Finding a car shipping company that offers their services for cheap is not easy. This is because the car shipping industry prices are based on supply and demand, which means that you probably need to be working with a broker to get competitive prices.

In this article, we will guide you on finding inexpensive shipping vehicles by knowing the factors that affect car shipping prices, as well as a few tips that can lower the expenses of shipping your vehicle. Without further ado, let’s start:

Tips on shipping your car for a cheap price

1. Use a freight train for shipping

The cheapest method to shipping a car is definitely by using a freight train. With that said, freight trains are not available in every location or city. Additionally, freight train shipping will take more time compared to other options. If you want to have a faster shipping time at the cost of paying more, consider using truck or trailer shipping.

2. Put your reservations early on

Since the shipping industry is done via bidding, be sure to post your reservation early. This means more time for shipping providers to bid on your reservation. Additionally, shipping that has little to no time from the shipping reservation to the shipping date will cost more.

3. Provide more options on the dates

Shipping providers select reservations depending on their current routes and schedule. With this in mind, make sure to provide plenty of choices when it comes to the dates on your shipping reservation. If you can, use a shipping time frame instead of a single date, so you’ll have more shipping providers bidding on your reservation. Having more bids is a surefire way to reduce your shipping price.

4. Take advantage of shipping terminals

Another way to save money when shipping your car is by taking advantage of shipping terminals. Shipping terminals are locations in which you can drop and pick up your car, instead of having the shipping provider pick up and deliver your vehicle door to door. 

If you are living in a rural area or a secluded place, door to door shipping might be more expensive for you. A good way to reduce that expense is by simply dropping off and picking up your car at a shipping terminal instead.

5. Consider open shipping

Open shipping will slash your shipping bill since it will take fewer resources compared to enclosed shipping. However, avoid cutting expenses this way if your vehicle has a low clearance, since having no enclosure while being shipped can cause damage to low clearance vehicles.

6. Remove any unnecessary items on your vehicle

Shipping companies use the weight of your vehicle in the calculation of their expense. With this in mind, you can reduce the cost of your shipping by lowering the weight of your vehicle. You can do this by taking out every personal appliance or item on your vehicle before having it shipped.

Unnecessary items that you can remove include appliances that you installed on your vehicle such as fans, television sets, and other weighty items.

7. Compare the offers from various shipping providers

Once shipping providers and companies have placed their bids on your reservation, compare them to find out the cheapest offer. Aside from the cheapest price, be sure to consider other factors like delivery time frame, protection on the shipped vehicle, insurance, and other important things. We recommend you to be sure before posting your reservation, since the broker can charge you if you cancel your reservation without hiring any shipping companies.