Have you decided to move and have purchased a new house in a new state? We’re sure your mind must be occupied with the barrage of tasks that come with relocating. The mounting challenges truly hit the fan when you have a vehicle that needs to be moved too. In such cases, auto shipping companies can truly be a welcome respite.
Today, we are featuring one such company in our article American Auto Shipping review. Thinking of availing their service to avoid the hassle of an unnecessary road trip while moving? Read on to get a lowdown on what they’re all about and whether they make sense for you.
American Auto Shipping Overview
American Auto Shipping is a full service car transport broker. These guys transport any and all vehicles on wheels across all the 50 states. Or as they put it, “ship anything, anywhere”. It’s worth noting that the company has been around in the industry for over 2 decades, which makes them older than many of the companies in the auto shipping industry. So they certainly don’t lack experience. Over these 2 decades, American Auto Shipping have shipped over 122k vehicles across the United States. If anything, it shows that they definitely have the experience and the expertise to safely transport your vehicle.
Now that you know who they are and what they do, let go a little deeper into the company and what they provide and let’s take a look at how much they charge for their services.
How Does American Auto Shipping Work?
As we already mentioned, they will ship and transport anything on wheels to anywhere in the United States. So how do you go about transporting your vehicle from point A to point B with America Auto Shipping?
It all starts with getting a quote on how much it will cost you to transport your vehicle. You can do this by calling them up or by using their online calculator to get an almost instant quote for your delivery. A reassuring fact is that these quotes you get are binding. So you don’t have to worry about being blindsided by mounting hidden fees at the end of your move.
American Auto Shipping will only provide you with an estimate which will be subject to change based on many factors. However, with American Auto Shipping, you can rest assured that the price the company quotes will be the same price that you will have to pay.
These quotes are given based on the information that you enter on the online form or you give the representative who you speak to. So as long as this information stays the same, so will the quote given to you. However if you have any changes to this information, then it is likely that it will affect the cost of transporting the vehicle
Once you are happy with the quote, you can go ahead and place an order with the company. Once the order is processed, you will have a spot reserved for your vehicle on their auto transport carriers and they will also provide you with the name and number of the driver who will be transporting your vehicle.
The driver transporting your vehicle will call you anywhere from 24 hours prior to 4 hours prior to picking up and dropping your vehicle to inform you, so that you or your representative can be available to give and receive the vehicle.
At the time of pickup and delivery, you are allowed and encouraged to inspect your vehicles. You’d be wise to click pictures, if only to make sure that no damage was incurred when the vehicle was in transit. We strongly advise that you do this and make a note of any damages on the BOL (Bill Of Lading) at the time of delivery, as only then can you make a claim for these damages with the carrier’s insurance.
That’s pretty much how you go about the shipping process with the company. Let’s now look at the types of shipping services that American Auto Shipping provides.
Also See: Best Auto Shipping Companies
What Services Do American Auto Shipping Provide?
Well when you look to ship or transport your vehicle, there are many different ways you can go about doing this. Let’s look at a few of the services that are available with American Auto Shipping.
Car Transport Broker
We mentioned earlier that America Auto Shipping is a car transport broker. So what does this mean?
In this industry, there are two types of companies – auto transport carriers and auto transport brokers. The difference is simple. Auto transport carriers operate their own trucks that ship your vehicle, while brokers coordinate between multiple carriers to find you the right one to deliver your vehicle.
Auto transport brokers provide you with lower costs. You book with an auto transport broker and they will find you the best transport carrier that can deliver your vehicle at the best rate. To add to that, they don’t have high costs because if you don’t like their price, you can always go with another broker who will do it for a better price.
Now that we got that cleared, let’s look at the types of shipping services that the American Auto Shipping provides.
See Also: Moving Brokers vs Carriers
Open Air Transport
By far the most common way to transport your vehicle. It is preferred by most people because it is an affordable mode of transporting your vehicle. In open air transport, your vehicle is loaded onto a carrier with other vehicles. A carrier can transport roughly around 10 cars at a time. They usually have two decks with vehicles loaded both above and below.
