What is Door-to-Door Car Transportation? How to Prepare your car for it? | CitizenShipper

Ulhas Sukhare Ulhas Sukhare · Updated November 12, 2024

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Door-to-door car transportation service means that your car will be picked up right in front of your door (or very close to it), and delivered to the door of its destination. This is quite unlike terminal-to-terminal car shipping service, where you need to deliver your car to a terminal, from where your car is picked up and delivered to another terminal, whereas with door-to-door car transportation service, your car gets delivered to you much more quickly. All of this makes door-to-door car transportation service more expensive than terminal-to-terminal service. Nevertheless, far more comfortable to use.

Preparing Your Car for Door-to-Door Car Transportation Service

To prepare your car for door-to-door car transportation service, inspect the car for any marks or scratches, take a photo of them so that you know that those have not occurred during the transportation.

Check with your transporter if there is a weight limit for your car and how your car’s weight influences the price of the transport. Don’t overload your car with personal items if this is going to make a huge difference on the bill.

If you yourself can not be the person that will give the keys to your car to the transporter, or the person who will take the keys once the car is delivered then make sure that the transporter has the appropriate contact number of the person who will be handling the keys for you.

Open vs. Enclosed Trailer for Door-to-Door Car Transportation Service

There are two types of trailers you can choose for your door-to-door car transportation service. One is the open trailer, and as its name suggests – it’s an open-air trailer to which your car is loaded, usually with several other cars. The second type of trailer is an enclosed trailer, which means that your car will be transferred in an enclosed environment, sometimes – being the only car in the trailer.

1. Open trailers

For door-to-door car transportation services, open trailers have their own advantages. There are far more transporters that offer open trailers for car transport than the enclosed trailers, so it will be much easier for you to find a transporter that meets your needs, especially if you need your car picked up shortly. Furthermore, being more available, the price for using an open trailer for door-to-door car transportation service will be lower. Your car will be loaded on a trailer with usually up to 6 or more cars, and safely transported to its destination. A disadvantage of using this kind of trailer is that your car will be open to scratches from small rocks and road debris. However, this is not something that has to happen when using an open trailer. Car dealerships use open trailers for the transport of brand new cars, meaning that they are very confident their new cars will not suffer from road debris or poor weather condition. The size of the open trailer may influence the exact spot from where your car can be picked up and delivered (and that may not be exactly to your door), which can also be a slight disadvantage which we will discuss in detail later on.

2. Enclosed trailer

For door-to-door car transportation service is something you may want to consider if you’re an owner of a luxury or antique car. Alternatively, if you are not convinced of an open trailer is secure enough for your car, this option is the one for you. Moreover, if your car will be in transfer for longer than a day, the longer it is being transferred – the more chances for it to be damaged during the transfer in an open trailer. Higher security translates into a higher price for choosing the enclosed type of trailer. Also, there are fewer transporters that offer this kind of service, so you might want to schedule for a transporter more upfront.

Things to Consider When Using Door-to-Door Car Transportation Service

A door-to-door car transportation service does not always mean that literally. More often, it means that your car will be loaded onto a trailer and unloaded from the trailer as close to your door as possible. Still, this means that you would need to bring your car only a mile or two away from your door, and not for over 20 miles which can often happen with the terminal to terminal car transportation service. Usually, the driver will ask you to get your car to a nearby parking lot (such as one of a grocery store, or a shopping mall). There are several factors that the driver needs to take into consideration while deciding as to if your car will be picked up and delivered right in front of your door.

Low-hanging trees can make a driver decide to load your car elsewhere, and not at your doorstep. Open trailers are usually double-deckers, which makes them high. Thus, the cars on the upper decker can be exposed to scratches, dents, and other kinds of damages from the branches of the trees. The driver will not risk this. And you would not want to have a driver who would risk your vehicle getting scratched.

Narrow or small roads will not allow for large and lengthily trailers to be maneuvered. The driver will make a good decision based on his experience, not to enter a road where he might get stuck in. This would result in delays with the delivery, and everyone likes their service to be done in a timely manner.

Law restrictions in residential (and some commercial areas) can prevent the driver from coming right in front of your door. These kinds of restrictions may be imposed due to noise or security reasons.

Hiring the Right Door-to-Door Car Transporter

To make sure that everything goes smoothly, and that your car gets picked up and delivered as close to your door as possible, you should opt for trustworthy, reliable, and experienced transporters. You can find many experienced drivers on CitizenShipper. Simply list your car on the site, specify the pick-up and delivery location, date, and you will start getting quotes before you know it. Transporters on our marketplace offer both open and enclosed trailers, and they will gladly discuss all the queries you have regarding your door-to-door car transportation service. Hiring the right transporter is the best way to get your door-to-door car transportation service done in a stress-free way.