insured. No registration or a poor record? Cross them off!
- Double-check quotes and pricing: Get more than a few quotes and beware of those that seem way too low. A drastically low quote is a risky quote. Just as you’d dump a high quote, you should probably avoid anything that seems too good to be true.
- Clean out your car: The easiest way to ensure that nothing gets taken is to ensure there is nothing to take. Empty your vehicle of anything unnecessary. Even the most agile and opportunistic thief won’t bother if there is no temptation to break into your vehicle.
- Be aware and alert during inspection and loading: It may be easy to zone out, but this is your last chance to double-check anything from what is in your vehicle to the carrier’s trustworthiness and preparedness that is hauling your vehicle. Ensure your vehicle is locked up, tucked in, and safe and secure.
Keep Your Vehicle Safe with Number 1 Auto Transport
Working with an experienced team that is thorough, like our team here at Number 1 Auto Transport, is the best way to keep your vehicle safe during transport! Great reviews, a stellar reputation, and carriers committed to the best auto transport experience make Number 1 Auto Transport.
