Finding an auto shipper to ship your vehicle takes a lot of time, patience, and – in some instances – money. It's important that you research not just how auto shipper services work, but the differences between different auto shippers. Finding an auto shipper is not just about calling one place and getting your car moved – unfortunately, in the auto shipper industry, fraud is not uncommon. While honest auto shipper companies are working diligently to ship vehicles, the fact of the matter is that a lot of auto shipper companies just want your money and don't care about your vehicle moving. When researching auto shipper companies, it's a good idea to read some reviews by customers of those auto shippers. Websites like Transport Reviews are great ways to read up on the reliability of different auto shippers.

But before that, you should get some different auto shipper quotes from those companies. Getting multiple auto shipper quotes is important – a quote that is too low won't get your car moved, and a quote that's too high could leave you paying a lot more money than you need to. Finding a good auto shipper quote takes a bit of time and research, but it's well worth the effort. A good experience with an auto shipper is always good to see.

Once you find a reliable auto shipper, you'll want to book your order. Simply call the auto shipper and let them know you like their quote and want to book. They will then get all the information that the auto shipper truck will require (such as addresses and the make and model of the vehicle) and collect payment. Some auto shipper companies take just a deposit and leave you to pay the rest of the balance to the auto shipper truck upon delivery. Other auto shipper companies give a discount for paying the balance up front in full to them. Talk to your auto shipper about other payment options and the different ways you can pay your auto shipper.

Your auto shipper will then ask you for a pickup date. They will work a pickup window around your pickup date – no auto shipper who is worth their weight will guarantee a pickup date – this is also an easy way to tell an honest auto shipper from a dishonest auto shipper. Most auto shippers will give you a general pickup window of one to ten days – some larger ones can swing a one to five day window, but not all of them can. Be prepared to wait, however – sometimes the auto shipper cannot easily find a carrier and may require the full ten days (or whatever the particular auto shipper's window may be).

Once the auto shipper finds a carrier, they will give you all that carrier's information. From there, depending on the auto shipper, you may be responsible for arranging a drop off time with the carrier – the carrier should always call you prior to delivery, however, so you won't ever be out of the loop regardless of who calls who. After the auto shipper carrier drops your vehicle off, you will do an inspection – you should also have done one prior to the auto shipper picking up your vehicle – these inspections are required by the auto shipper's insurance should there be any damage during the transport.