Door to Door Transport Delivery vs. Terminal to Terminal Pick-up

If you are looking for shipping your vehicle cross country, you probably have heard about terminal to terminal pick-up and door to door delivery car shipping. These two services are standard for shipping a vehicle, and a lot of people have questions about these shipping methods. Both door to door transport delivery and terminal to terminal pick-up is one of the two most common ways to ship your across the country, north for the winter, or just to a neighboring state.

Are you researching for the practicability of a cross country transport? Auto movers such as Ship-A1 offer a variety of car shipping services that vary in prices. The price is mainly dependent on the convenience of a particular delivery method.

What is Door to Door Transport Delivery

Door to door transport delivery means that the carrier will pick up your car right from your home or office. This is the most popular method of car shipping because, in most cases, it is more convenient for both the auto transport company and the customer. The significant part about door to door transport delivery is that you do not need to drive your vehicle very far off for it to be picked up. You also do not need to pay to have it spend time in a car terminal.

Door to door transport delivery requires that you, or another adult, to be there when the vehicle is picked up. This can be difficult in various situations. For example, you are in a position where you have to move ahead of your vehicle transport and live in the drop off location.

What is Terminal to Terminal Pick-Up

Terminal to terminal pick-up is another shipping option many clients consider. In terminal to terminal pick-up, you drop your car off at a car storage terminal, and then the auto shipping company goes to the pier to pick up your vehicle. Most of the time, terminals are placed on common routes of travel so that carriers do not have to travel far to pick up your car. This is what makes them so attractive to most. If you are not available when your vehicle needs to be picked up, a car terminal may be just what you need.

An auto transport terminal is a storage facility for vehicles that are typically located in or adjacent to a large metropolitan area. If you opt for the terminal to terminal pick-up service, you are responsible for getting your vehicle to the terminal where it will be picked up by a car shipper. The carriers will transport your car to another terminal location as close as possible to your chosen destination, where you would then need to pick it up.

Since carriers transporting your vehicles to and from local terminals can combine shipments headed to the same region, terminal to terminal pick-up saves carriers time.

How Door to Door Transport is Replacing Terminal to Terminal Pick-Up

There are many reasons to go for using door to door delivery versus auto transport that favor dropping your car at a terminal for a discount price. Even though terminal to terminal pick-up is a more affordable car shipping option, terminal to terminal cross-country vehicle delivery is not for everyone. Problems can occur, and various innate issues can pop up.

• Security Issues Related to Terminal to Terminal Pick-Up: Many of these terminals have minimum security on site. Trucks usually come and always go, much like a bus stop. Vehicles go in, and vehicles go out. Windows are broken, stereos are stolen, and cars looted. The final thing to know about terminals is that thieves target them. They know that if they can get inside the terminal, they will find vehicles that are not under surveillance. Auto transport companies might claim that terminal makes car picking easy, stay away from terminals, and you will save yourself from a big problem.
• Damages on Cars: When transport physically has your car, they are responsible for the care and safety of it. In case they damage the vehicle, they will pay for it. When they deliver your car to a terminal often times the vehicle is dropped off and sits until you can get it to it, the transport does not wait around. Even when they have damaged your car in any way. With terminal to terminal pick-up, three different parties handle your vehicle. Firstly, there is the pick-up facility staff. Secondly, there is the driver. Lastly, there is the storage facility staff. These three parties involved in the move, the probability of car damages increase. If the damage is not correctly documented by any of the parties, it decreases your chance to get paid through one of their insurance companies.
• Other Important Details: Most of the people do not have the knowledge of the fact that car terminals charge an upfront fee and then additional charges for each day. If your car is at the terminal for an extended time, terminal to terminal pick-up can quickly become more expensive than door to door shipping. Terminals are storage facilities where you drop your vehicle off at any time that is convenient for you. The terminal may charge you additional fees for your car storage until the auto carrier picks your car up on a more suitable day.
• So ask yourself: Are you willing to drop off or pick up your car at a specific time and date? You might find that the cost of getting to and from the nearest auto transport cancels out any cost savings you have earned. You may also suffer additional vehicle storage charges if you are not able to pick up your car within the agreed-upon time frame. You should also be aware that your vehicle will be handled by more than one person. Besides, terminals are open-air lots, and your vehicle will be exposed to the earth elements while it is there.