So what makes it affordable? The cost of transporting vehicles is shared across the 10 vehicles being transported. This low cost transport does come with a few downsides though. When transporting your vehicle in the open air, it is exposed to the elements and can sustain damage in the weather or just by external forces in general.
Read Also: Is Your Car Safe During Auto Transport?
Enclosed Transport
This mode of transport is the opposite of open air transport. The car is transported in an enclosed carrier with walls and a roof. The benefits are obvious right from the start. Your vehicle is not exposed to the elements and is secure from being pelted by rock chips or any other debris. In many enclosed carriers the vehicle is secured to the carrier by the tires and this avoids the damages caused by straps and chains to the body. However all enclosed carriers do not do this and so it’s best that you inquire beforehand if they do secure the vehicle by the tires.
All this is well and good, but enclosed carriers can carry only 6 vehicles, in some cases 8 vehicles, for transportation. The lower vehicle capacity results in enclosed transport being more expensive than open air transport. If you do have exotic, luxury or even antique vehicles, then it is definitely worth spending the extra cash, to use the enclosed transport services. Interestingly, American Auto Shipping also transports vehicles to car shows and auto auctions.
See Also: Top 5 Enclosed Car Shipping Companies
Door To Door Transport
This is exactly what it sounds like. It might come as a surprise but Door-to-Door Transport is not an option or a service that is provided by all auto transport carriers in the industry. If you prefer your car to be picked up and dropped at a specified location or even at a specified address, then it’s best to request for door to door pickup and delivery when you make your booking.
Just keep one thing in mind though. You may give your address to the driver or the company at the time of the booking, but it may not always be possible for the driver to deliver your vehicle to the exact address. If by any chance the address is down a street that the carrier cannot access or is not permitted to be on, then the driver will call you and you will have to arrange for a different pick up or drop location close by.
Heavy Equipment Shipping
Transporting heavy equipment is a major pain. It is also not a service that many auto shipping companies provide because, like we said, it is a hassle. Also there is the argument to be made that heavy equipment need not mean ‘vehicle’.
But we are here to tell you that lots of vehicles fall in this category, like farm and construction vehicles, from tractors to steam rollers, to even helicopters and airplanes. If you have any of these types of vehicles that are in need of relocation, then American Auto Shipping just may be the company for you.
Ship Anything, Anywhere
They do mean this literally. We said this before and we repeat it because this is not a service that many auto transport companies provide. American Auto Shipping will transport any vehicle with wheels, even undriveable vehicles, anywhere in the United States. They will even ship your vehicle to and from Hawaii.
How Expensive Is America Auto Shipping?
You got a gist of how the company operates and the main services provided by them. Now let’s look at how much they cost and how those prices compare to the industry.
American Auto Shipping Service Fee
There are many factors that go into determining the cost of transporting a vehicle. The make and model of the car, the destination and distance, the season, and even the route taken are just some of the factors that determine the price of transporting a vehicle. Interestingly though, American Auto Shipping boasts one of the lowest prices in this industry.
They charge approximately $80-$85 to ship a car a 100 miles with open air transport and $120 – $125 with enclosed transport. For comparison, the industry average price is roughly $105 – $110 for open transport and $160 – $170 for enclosed transport for that same 100 miles.
We did mention that car make and model also play a role in determining the costs. To give you more of an understanding regarding this let’s look at some rough estimates for two vehicles.
To transport a 2011 Toyota Highlander, it will cost you roughly $595 – $600 via open air transport and about $895 – $900 via enclosed transport.
A 2008 Dodge Charger would cost an estimate of $530 – $535 to be transported by open air transport and roughly $780 – $785 via enclosed transport.
