During the 1901 Grand Prix race, cars barely reached 46mph.

Karl Benz patented the first automobile on January 29, 1886. Henry Ford created line production and introduced cars to the “regular folks,” but he did not invent the car.

For each child born in the world, three cars are produced.

The first Ford cars were all black because that was the only fast-drying paint color available at the time.

The 26-galon tank of the Bugatti Veyron lasts only 12 minutes if you run the car at top speed continuously.

A Ford car cost a whooping $285 in 1924. At the time, the average monthly salary for a worker was less than $100.

Airbags reach a speed of 4500 mph at the time of explosion, which is why children should not ride in the front seat. The force of the impact alone is enough to kill a person.

     The 1886 Benz Car

Imagine clicking through hundreds of pictures online, finding the perfect car, ordering it by the click of a mouse and then opening your door a week later to find that perfect car right in your driveway – sounds like the perfect gift, right? 

This is how car shipping became a lucrative industry because of the Internet. Now that car dealerships need to cater to online customers as well as walk-in ones, the dealerships need an efficient way of getting cars ordered via the Internet to their customers. In come the auto shipping companies. The best thing about this is that the end customer benefits. Car shipping companies vie with each other to get contracts with car sellers, and if they don’t deliver the goods in one piece, they have to answer to the car sellers and the end customer sustains no loss. So go ahead and shop for that car online, and know that the car shipping industry will work for you!

It’s not always the auto shipping company’s fault if your car arrives at its destination in less-than-pristine conditions. Make sure you don’t inadvertently cause damage to your car by doing the following:
 
Clean out your car. Most importantly, search for and remove loose items that may possibly move around during transportation, such as that dancing toy on your dashboard, the dinosaur hanging from your rearview mirror and other similar items that may come loose and scratch up the insides of your car. Along similar lines, take care of your spare tire, jack or any other tool you may store in your trunk.
 
In addition, it is always a good idea to have basic maintenance performed on your car before the auto shipping company takes over. Important areas to focus on are brakes, tires and fluids. A coat of wax may also be considered to help fight dirt and dust collected during the journey.

If you are exploring cheaper options to ship your car - other than having a car carrier  transport it, you may want to consider having your car driven to your desired destination.  Some auto shipping companies may provide employees who are able to perform such a task, but of course, keep in mind that having a car driven over a long distance involves more risk than having it transported securely strapped onto an auto carrier truck.

True, accidents happen indiscriminately to both cars and big trucks, but obviously having your car driven will add mileage as well as wear and tear to it. The person driving your car might not know just how you would like your car handled.  However, even if you are using this cheaper option of having your car driven rather than transported on a carrier truck, you should not save on insurance – in fact, you need it more than ever!

Most of the information you can find online regarding shipping vehicles is directly related to cars. While some of the generals (price, insurance, contracts) apply to all vehicles, shipping a motorcycle is actually quite different to shipping a car.

For starters, motorcycles are rarely shipped in open containers. Closed carriers are the best options because they provide stability (don’t forget that bikes have only two wheels so they are unable to stand up straight during shipping unless propped or chained correctly). Aside from that, motorcycles are more likely to suffer damage if not properly positioned inside the carrier, so shipping companies usually provide special covers to protect the paint and small accessories that cannot be removed (such as handles or breaks). If you insist on an open trailer, you may not qualify for full insurance and risk the motorcycle being damaged by the elements.

Shipping a motorcycle is not necessarily any cheaper than shipping a car. Most companies base their pricing on the technicalities and difficulties of shipping a vehicle, rather than on its size. Because bikes require special care (both to protect the bike itself and to ensure that there are no accidents and slips from the carrier), you will end up paying a higher premium. Rather than fighting this, focus on making sure the company provides all necessary protections to ensure a safe ride for your motorcycle.