Shipping Van from TX to CA

[caideN]

Thanks for all the info. I am waiting on quotes from the links posted. I'm also getting in touch with dig to see what can be done.

[gcvt]

Best of luck. It's very hard to find a private transporter, let alone one that can match the price you'll get going through a broker. I talked to a transporter I saw dropping off a Jeep in, oddly enough, Burlingame about a block away from All American Transport. I think the Jeep was from Oklahoma or something and his price was over $3000.

BTW, is it this one? http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/5826089647.html

[Annie O]

Originally Posted by gcvt

Best of luck. It's very hard to find a private transporter, let alone one that can match the price you'll get going through a broker. I talked to a transporter I saw dropping off a Jeep in, oddly enough, Burlingame about a block away from All American Transport. I think the Jeep was from Oklahoma or something and his price was over $3000.

BTW, is it this one? 1972 SPORTSMOBILE CAMPER

That jeep owner got ripped off!! I was told to expect about $1/mile TOTAL (broker fee, bonded, insured, door to door)

Originally Posted by caideN

Thanks for all the info. I am waiting on quotes from the links posted. I'm also getting in touch with dig to see what can be done.

My broker was:
Luke Cafferty at Worldwide Shipping. 305-901-1410

You can tell him I referred you if you talk to him, I will PM it.

I personally don't mind paying a reasonable fee if I feel my service will be good, which it was ($250 to Luke)

[86Scotty]

Just beware that as soon as you email/call any shipper you find online your inbox and phone are going to blow up with offers! I hate the database system they use but I understand it a little more now just having read above in this post.

I would DEFINITELY go with Dig or one of the other few members who travel a lot and/or deliver vehicles. I've thought of this a few times myself but never done it.

[BroncoHauler]

GO in with eyes wide open. Painful, but please read the third of the links I posted, the one where Jage (the founder of this forum) had one good experience and one HORRID experience.


Herb

[WAMTB]

I just purchased a van remotely and had it transported. I used carchex inspection service to mostly make sure it in fact existed and was consistent with descriptions by seller, it was. For transport, I used Montway, and it was about $1600 from Indianapolis to Seattle. Montway is a broker of course, the actual delivery company was Legend Transport. Once Montway had the deposit, it took them a long time to find a transport company. Apparently fitting vans onto the truck can be a challenge, and Montway isn't so great at letting the company know what they are picking up. I would use Legend Transport again, but would contact them directly to cut out the broker. Montway was disappointing, I would avoid them if doing this again.

The OP didn't mention it, but I used escrow.com to do the fund transfer, since it was a remote private party sale with a lender lien on the van. That was an incredibly long process, and I would not use escrow.com again.

[KTMRIDER]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

Just beware that as soon as you email/call any shipper you find online your inbox and phone are going to blow up with offers! I hate the database system they use but I understand it a little more now just having read above in this post.

I would DEFINITELY go with Dig or one of the other few members who travel a lot and/or deliver vehicles. I've thought of this a few times myself but never done it.

I have had both of my vans I purchased sight unseen in person shipped. I would used dig before I would go through a trucking company as it is just a big hassle. As 86Scotty said be ready for endless calls and emails from various companies once you go through a broker even after you establish a contract.

Many shippers don't realize how big and HEAVY the vans are and become very annoyed when they first pick it up despite the warnings and info you try and give ahead of time. Both shippers I used where not happy about how much room the vans took up and how heavy they were.

My second shipper was found through First Choice broker who SMB West recommended. They were actually pretty good and kept me in the loop. They did miss the delivery date by one night because their drive time was maxed out. Annoying but believable even if poor planning on their part.

I would use dig and just make sure you have insurance. I have camped with dig and he is a good guy. If you want to use a shipper just try and do research. The people that delivered my last van was Derya Transport and if I didn't know about dig now I would use them again. Their number is 413-386-4525. These guys were Turkish and can be a little hard to understand but did a good job and actually answered their phone whenever I called.
Let us know if you have any other questions.
Eric
Long P.S. Make sure they put the van on top and not on the bottom in the very front. Ask me how I know how hard it can be to try and get it out of that spot....popped tire and having to eventually disconnect the big rig from the trailer and hire a local flatbed to drive the van off the front of the trailer into the flatbed and then finally putting it in solid ground. I have photos of that wonderful first experience with my first van the first time I saw it in person! Changing the tire on the trailer on the bottle jack on the mesh base was super sketchy but the driver ended up giving me a blank business check to take care of any damages.

[Annie O]

Originally Posted by KTMRIDER

.... Many shippers don't realize how big and HEAVY the vans are and become very annoyed when they first pick it up despite the warnings and info you try and give ahead of time. Both shippers I used where not happy about how much room the vans took up and how heavy they were.

My second shipper was found through First Choice broker who SMB West recommended. They were actually pretty good and kept me in the loop. They did miss the delivery date by one night because their drive time was maxed out. Annoying but believable even if poor planning on their part.....
.....Changing the tire on the trailer on the bottle jack on the mesh base was super sketchy but the driver ended up giving me a blank business check to take care of any damages.

Oh geez there's some Malox moments in that story!
Www.FourCornersTransportServices.com has a good scenario spelled out on their FAQ page.

Sounds like your drivers were not informed correctly by their brokers (or bosses). Also the driver sometimes has to switch vehicles around on his rig while in route. One broker claimed my van took up the space of 3 vehicles (not!) but most said vans takes two spots. The broker I fired whined about my route being out of the way which I found hilarious because the bids kept coming in saying "We have a driver in your area!" Early in the process, my MO became to not take any phone calls and only reply to the email contacts after I looked them up.

My dealers' manager annoyed me by saying my driver was late probably from partying and did not speak English well so he could not understand him. Grr Not true in the least, my driver was very polite, it was obvious he was a hard worker and delivered HellBetty to my door without complaint after parking in a nearby church lot!

I'm looking at my file now and I procured Worldwide Shipping for service with Luke after he sent his carriers insurance/bond info on Thursday 18 August, and it was delivered to my door on morning of Monday 22 August.

I considered flying to Pocatello or SLC to pick her up and drive home after having a mechanic friend in Park City look her over and install RIP. I decided against that because I'd already been to oregon and Maine earlier in the summer and was tired of being gone- plus even with my flier miles it would have cost a fair amount to make that trip. I would use a private driver if our forum community recommends one!

[Annie O]

Originally Posted by WAMTB

I just purchased a van remotely and had it transported. I used carchex inspection service to mostly make sure it in fact existed and was consistent with descriptions by seller, it was. For transport, I used Montway, and it was about $1600 from Indianapolis to Seattle. Montway is a broker of course, the actual delivery company was Legend Transport. Once Montway had the deposit, it took them a long time to find a transport company. Apparently fitting vans onto the truck can be a challenge, and Montway isn't so great at letting the company know what they are picking up. I would use Legend Transport again, but would contact them directly to cut out the broker. Montway was disappointing, I would avoid them if doing this again.

The OP didn't mention it, but I used escrow.com to do the fund transfer, since it was a remote private party sale with a lender lien on the van. That was an incredibly long process, and I would not use escrow.com again.

$1600 is a GREAT price from Seattle to Indy, WAMTB, which explains why they had a hard time getting your transport lined up your gain as long as you were not on a tight timeline!

I paid cash so used an ACH fund transfer which does simplify it. I was happy with the dealer (small family op) and another forum member had talked to them as well. BUT I would not send full payment in advance if they were annoying me like most dealerships do- I would put deposit down, or half, and transfer the remainder later.

[caideN]

At this point, I'm leaning towards having dig do the driving. The plan so far seems like it will benefit us both.