How It Works
THE PROCESS & WHAT TO EXPECT
STEP 1 → GET A QUOTE, SPEAK WITH US, & BOOK YOUR ORDER
Whether you request a quote right here online, send us an email, or prefer to shoot us a call, everything begins with getting a quote.
See More...
The auto shipping industry is supply and demand, seasonal, and market-driven, so the quotes you are receiving are just estimates, as so many factors can impact that quote. We strongly encourage you to speak with our team to discuss your quote, ask questions, and get clarity. The more information, the better for everyone! We have been doing this for a while and are very good at giving realistic pricing and not giving fake, low-ball quotes. Plus, we like to speak with our customers as it’s our way of showing how we really do ship cars for our friends!
STEP 2 → YOUR VEHICLE IS PICKED UP
Pretty simple. The Carrier assigned to your vehicle will arrive at your stated pickup location to load up your vehicle.
See More...
This may be one of those 9-car “big rigs” you see haulin’ down the highways or it may be a smaller trailer being pulled by a heavy-duty pickup truck due to the nature of the route. Whichever it may be, most of the time pickup happens right on the day you request but due to so many external factors that can delay, we encourage you to always allow a little flexibility here.
STEP 3 → YOUR VEHICLE IS DELIVERED
Again, pretty simple. The carrier will arrive at your stated delivery location to drop off your vehicle.
See More...
You will receive a date for delivery and you will be speaking directly with those who are making the journey with your vehicle so you will never be left in the dark as to when your vehicle will arrive.
STEP 4 → WE WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU
What sets us apart from other shipping brokers is our desire to make sure that you had a good shipping experience, that everything went well with your vehicle, and that you were treated with courtesy and respect by the Carrier we provided for you.
See More...
If there were any issues we certainly will want to know about them so we can continue to provide the best Carriers for our customers. So expect a phone call, email, or text. This also allows us to say THANK YOU for your business and keeps our relationship intact should you, or anyone you know, need our services again in the future.
Preparing Your Vehicle
In order for your vehicle to arrive as expected, it’s important to prepare it for the journey. Here are some good tips to follow that will help you have a good experience.
WASH THE OUTSIDE — You don’t need to do a full detailing job, just a simple wash will do. This will help you and the Carrier perform an adequate vehicle inspection because dirt and dust can easily hide dings, scratches, and dents.
CLEAN THE INSIDE — Sometimes the roadways can be a bit bumpy so in order to avoid things from being tossed around inside your car, clean the interior and remove everything not secured. And remember, the Carrier’s insurance does NOT cover anything that isn’t a natural part of your vehicle so be sure to remove all electronic devices.
DISABLE THE ALARM — Seems obvious, but to avoid making the life of the truck driver miserable, be sure you disable any alarm systems your vehicle may have.
DON’T GAS UP — Your vehicle is being transported, not driven, so there’s no need to fill up prior to loading. Having a full tank of gasoline makes your car heavier and additional weight can add risk to the entire shipment. While there are no restrictions here, be sure to leave as little fuel in the tank as possible when preparing your vehicle for transport.
REMOVE / DISABLE TOLL TAGS — It is so important that you not forget to remove (or disable) any and all toll transponders from your vehicle. If you fail to do so, the toll booth could inadvertently charge you for the entire truck, trailer, and load!
CHECK FOR LEAKS — Before your vehicle gets loaded onto the truck, check the undercarriage for any noticeable leaks. If your vehicle has an aggressive leak, the Carrier may refuse service. If you see a leak, make sure to get it repaired prior to moving day. After all, you wouldn’t want the vehicle above yours to be dripping oil or transmission fluid all over your car, would you?
CHECK TIRE PRESSURE — Under-inflated or over-inflated tires are just as risky in transport as they are on the road. All operable vehicles are driven on and off the trailer so by not having your tires properly inflated, you could be increasing the risk of damage to your tires and creating an unsafe situation for the Carrier.
ALWAYS ASK IF YOU DON’T KNOW — If you have any other questions or something is still unclear to you, just give us a call!
ITEMS INSIDE YOUR VEHICLE
Technically speaking, Carriers do not have to ship vehicles with items inside of them. The main reason is that the insurance that covers your vehicle will NOT extend to the items inside your vehicle. However, Carriers are wise enough to know that people will still put items in their vehicles to ship so they ask us to follow these simple parameters:
NOTHING OF VALUE – Make sure your items hold no monetary nor sentimental value to you because, again, nobody will be there to compensate you should any item inside get damaged.
WEIGHT LIMIT — Limit the weight to 75lbs or less. They know how much your vehicle weighs empty and that’s the gauge they use when booking their entire load and usually come slightly under highway weight limits. Extra weight could cause them huge fines.
PLACEMENT — Place items in the trunk or the back area (SUV) of your vehicle and not in any passenger areas. While you can NEVER put items in the front driver or passenger seat, in some instances you may find your items bleeding into the back seat area. If this happens, please utilize the floor space first and do not go above the bottom of the window line.
