How to Ship a Vehicle to Your Sailor?

[Sues]

Does anyone have anyone have any tips advice, etc... on how to ship a vehicle to your sailor? Is it insanely expensive?

[Navy Mom Cheryl]

sues....yup, insanely....why not a road trip and fly back????much less expensive AND you get a bonus of seeing him......awww heck call me, and ill drive it there.....good luck with all of this......

[Suzanne]

Sue - I have a great deal of experience w/this issue. Send me a friend request and I'll respond privately.

[Sues]

Suzanne - actually a mom in the cryptology group was asking so I thought I would post start a discussion about it. We recently drove my son's car to him from NY to FL but I would like to know for my own information though so I'm sending the friend request.

[Suzanne]

I'll be happy to share my info w/you. I just got your friend request so I'll reply tonight. My son and I had a very bad experience and I didn't want to publicly "slam" the company that did the shipping. I am very sensitive to the fact that this is a public form and can be ready by anyone. I realize that our experiences may not mirror others.

That being said, what I will say publicly is that shipping a vehicle is preferable in many cases. In my son's case, he needed/wanted his truck. The options were to purchase another vehicle or have his shipped to him. It was much less expensive to ship than it was to purchase a new vehicle or purchase a used vehicle, not knowing what may be wrong with it. There's also the matter of having to insure two vehicles. The cost for us was $675. I figured the worse thing that could happen would be that he'd have to ship to back again.

[Karen]

My son just shipped his truck to Hawaii for his wife. I don't believe it was expensive, just a lot of running around and information gathering on this end. There are different shipping points through the Navy located around the country. Rob was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl but had to take the truck to Orlando to get it shipped. The vehicle has to be clean inside, outside and the undercarriage.
If you want I can get the details from my daughter in law, as she made all the arrangements for it.

[Jennifer Cody's Mom in Florida]

OK here is some helpfull information. Me, my husband and another partner have a company that all we do is ship vehicles. One deal with a transporter not a Broker. A Broker will take more money and then jst post in for anyone that wants to transport it to take it. Ask if they are a Broker or will their company transport it themselves. Let them know if they have to dispatch it to another company that you want to know before hand. Check out the Companies insurance you can do this right from the DOT's website. Cars are cheaper than SUV's and Trucks as larger vehicles take up more room and leaves the truck short a space. Look for a company that gives Military Discounts. Allow time for transport because the company has to have more than one vehicle to pick up in an area and get a truck to that area and deliver cars Along that route. The longer notice and company haves the cheaper usually a real short booking time can be more expensive.You can not ship personal items in the vehicle (some companies do but it really is not allowed for the safety of the belongings as well.) Yes it is expensive but a truck only gets around 6 miles, yes 6 miles, to a gallon of fuel plus insurance Liability and Cargo, truck payments, drivers pay, and it is hard work if you have ever watched theses guys load unload chain all points or strap the wheels down, etc., Make sure they carry cargo insurance and dont expect your car insuance to cover any damage. TAKE PICTURES of the car. The driver should have an inspection report on PIck up and again on delivery read it check what damage they have noted before signing it ask questions about what damagetey noted.. (Sometimes you feel they are nit picking but they have to cover themselves they are not condeming your vehicle) If anyone has a questions just ask me. I cant give out our companies info here, but I can answer most basic questions.

Good luck everyone.
Also the Military only pays for transporting vehicles out and into the country not state to state. But there is a web page that has the numbers for the military shipping centers and they can recommend someone. The Orlando, fl. Shipping center is great to work with I love the people there. And dont be afraid to ask about Military discounts we have to take care of our Sailors!