There are services in the auto transport industry that allow you to set up a transport for friends and family. This mostly caters to college students and the elderly, but there have been several occasions when a friend lends their friend a hand with the process because they have never had their vehicle professionally transported before. The best part about this is that it does not cost any more than transporting for yourself.
The Process
Now, when you decide to set up a transport for someone else, we recommend that you are next to them throughout the whole process. You may want to recommend them to an auto transport company that you have taken before that has given you less trouble, but it always good to expose your friend or family member to searching for the best company. It would also help if you clarify for them what a certain company is great at and what it lacks in.
The obvious concern for that family member or friend will be the price. If you plan to go cheap, tell them that they are losing out a several safety features and that the more they pay, the more likely the company will have more safety features and measures to insure your vehicle’s safety.
Next, call the company that you both agree on, but leave the broker on speaker so that your friend or family member can understand the type of things they are asking for. Allow the other person to answer some questions such as the make, year, and model of their vehicle, where the pick-up and drop-off locations are, and maybe negotiate the price. Although the other person may never need an auto transport ever again, it will make them calmer knowing more information about the auto transport company.
The next step is to wait for the auto transport company to pick-up their vehicle. This is the last step you can be there with them physically (sometimes) because the next time they will see their vehicle will be in another part of the state or a different state entirely. You can give the auto transport company the other person’s number (this is highly recommended) or you can be the bridge and call your friend or family member when any updates come from the company. The point of this service is to inform your friend or family member how an auto transport operates, but it also allows the auto transport company to explain things more thoroughly and slowly so that it is easier to understand.
Once the vehicle is close to the other person’s delivery location, you will not have to do much unless the auto transport company asks them to meet at a location that will allow them more space to unload. Sometimes a carrier cannot get into certain streets because they do not meet the legal-size requirement and will have to meet the customer on a wider road or shopping district, or just somewhere with a large parking lot nearby to unload the vehicle safely. Your friend or family member should be able to handle this because they should know the delivery location better than you, but if they need your assistance, simply use Google Maps or something like it and search for a location that would suffice the carrier’s needs.
That is about the most you can do for the person you are setting up with an auto transport. It is helpful enough to just give them a company to go with, but letting them be independent is the best thing you can do for them once all the logistics and information is shared with the auto transport company.