EXTRA WEIGHT & OVERFLOW— If for some reason you need to pack more than 75lbs into you vehicle, or if your items will be placed outside of the parameters, please notify us immediately! When we start approaching the 100lb mark, some Carriers may ask for more money due to the fact that they now have to work harder to customize the rest of their load in order to come under weight limits as a result of accommodating your needs. We do not want a situation where the Carrier shows up and is unable to load your vehicle due to extra weight or overpacking that they didn’t plan for.
DISCLAIMER — Ultimately, Carriers have the final say on whether or not to accept vehicles with items in them. They also reserve the right to require additional money for any amount of extra weight due to items. Following these parameters are not a guarantee that a Carrier won’t ask for more money. This is why we need to go over this with you ahead of time so the Carrier knows what to expect upon arrival and has agreed to the final price as a result. We will do everything in our power to make it go right for you should you need to ship items inside your vehicle.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
IS FRIENDLY AUTO TRANSPORT A CARRIER OR A BROKER?
We are a premier Auto Shipping Brokerage that arranges transport between Customers and Carriers. We provide the quotes/estimates, explain the process, answer all questions, screen the Carriers, and ensure that our customers have everything in place ahead of time so that the transport goes as smooth as possible. We take great pride in our ability to cultivate and develop strong relationships with all parties involved.
WHY AM I DEALING WITH A BROKER AND NOT THE ACTUAL CARRIER?
Carriers (the companies that own and operate the actual trucks) don’t normally deal with the general public (customers) and depend on Brokers (us) to handle all the customer-facing aspects of the shipment, i.e. setting up the order. The reason for this is because Carriers don’t run regular routes. There is no company out there that just runs Tampa to Chicago, for example. They may go up to Chicago but then have to go to New Jersey, down to Texas, and then finally back to Florida. Carriers have to book their trailers in a way that keeps them on the road making money. Unfortunately, it isn’t like booking a flight online where there is a dedicated flight every day from point A to point B and all you have to do is book your seat. It’s a bit more involved than that as you can see.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING FRIENDLY AUTO TRANSPORT?
As a premier auto shipping Brokerage, we have access to the entire car Carier network consisting of over 15,000 companies operating over 40,000 trucks. We have a perfect raiting among these providers.
We also have a 5-start rating with our customers across two different review platforms – Google & Transport Reviews.
And finally, we do NOT require our customers to pay our Broker Fee upfront in the form of a deposit nor do we require our customers to sign any contracts or shipping agreements prematurely. We will happily do all the logistical legwork on the front end for free, which means that we will locate, secure, properly vet, and work out the details with an available Carrier for you. Once they are all in place, we will review those details with you and ONLY IF YOU ARE SATISFIED will we then go ahead and book that Carrier for you. So we’ve put a lot of protections and controls in place for you – nothing will ever happen without your approval.
HOW DO YOU GENERATE YOUR QUOTES?
We use propriety software that utilizes various algorithms such as the time of year, route length, vehicle type, and current route-specific market pricing. Our quotes represent TOTAL COST which is a combination of Carrier Cost to Transport, Broker Fees, Taxes, and Insurance – there are NO HIDDEN FEES.
We’re known for giving realistic expectations when we quote transport for our customers. We do not give lowball quotes nor do we inflate our Broker Fees. One of the worst practices in this industry by bad brokers is knowingly giving their customers a lowball quote, get them to agree, and then come back to them with the real price only after that customer made a commitment with the broker and now they are stuck because it’s too late to go anywhere else.
HOW DOES BOOKING & PAYMENT WORK?
Once we have secured the Carrier for you and you have agreed to the details, we will send you our Shipping Agreement via email. Through that secure website/eDoc a small initial payment will go on a Credit/Debit card (Broker Fee) which will come off the top of the Total Cost. The Remaining Balance (Carrier Cost) is to be paid directly to the Carrier in CASH at delivery. Some Carriers will accept various forms of digital payment such as Venmo, CashApp, PayPal, Zelle, etc. This option is not guaranteed and will have to be approved by the Carrier before booking.
DO THE CARRIERS YOU USE HAVE INSURANCE?
Yes. Every Carrier that we use will have what’s called a MOTOR TRUCK CARGO insurance policy. This is what covers their load (your vehicle(s)) during transport. These policies usually range from anywhere between $100k to $500k depending on the size of the trailer and the type of Carrier that they are.
Additionally, every Carrier insurance policy does have a deductible that can range between $1k to upwards of $10k with the most common being $2,500. Friendly Auto Transport has NO CONTROL over deductible amounts nor any aspect of the Carrier’s insurance policy other than making sure that they have the requisite insurance in place to serve our Customers.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR MY VEHICLE TO ARRIVE?
The Northeast to Southeast route usually takes 2-3 and coast-to-coast can take between 7-10 days. Each Carrier is differnent and each route can vary. Some Carriers even do “team driving,” meaning they have two drivers and can cut the time in half. In any case, you will be given a transport schedule and will have direct communication with the Carrier.
CAN I PUT STUFF IN MY CAR?
Scroll up to the previous section on this page ↑