I had been warned that shipping a car across country would have it's challenges.
At first I engaged a broker who brokered several other brokers who bid on the shipment of my car.
I described in the scope of the job, the size of the car, dimensions, challenges at the pick up and delivery locations, and time frames for which I will be available. I set a four day window of time in which I'd be available at the delivery location and was advised on a recommended pick up date. Several transport companies bid on the job. I watched as the bids piled on --one after another. Most were bidding $1 below the lowest bidder. It finally settled at just under $1000 to ship my car from California to Texas. This was a good learning exercise. One particular transport company was very informative and asked questions which I did not consider. I ultimately allowed the job to expire and did not accept any of the bids.
So when it came time to actually schedule the job, I approached that one broker who was very informative. They came in with a bid of $1029 which was very near the final original bid. I accepted and set the date of my delivery. I was called by a representative and she asked numerous questions and then informed me on what to expect. But I was still unprepared for what happened next.
She asked if I would consider next available transport which might accelerate my travel dates. I agreed and she then opened the job up to the next available driver.
Things I'd never considered, the position on the open transport trailer is coordinated by the sequence of the pickups. It also determines the sequence of the deliveries. First on are usually in the upper level of the transport --which apparently is the preferred position on the truck. The last pickups are positioned on the bottom. And they are usually the first ones delivered simply because of the difficulty of shuffling the cars around on the transport. (The same goes for enclosed transports which are much more expensive)
I was contacted the following day because a driver was available. He asked if I could be there 5 days earlier to take delivery. Keep in mind, my Corrado is parked 52 miles away at my friends house. So while my wife and I are tag teaming the incoming phone calls from the driver, we are negotiating times and windows of availability.
I agreed to changing my arrival times to an earlier date to accommodate the driver. My wife changed my plane tickets so that I would fly out five days earlier. I jump in my truck, and make the 52 mile drive to the car in anticipation of meeting a driver. I arrive two hours later and the broker calls me to inform me that the driver declined and had already picked up another vehicle. His transport was now full! Imagine my disappointment.
I didn't realize just how competitive the transport industry. That notion was further substantiated by my last cross country drive out to Texas where I passed numerous transports heading eastward with cars on board. I never paid attention before. There are a lot of people transporting their cars out of California.
The next day arrived and another driver showed interest. What I discovered is that the competitiveness of the drivers in a market that has high demand means they can pick and chose the car they transport. If another vehicle is in the same area but was quoted a higher fee, then that car will take priority over my car. That scenario happened to me the following day.
Now on my third day in the queue, and the broker is telling me that other higher bids are superseding my transport job. I'm hopeful it happens today.
Tomorrow I board a plane and fly out to the destination. If it doesn't happen on this day, then I will have to get a volunteer to hand over the keys to my car or I'll have to cancel the job and try another day.
Comments