There are a variety of reasons why you may have to may have to use an auto transport service to ship your car or truck, van or SUV, when driving it from place to place just isn’t practical or possible. Lucky, there are likewise a variety of ways which you can go about doing the transporting, based on your budget, or the urgency with which you need your car to arrive.

If you currently own a car and are in the process of moving, the most annoying thing to have to consider is how you’ll get your vehicle or vehicles from your current residence to your next one. You may be moving a great distance, or even overseas, and yet you don’t have the opportunity or time to move your car by yourself. Of course, you need your car at your new home, and you need it there as soon as possible, so you’ll have to consult an automobile transporter to ship your car from A to B. Most transport companies, whether they ship your car by train or by truck, have fully computerized shipping services, so that you can track the status and position of your car in transit, just in case you’re the worrying type.

But before you send your car on a cross country or international trip, you’ll want to make sure you have it in tip-top shape, and get a thorough record of inspection that will make note of your car’s mileage, any noticeable dents scratches or nicks, any cracked glass, or other imperfections. Make sure that all is well covered and accounted for when you purchase insurance for your car, so that it will be made clear within the legal contract both you and the transport company will draft. This becomes important just in case any physical damage is done to your car during transport, so you’ll have proof and justification with which to hold the company accountable.

And then there’s the question of whether to ship your car by train or by truck. In person, of course, you’ll probably be flying to your destination, but if you were traveling on the ground you might choose train travel over car travel just because it’s the romantic thing to do. But your car doesn’t know anything about romance, so you’ll want to choose the fastest, easiest way to get it shipped so that you can minimize hassle. If you choose to go by train, the biggest inconvenience may be that you will have to pick up your car from the terminal they ship it to. That’s a problem if you want to get your car right to your new front door, or just won’t have the time to head out and pick up your car from the lot they’ve deposited it in. In this case, your best option is to go with shipping your automobile by truck, which, in most instances, can do direct shipment to a specific street address with a not unreasonable difference in price.

In case you need a specific date for delivery because you won’t be able to receive your car at any other possible time, then it is important to let the auto transport company you choose know this, as there may be a holding fee at their terminal.

For shipping overseas, obviously the same kinds of inspections and precautions need to be taken to ensure you receive your car in the same shape you left it. There’s nothing worse than finding out weeks after you’ve received your car that there’s a jagged scratch in the paint you didn’t at first notice, and which you can’t prove the company responsible for. So be cautious, be careful, and know just what you want from your automobile transporter.