cross country transport help...sold my truck

[benjaminbusack]

I sold my F350 on this site, does anyone have any suggestions to affordably get it from Idaho to Maryland??

[Bob]

You need to be very careful when you're hunting down a shipper because there are a bunch of folks out there that prey on folks doing this. Your surest way to have it hauled without any B.S. is to go through a BBB accredited business. You will pay about 200 more (+/-) than using a private hauler, but you'll have peace of mind. My guess is you're gonna be looking at about 1,500 to get it moved. Still cheaper than the gas you'd burn along with a room and flight to go get it to drive it back. Plus the driving time hassle...

But you say you sold it? Isn't it the buyers problem finding a shipper?

I used to use a private hauler I found on a tractor website. They had a page called "hauling schedule" and folks can list either "need hauled" or have hauling space etc. The guy was great and reasonable but he has since gone out of business and now has a regular job. That site with a hauling schedule is yesterdaystractor dot com. If a guy is running after a tractor in CA from PA and running out empty... anything he can get to haul out there helps cut the costs some. Thing is you gotta be careful. NEVER pay until the ride gets where it's going.

I just had an F450 hauled from Wy to PA and did a ton of searching before I settled on a shipper. A broker with a good reputation is the simplest way to go. I was very pleased with a fellow named Pat Lynch of Ultimate Auto Shipping. His BBB record is spotless for about 10-12 years and he got it done at a reasonable price. Out of maybe fifteen to 20 shipping companies I looked at, he was the only one that was both BBB accredited and without any customer issues coming up.

[benjaminbusack]

Thank you Bob, that is sound advice, greatly appreciated. I forwarded your comments to the buyer.

[mrollings53]

http://www.cascadevehicleshipping.com/

These are the guys I went through to have my truck shipped from Washington to South Carolina. It took about a month for them to find a carrier to move my truck. If you are on a more frequently traveled route, it should take less time. You should also be as flexible as possible about pickup and drop off locations. Try to pick places near major freeways for both of them.

[abyars111]

I just recently used Eclipse and would use them again. A friend who buys and sells cars all over the U.S. only uses them. I dealt with Joni, 812-889-3542, this is who my friend deals with.

[SmoothJ69]

check out uship.com its been around for a long time, you can get bids on shipping from peeps who are deadheading or whatever and can get a deal sometimes.

[Ranchero50]

Uship is scary as heck. A lot of the guys on Practical Machinist have horror stories to tell about some of those haulers...

I like the idea of hauler and broker insurance and liability. Make sure your buyer has it on the vehicle before it's loaded as well. You might have to get an agent to come look at it for a 'stated value' insurance policy.

[SVT522]

My twin brother just had one shipped cross country. Kraig...can you share your good experience?

[Kraig]

Dependable Auto Shippers from Washington State to Maryland...no issues at all!!

[Tpdaniels]

I live in eastern North Carolina, I bought a 72 F-250 4WD located in Albuquerque NM. I called Franks Automobile Shipping and Transport in Salem OR, http://www.frankstransport.com/index.html They are a broker that contract with hundreds of independent haulers. I called them at 2PM EST and gave me an instant quote of $1,200, $150.00 up front to them and $1,050 to the driver on delivery. They told me a guaranteed pickup within 7 days, I agreed and told them let's do it. They called me back within 10 minutes and said they had a transport truck with one top slot open 150 miles west of Albuquerque heading to eastern NC, They picked up my truck less than 4 hours after my first phone call to them and the truck arrived at my house in perfect condition in exactly 72 hours. I know this is the exception to the rule, but it worked out great for me. I checked their reviews, everything looked good, so sometimes you just have to step out on a limb and trust your instincts.

[bindernut]

I'm getting quotes for shipping my '70 from AZ to ILL. Cascade Transport gave me 5 different quotes, all of which I checked out with BBB. Hard to decipher the rating system they have. I don't see anything relative to the size of the company or the volume of business they do. (I'm sure Walmart gets a tad more complaints than the mom & pop stores just based on the volume of business they conduct.) so, I'm not sure how to weed thru them

[benjaminbusack]

Thank you all for the excellent feedback, it sounds like he is going with Ultimate Auto Shipping. I will post some feedback after it arrives at it's destination. I think it's going to ship out next Friday. Again, thank you everyone!