Thanksgiving Auto Transport Tips | Holiday Car Shipping Guide by SGT Auto Transport

Yes, there’s a lot of traffic on the roads during the Thanksgiving holiday, and there will also be a scarcity of drivers as many of our team of transport drivers will want to spend the holiday with their families. The good news is that in most parts of the country, winter weather is still around the corner, so the chances of a delivery schedule being disrupted due to snow and road conditions are fairly slim.

Still, things like relocations can’t wait for the holidays to be over, and people find themselves with all kinds of reasons to ship a vehicle around Thanksgiving. If you can schedule your delivery either right before or right after Thanksgiving, you can possibly save a bit on shipping costs since more drivers will be on call to handle orders and the supply/demand curve will be in your favor.

As we walk you through some of the process for shipping a vehicle around Thanksgiving, bear in mind that the more flexible you can be with your shipping timeframe, the better off your outcome is likely to be.

When it’s time to set up your order, the good news is that the process of shipping your vehicle around Thanksgiving isn’t much different than it is any other time of year.

Start out by locating the Quote Calculator feature on our website. The calculator has a dropdown box system where you can answer the following questions, all of which are important in determining a rate structure:

Vehicle year/make/model (tied in with your vehicle’s dimensions and curb weight for shipping)
Vehicle running condition
Zip codes of starting point and destination (important in calculating mileage and cost/mile)
Desired timeframe for transport
Desired method for transport

Enter these details, wait a few seconds and the calculator will come up with the quote you’re waiting for. Once you click “enter,” the order will be in the system but your account will never be charged until we can assign it to a transport driver. You’ll never be asked for a deposit up front, either.

At the time and date you specify, we’ll dispatch a transport driver to arrive curbside at your address to load and secure your vehicle for transport. You and the driver will each perform a pre-trip inspection at this time for the Bill of Lading document. We’ll then give you our best estimate for ETA and the driver will arrive curbside at your destination then. You and the driver will both complete a post-trip inspection and you’ll be asked to sign the Bill of Lading before you take possession of the car again.

Top Reasons to Choose Professional Car Transport Services

When you’re considering a professional car transport service, remember that going with the one that just presents the lowest rates might be a mistake. Too often, low rates are too good to be true and mean tradeoffs in service and performance, or bait-and-switch pricing with tacked-on fees after the fact. Here are some things to look for in a car transport service:

Look for their DOT and USMCA numbers, and make sure they’re current.

Do some research into the company’s reputation, including Google reviews, BBB reviews and uShip reviews. Customers tend to tell the story of their experience in their own words on these platforms.

Look closely at what the company offers, including their driver network, their transportation services and their customer service/support hours.

Obtain clear quotes, and be sure to read the fine print in any agreements.

Ask about insurance and find out what the dollar limits are on the coverage.

The USDOT and USMCA can not only verify the carrier’s registration numbers, but might be able to give you some information on their safety record.

Holiday Discounts and Auto Transport Deals

It can’t hurt to check and see if any discounts are available around Thanksgiving - again, this is another solid reason to book your shipping order well in advance.

We can’t overemphasize how important it is to plan out your shipping order with plenty of lead time. There are a lot of loose ends to be tied up when we’re organizing your order - it has to be assigned to a transport driver and then we need to line up other vehicles that the driver can pick up and/or deliver along the route, and there are plenty of other details that have to be addressed as well.

If it’s possible to give us 10 days to 2 weeks to get everything in order for your shipping needs, you would help us and yourself out quite a bit (and possibly save some money on shipping costs). It can also be helpful if you can have a day or two of wiggle room around your desired pickup date, if scheduling turns out to be an issue.

Common sense should prevail here:

Remove any detachable external accessories like light bars, antennas, cargo boxes or bike racks, and check for any loose trim.

Remove any toll tags or parking tags and disable any alarms.

Shipping your car with less than ¼ tank of fuel is standard practice and can save a bit on shipping costs by cutting curb weight.

It’s advisable to wash your car before transport and get plenty of photos for an accurate record of its condition. It’s easier to spot any defects like dings, scrapes or dents on a clean car when you do the inspection.

Check your vehicle for leaks, including coolant, motor oil, brake, transmission or power steering fluid. Transport drivers can refuse to load a car with fluid leaks.

Whatever your reasons for shipping your vehicle around Thanksgiving, think how great it would be to just not have to worry about it at all – and to not have the hassle of driving it to your destination yourself during this hectic, heavy-traffic time of the year. That’s the payoff in leaving your car with us and letting SGT Auto Transport handle your car shipping needs!