What factors are used to calculate cost of car shipping?
Distance
Total distance is the main component used in calculating a quote for car shipping. Longer distances generally lead to a higher overall car shipping price, but also include a discounted cost per mile. With our car shipping calculator, you can get the best auto transport quote for any car shipment. It’s important to note that international car shipping prices might differ from ground vehicle transport.
Route
Different from distance, route refers to what highways and other roads will be traveled to transport the vehicle. Routes in highly populated areas may have increased traffic congestion, which could impact transport time and shipping costs.
Additional route considerations that can be factored into shipping costs include:
- Physical road conditions Adverse weather
- Road construction
- Shipping date
When you book a car transport service, shipment date often plays a huge role in the cost. It’s best to book your car shipment as far in advance as possible. As soon as you know you’ll need to ship your vehicle, begin researching an auto transport company to request a car shipping quote.
Additionally, increased flexibility around car pick-up dates will often result in car transport quote savings.
Vehicle make & model
When planning your auto transport, we ask for the exact vehicle specifications, because the truck driver must know how much space is required to safely secure your automobile and ensure proper trailer height and side clearance. Longer and taller cars require additional vehicle transport adjustments, which may slightly increase car shipping costs.
Vehicle modifications like larger tires and roof racks can also increase the cost.
Vehicle condition
If your car is running, you will get a better auto shipping price from car shippers for the allotted distance. If your car is inoperable, but maintains the ability to roll, steer, and brake, it will require a winch and other
accommodations to be loaded onto the carrier trailer, which will increase the cost of shipment.
**Please note that OJ Logistics only quotes for car shipping if the vehicle can:
- Roll, brake and steer
- Be loaded and unloaded by a forklift or wrecker
- Vehicle details
Certain characteristics of your car will have an impact on the quote and final cost of your car shipment, including the following:
Height, length & curb weight
Taller, longer, and heavier vehicles may require a specific trailer or trailer type to support the length and/or added weight. They may also need certain accommodations, like being transported in a specific place within the trailer. Both of these situations could require the driver take fewer or smaller vehicles to accommodate special requests and manage total allowable weight limits.
Ground clearance
Ground clearance, also called ride height, is the distance between the bottom of the vehicle’s body and the road or driving surface. Low vehicle ground clearance requires special attention and accommodation, such as a specialized ramp. If ground clearance is four inches or less, the vehicle must be shipped in an enclosed trailer where they have lift gates — open trailers do not.
Seasonality
Car shipping costs vary greatly based on the time of year. For example, auto transport services to warmer states are very popular during the snowbird season, so the cost for transporting a car to those destinations will be higher. Use our car shipping calculator to get the price for shipping a car. Depending on your scheduling flexibility, we recommend trying different shipping dates to see rate impact for choosing the best price for you.
Auto transport insurance
Auto transport carriers are required to carry liability insurance. Many transport carriers do not offer additional cargo insurance, as it isn’t mandatory by law. Auto shipping brokers can assist you in securing cargo insurance and determining the appropriate coverage. When determining insurance coverage, ask the carrier or broker helping you these questions:
- What type of damage is covered?
- Does insurance cover the entire vehicle, or only specific parts? Is there a deductible?
- What is the limit of coverage?
- Are specialty items or accessories covered?
- Is there an option to purchase additional coverage?
