The Danielle DeMarzo Foundation which is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting resources and activities for children and adults with growth related disorders and/or special needs is selling tickets for a give-away to win a new Porsche Boxer S (donated by Champion Porsche). For more info about the charity visit: https://www.danielledemarzofoundation.org/


To purchase a ticket for the Porsche give-away go to:
https://www.danielledemarzofoundation.org/pages/FundRaiser/tickets.php

I recently was talking about this with a friend who shipped their car with a company and paid extra for express shipping. Turns out that “Express Shipping” for that transporter referred to getting your vehicle picked up faster and nothing to do with delivery time. So be sure to Read the fine print in the auto transport contract when paying extra for any service including Express shipping services…

To make a long story short my friend asked to be refunded the extra money they paid for the express delivery but the auto transporter said it stated clearly in the contract that the express shipping was for fast pickup and nothing to do with actual delivery time. So there car was picked up fast, delivered slow and they did not get a refund for the express shipping charge.

Most enclosed car transport carriers have 2 loading methods that both work well for the lowered vehicle or vehicles that have ground effects.

The 1st type of enclosed auto transport carrier loading has a lift gate that sits flat on the ground and your vehicle is driven onto it. Then the lift gate is lifted (like an elevator) to the hight of the transport truck and your car is driven into the car carrier safely.

The 2nd type of enclosed car shipping carrier loading is when your car is driven up the metal trailer track ramps. Since these are enclosed transport trucks the drivers usually come prepared to handle all types of vehicle. With the help of add on ramps they get the job done. What these add on ramps do is simple add on additional peace of ramp that usually starts paper flat with the pavement and extends to were the original ramp sits on the pavement.

Both loading methods work well and if done correctally will result in your vehicle getting aboard the transport carrier safely. Plus if you are there at the pick up location you can keep a close eye    on the truck driver as he loads your vehicle and give assistance if needed. But remember the truck drivers do this all day long so they are pretty good at loading and unloading vehicles off there carriers.

Porky most vehicle shipping companies will probably want to up sell you on the enclosed car transport service for your vehicle (especially if your ride is an expensive make/model) as they make more on the deal.
Yes, its true sometimes small rocks (a.k.a. "Pebble Missiles") do get picked up by the auto transporters tires or tires of passing by vehicle on the road. We are not talking about a stone the size of a football here, lol. Usually it is a small tiny pebble that is large enough to fit in between your car tire thread. But do to the high speed vehicles are traveling these tiny pebbles can really shoot out from a tire like a Missile.

As for if these flying pebbles can cause scratches or other damage... well it is possible. It may chip or crack a windshield or nick your car paint...  i guess it all depend on the speed the pebble hit the vehicle as well as location it made contact.

If it will keep your mind at ease and you got the extra money then i would say get the enclosed transport but if you don't want to spend the extra money i would just ask the auto shipping company if your vehicle can ride on the top section of the open car transport carrier. Having your vehicle on the top should offer some sort of protection against flying “pebble missiles”. 

most people getting enclosed car transport service are shipping luxury, antique, exotic, race car or new vehicles.

I feel Enclosed car transport carrier service is for anybody with a car that is in good condition and wants to ensure it stays that way.

Washing  your car is important so that the car transport driver can fully inspect your vehicle for damage before it is loaded on the carrier and mark down any damage your vehicle may have on the condition report.

The car delivery driver will give you a phone call before he arrives with your vehicle. This is why it is important to supply the car transport company with more then one phone number such as home, work and cell phone.

Most companies do have GPS in the car transport carriers so your can track your automobile and if they don't you can always call the company up everyday to check the status of your vehicle delivery.

I know what you mean myride. I can just imagine the auto transport driver pulling over after a long drive to take a nap and then using your car back seat as a bed    Just kidding, that probably would not happen...but it could.

I know what you mean, going around making phone calls to auto transporters can take along time, don't you just hate waiting on hold for an hour listening to elevator music to just get a quote 
 I have used a good vehicle shipping site to get mulitple car shipping quotes with just one form and got some low rates. 
There are also some good vehicle shipping directory sites that list auto transport carriers.

Below is an example of what the car shipping company Bill of Lading form will look like. Please note that some car shipping carriers may have forms that look slightly different but all the information that the Bill of Lading asks will be similar such as origin, destination, vehicle info, your contact info etc. etc.

This is a good question that a lot of people forget to ask when booking there car transport.

Some car shipping companies may not charge a cancellation fee and some companies Might.
Every car shipping company has their own set of policies regarding refunds.
I know of some situations were people put down a deposit and then lost the deposit do to cancellation of car delivery.
You have to remember that once you put down a deposit these auto transport carriers set route to your destination, if you cancel last minute then they not only wasted a lot of time but it cost them money as well (fuel).

Some car shipping companies may not charge a deposit so it wouldn’t be a problem.

If they do give refunds then make sure to get it in Writing from the auto transport company so you will not run into any problems later.

I agree with Karen that you will get a better price shipping multiple vehicles.

Although if you are shipping a vehicle from Brooklyn New York to Queens New York and that’s about 15 miles apart (depending on were your going) it might be quicker, easier and cost less to higher a Tow truck company with a flatbed instead of an auto transport carrier to ship both your vehicles.   
A flatbed tow truck company might charge you around $200 dollars to transport both vehicles for that distance. Flat bed tow truck companies are kind of a miniature auto transport carrier were by they can only transport 1-3 vehicles depending on the size of the flat bed. Also a flatbed tow truck is used to transport vehicles for shorter distances.

I am not sure what type of cars you want to transport but with such a short distance it might be cheaper to just drive them…

The main Advantage is that open auto transport cost less money then enclosed auto shipping 

An example of some disadvantages are:
- It might take longer to ship your vehicle. I say this because some enclosed car transporters carry less vehicles (partly why it cost more) then some of the standard open auto transport carriers.

- People can see what the car transport truck is hauling. This can lead to an issue with theft of vandalism of a vehicle on the carrier.

- Road debris such as small pebbles that are picked up by other vehicles tires may hit your vehicle causing small dings or scratches     this does not always happen but it might.

- Due to weather issues, your car will more then likely arrive dirty.

- You car will be transported with other vehicles which range in condition from new to old. Please note that some older cars may have issues such as fluid leakage, which can drip onto your car if your automobile is riding on the bottom tracks of the auto transport carrier. This is not the case with enclosed car transport because most of the time they are hauling new, luxury or exotic vehicles. Although if they were transporting an antique car i can see that there might be an issue with something leaking.
Check out a blog post here about enclosed car shipping

Does anybody else know of any other disadvantages or advantages of open car transport service?

Auto transport companies actually prefer shipping multiple vehicles to the same destination as it saves time and gas which it turn will equal additional saving for you  .  Make sure and ask the auto transport carrier if they offer multi car discounts when shipping a vehicle. Most do, and when getting a vehicle shipping quote online make sure to note that info in the 'additional information' field as to get a more accurate price rate quote.

Having the bill of lading on hand will help you in case your vehicle gets damaged during car delivery. Also it will have all of your delivery info and the car transport company's information just in case you need to get a hold of them.

An e-Bill  of lading is a good idea but unfortantally the bill of lading is given to you by the auto transport driver right before they load up your vehicle onto the car transport carrier. This is because they need to fill out information about your vehicle on the spot  including a condition report before they can give the bill of lading to you.