Looking for anyone's and everyone's opinion on the best car transporter in the USA.

Those with experiences please share so we can all learn more about it.

I am looking at transporting an F-type from central USA to California, ~1300 miles, and looking at getting first hand knowledge of the process and best transporters out there from people I trust, as this will be my first time doing it.

Any help is much appreciated!

 

I have used CEVA (in Oz of course, not USA) for all three Jags I have bought. Each time the car travelled between 1,000 and 2,000 miles.
Great service, good prices, I would use them again for sure and not even bother looking at competitors.
They are international with a large presence in the US, see here: https://www.cevalogistics.com/country/united-states

 

My advice would be to favor a company like Reliable that owns their own trucks and drivers. You will find that most vendors in this game are "logistics" companies. That basically means they take your booking, and throw it up against a dartboard of trucking companies to see who is available at the best rate (to them). You pay the logistics company (effectively a third party who will never touch your car, and unfortunately doesn't know the person that will be doing the haul).

 

Sounds like a great road trip!

 

+1

Will be making a 1600 mile road trip from MO to CA in a few weeks to bring my f type home, cannot wait!

 

I had my FType shipped from Dallas to Los Angeles. The dealership put me in contact with Laki from United Routes LLC. I believe thy can ship enclosed or open. I went with enclosed. The dealership arranged the pick up and the shipper estimated the date of delivery. They ended up here a day earlier then anticipated. Deposit was paid via credit card and remaining balance was due upon deliver (cash or cashiers check only).

here’s the contact info:

Laki Prousalis
Senior Logistics Coordinator
United Routes LLC
Direct: 786-259-0265

Main: 866-352-8180


www.UnitedRoutes.com Search Us

 

I have had 4 cars shipped in the recent past. I have not been happy with the price and delivery schedule every time. The actual delivery of the vehicle has gone well every time.

These is a rigged system of "shipping Brokers" all across the USA that try to get your business, They provide very little actual value but take a large cut of the total shipping costs. Often after you get suckered into using one, they give you a price, then a week later call and state they can't find a driver/carrier at that price and then try to charge you a couple hundered dollars more.

Things I've found out.
1. If you live in a large metropolitan area and the vehicle is shipped from a large metro area, you get the best price and quickest delivery.
2. Farther away you are from a major city for pick-up and delivery, the price goes up really fast.
3 The best prices are given when they have less business. (Busy times are early spring, May/June when schools is out, and in the fall before winter hits.
4. When you use "U-ship" or any other major vehicle transport borker, Your shipping requirement goes into a large national database of potential business. You will get phone calls, text messages and E-mails for months, even after you have already shipped and recieved the vehicle.
5. They all claim they are the best shipping company, when in fact, they are a broker after a commission to be the intermediary between you and the actual shipper.
6. The actual car carriers/drivers that get hired end up listing the cities they will be visiting across the country and approximate dates. (They are hungry to fill their trucks with cars and the only way to do it efficiently is to use the national registry database.)
7. The brokers give you an estimate for the transport and tack on their $150 to $200 cut. (I haven't found a way around this yet. )
8. Once you agree to the price and terms, the carrier will call and arrange the actual pickup and delivery date.
9. The brokers will try to give you a fixed price that is as high as they think they can charge, and then negotiate the lowest price they can from the transporter. (They keep the delta.)
10. 90% of the time the car has to be drivable. They move the cars on and off the transport trailer for weight balance and to match the delivery schedule.
11. The deposit you give is usually the broker's cut. Once they hook you up with the driver, it is up to you to pay the rest to the driver.

Good luck.

 

You can use the following site to find bulky shippers as well:

https://www.uship.com/

A few things to keep in mind:

1. This is like eBay for shippers. You post a shipment you need sent, and they bid on it. They can see the amounts bid by other bidders but they cannot see any additional conditions/services the others are providing with their offers.

2. Just like eBay, don't take the first offer even if it looks good. Typically, the first offer is at least $100 over what the driver/company will actually take.

3. Just to note, the site uShip will take fees for connecting you to the shippers.

 

All comments are good advice. Adding my own 2 cents, I would ask your dealer who they find responsible, because they are going to oversee the loading. And I would require shipment on the upper level of the truck, to avoid rock damage.

 

this is all correct. i looked into it when i bought mine a couple of months ago. in the end i roadtripped it from Seattle to SoCal. great trip.

 

I recently shipped my jaguar from Ohio to near new jersey using Citizenshipper Automobile shipping service. And my experience was also great with them. I am also looking for a trustable shipper for my car transportation as any jaguar owner will look for and i get them when i check reviews of different customers on social sites. And i like there service as they securely ship my car, pricing was also good.
And my one tip would be that:- Remove most of your custom accessories

 

What did you end up choosing?

 

I just had a great experience with Jesus from http://www.automoversusa.com/
Jesus had also been recommended by some car enthusiasts on a car forum the seller frequented. They also have a shout out on YouTube from a guy who bought an R8 V10.
Jesus had a driver lined up the next day after I contacted him!
$1250, enclosed trailer, from PA to KS in 3 days, during the East Coast blizzard! I know that drivers can vary, but my driver was great. Trailer was immaculate inside!
They have very positive reviews on the transport sites and a very good BBB rating.
I would definitely use them again.

 

Would you say that Jesus saves?

 

Or:

 

I had my F Type shipped from Chicago to Phoenix on an open car trailer. I can get you the name of the company which the dealer uses often. Experience wasn't bad other than the car was filthy when it arrived but others chimed in on their enclosed trailer experience and had issues as well but other than dirty it arrived 2 days sooner and as expected for about $1200.

 

I'm looking to ship an F-Type from PA to TX and I want an enclosed trailer. My timing is somewhat flexible within reason and I'm hoping this lowers the hassle factor leading to a more favorable quote.

I understand many of the "shippers" are actually brokers that gather information and post it to "boards" that are viewed by independent operators to bid on. Alternatively, there are some companies such as Reliable that own/operate their own fleets and typically cost a bit more unless perfect scenario happens to work out for you. I want to find a reasonable price yet want to avoid the dreaded last minute "fee's" from the driver who is not unloading your vehicle until paid in full. Being this is mostly an unregulated business those in our shoes are at the mercy of the system.

Anyway, I'm seeing quotes ranging from $1.16/mile to $1.26/mile for my request.

Does anyone have firsthand knowledge with either Sherpa and/or Easy Auto Ship?

Also open to other recent transactions for shippers to consider.

 

I have not used nor am I affiliated with this gentleman in anyway but I have been following him on the social medias for awhile. He is a former F-Type owner who moved on to a McLaren and recently started up his own business of car transportation, catering to European and exotics. Not saying other transport places won't or don't do a good job but a smaller, enthusiast ran shipper such as Chad might look after your baby with more care than others plus you'd be helping him afford more car parts!

https://www.instagram.com/fastertransport/?hl=en

 

I shipped a car from AZ to IL. I asked the local dealer to post the shipment and I asked the dealer in IL if he would take delivery. No problem. Two shops I had a good working relationship with. No charge. My other shipments were at the company's expense and I didn't get involved.

 

I have personal experience with Bears Transport (broker). They were not the cheapest but somewhere in the middle ($1700) for an enclosed trailer from Cali to Ga. could have gone the cheap route but you have to remember that the cheaper it is, the higher potential for a terrible carrier/trucker as no one wants to higher them. I did pay upfront but had no issues with the carrier they selected other than the trucker not speaking English. I would use them again without worries.