Tips on Shipping your Motorcycle

Choosing a Transport Company

There are some key things to look for when choosing your transport company:

·  Reputation. Companies with strong reputations of reliability and safety tend to attract more business. Reading reviews online and asking people that have used their services are great ways to find out how trustworthy the company is. Doing this research helps to eliminate companies who are not qualified to handle the transport of your motorcycle.

·  Cost. Cost is usually a deciding factor when choosing the right transporter. Comparing prices of transport services is a great for the elimination process. Be careful though. Great prices do NOT always equal quality service. Though the price may be within your range, the service may be less than satisfactory.

Ask Important Questions

Asking questions about a company’s transport service is common. Understanding the transport process can help with your choice in picking a transporter. A list of questions to ask can include the following:

·         Are they able to transport your motorcycle to your chosen destination?
·         What do you use to secure motorcycles in transport?
·         Does the company have proper insurance to cover any property damaged or lost while in the possession of your transporter?
·         How long will it take the transport company to arrive at the given destination?
·         Can the company provide you with the proper license(s) needed for legal operation?
·         Does the company offer to match competitive prices of other transport companies?

These are just a few questions that you as the customer have the right to ask. You can also create your own list of questions to ask to gain a sense of comfort
when making the decision to use their service.

If the transportation company is local, visit their location and ask an employee to walk you through their securing process and possibly show you how it’s done.

Get a Price Quote

Contacting a transport company and obtaining a price quote helps in your decision making. Let the transport company know where you want your bike picked up and dropped off. Most companies will quote you a price according to the distance that their vehicles have to travel and some even throw in the weight of the motorcycle. Have an estimator come to your home to take a look at your motorcycle to see if any kind of special handling applies to your transport. Custom motorcycles often require more special handling than standard bikes leading to more specific attention. Your estimator will assess your motorcycle and explain to you why any special charges may occur for your transport. You do not want to schedule a pickup of your bike only to discover the transporters arrive ill equipped.

After the assessment is complete and the quote is given, you can sign your contract right then and there if the estimator has bought one with them. Before signing on the dotted line carefully read the contract and make sure that you agree with everything listed. By signing, it locks both you and your transport company into an agreement. Make sure that the quote given at the assessment will not dramatically differ from the actual price. If it is not in the contract, inquire with your estimator and have them put it in writing and sign it in front of you. If that is something that your transport company does not offer or guarantee, you may want to consider going with another company.