We’ve also created a table highlighting the comparison between the cost of transporting those same two vehicles with the industry average cost.
| Vehicle | Distance | American Auto Shipping | Industry Average |
| 2008 Dodge Charger | 1,000 miles | $550 – $555 | $815 – $820 |
| 2008 Dodge Charger | 155 miles | $245 – $250 | $330 – $335 |
| 2011 Toyota Highlander | 1,000 miles | $625 – $630 | $890 – $895 |
| 2011 Toyota Highlander | 154 miles | $270 – $275 | $365 – $370 |
Like we said, American Auto Shipping charges less than the industry average to ship your vehicle across the United States. Hopefully this has given you a clearer understanding on how ‘expensive’ this company is.
Also Read: How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car
Reasons To Choose American Auto Shipping
But it’s not just the great prices that make them stand out in the industry. People always say that it’s the little things that matter. American Auto Shipping doesn’t shy away from making sure their customers aren’t deprived of those valuable little things.
1. Clean Car Guarantee
It is quite normal for your vehicle to reach its destination dustier than when it left. This is especially the case with long distance open air transport. What’s great though is that American Auto Shipping will pay up to $20 dollars for your carwash. Even the interiors. All you have to do is get your car washed and mail the picture of the receipt to the representative assigned to you and they will send you a check in 5 days.
2. Personal Concierge
From the moment you get a quote, you will be assigned a representative who will be your one point of contact for any query or issue you may have, till the moment your vehicle is delivered to you. It makes the coordination and the entire process so much smoother.
3. Pick-up Date Guarantee
If the carrier or driver does not arrive to pick up your vehicle on the specified date, then American Auto Shipping will reimburse you $500 for the inconvenience.
4. Rental Car
If your vehicle has not been delivered by the specified date and you have to rent a vehicle as a result of this, then American Auto Shipping will provide for a free rental car for you to use till the delivery of your vehicle.
5. Damage Free Delivery
American Auto Shipping promises a damage free delivery of your vehicle. If a transport carrier does not cover you for such damage caused in transit, American Auto Shipping will pay $500 towards your deductible to cover for these damages. Considering how many companies charge for these things, this particular feature sure is heavensent.
6. Great Customer Reviews
American Auto Shipping seems to have extremely satisfied and loyal customers, cementing the fact that they are good at what they do. A rating of 4.8 on both Google Reviews and Transport Reviews clearly highlights their reliability. In fact, they’re also accredited by Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.
Things To Keep In Mind About American Auto Shipping
1. The Website
The company website, though quite detailed with a whole lot of valuable information, might not be the easiest to navigate. But again, this is not really a big deal or even something that should have an impact on the decision making.
2. No GPS Tracking Provided
Probably one of the only cons of American Auto Shipping. Once your shipment has left from your starting location, there’s no way of tracking it on the road to get actual real time updates.
Company Information
Address: 3283 E Warm Springs Rd. Suite 100 Las Vegas, NV 89120 / 3439 NE Sandy Blvd #692a, Portland, OR 97232
Contact Number: 800-930-7417/800-577-3617
Email ID: info@americanautoshipping.com
FAQs about American Auto Shipping
Is American Auto Shipping legit?
Using American Auto Shipping is a safe and legal way to ship your car. They work with top-notch carriers, are fully licensed and bonded, have excellent customer reviews, AND offer free quotes!
Conclusion
American Auto Ship has been around for a long time, since 1999 to be precise. So they definitely have the edge over most other companies in terms of experience. They have a great track record and customer feedback to back it up. Sure there are always bad reviews like with every company. But these are so few in contrast with the large amount of positive reviews that the company has racked up in its 2 decade long run.
The company also goes to great lengths to make sure that the shipping industry and process is well understood by the customer and they try to make the whole experience stress free. The little things we mentioned have gone a long way in them keeping their promises and making up for it when it’s not met. That in and of itself, is something many in the industry do not do.
Let’s not forget, the low prices are the icing on the cake. So if you ask us, American Auto Shipping is definitely a choice worth considering for your auto shipping needs.
Read Also: Top Auto Transport Companies in the US | All America Auto Transport Review
