Auto Haulers

auto haulers

     Should I drive my car or use auto haulers? How do the costs compare?

Fuel costs compared

Gasoline is approximately $3.80 a gallon when we wrote this article. Do the math. 1000 miles divided by 20 MPG = 50 gallons of fuel. Therefore approximately $190 in fuel costs to travel one way 1000 miles. Auto Haulers would charge anywhere from $300-$600 for that same mileage depending upon pickup and delivery locations.

Time spent driving compared

Can you drive 8 hours a day? If so you will make it 560 miles if you stay the course at 70 MPH. So to make it 1,000 miles you will be needing a hotel because you must rest. Seems like the auto transport rates you received aren’t as bad as you thought once you do the math.

Weather Conditions

Do we really need to go into detail about what you could be facing? Think snowstorms, floods, twisters, extreme cold, extreme heat because any one of those COULD be a player in disaster. Just because the skies are blue where you are now doesn’t mean that’s the case 1,000 miles away. This is something all automobile movers experience daily, poor driving conditions.

 Paying Tolls

Toll fees are another factor in making the decision. It’s hard to imagine NOT running into tolls and we all know what a pain they can be. Do auto transports pay tolls? You bet they do and they can be charged a toll-fee for every vehicle onboard.

 Paying and Staying in Motels

Fleabag hotels are gonna cost you at least $50 and something safe and clean will probably cost near $100. Therefore this becomes another serious consideration.

 Vehicle Wear and Tear

Do you really want to put 2,000 miles on your new tires? How much did you pay for those tires anyway? Do the math….

The Cost of Mechanical Breakdown

Mechanical breakdowns are more common than you think. One customer opted to drive his relatively new F-250 truck. The F-250 truck broke down due to the transmission and that was half way from Florida to Utah. The garage that towed it in knew he was an out-of-state guy and charged him $1900 for the transmission work. He was stuck in a small town in Ohio for 4 days while they waited for parts. The worst part of it was the fact that he was a house contractor and lost 4 days of income because he was stuck in Ohio. All in all it was a very expensive trip.

 

 

 

The Potential for Accidents

 

We saved the worst for last because this usually seals the deal. Everyone knows you are a magnificent driver but what about that guy who’s trying to pass you in the fog???? What about Deer? How about sleepy interstate drivers or semi trucks that drift through lanes?

What about s-l-o-w drivers that pull out in front of you while you’re doing 75 MPH? All it takes is ONE to end your trip.It’s a proven statistic that drivers passing through areas they aren’t familiar with have a much higher opportunity for an accident simply because they do not know the lay of the land, as they say. Who knows…it may be YOU who causes the accident. Therefore we now have another variable to consider when making your decision to ship or not.

Plane Fare

 Final Thoughts on Auto Haulers

Eating on the road versus eating on a commercial flight. Sleeping in a hotel versus sleeping on a commercial flight. Paying fuel costs and maintenance costs versus buying an airfare. All big questions to ponder because they are all important variables. All are considerations of auto shipping and explain why so many people choose to ship their cars instead of driving them. Make the comparisons between your cost and that of the auto transport quotes you collected and decide for yourself because ultimately it is up to you to choose.

IF you choose to drive your car across country you may want to check these links BEFORE you go:

• Triple A Road Service
• The Weather Channel
• USA TODAY’s LIST of Best Motels

We suggest you take a few minutes to read our auto transport quotes page to give you a better understanding of what to stay away from when picking a company.

Then take a peek at our article how to find the best auto transport company to learn who to stay away from when seeking an auto mover.

To get some pricing formulas for your auto transport we suggest our car shipping rates explained page. On that page you will learn how auto movers come up with prices when you contact them.

Have you been doing some reading and researching on companies? Please read the truth about online auto transport reviews BEFORE making a choice. We can’t stress this enough.

Auto Transport BBB will get you to our A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau.