Shipping Vehicles In the Moving Truck: A Wise Choice?

August 2, 2010 by Frank Peditto

More and more moving companies are encouraging transferees to ship their vehicles on the truck, especially due to the space available because of the overall decline in moving volume over the past few years. While it seems convenient to have all of your belongings on one truck, is it the wisest choice?

Growing up in the hospitality industry we moved several times during my teen and early adult years. Each time the moving company came, packed up all of our belongings and then took our car. We then would wait for the car and a few key items at our destination hotel as we closed on our new home and awaited the final delivery. Often the car and those few items were critical for us, as we moved often and throughout the country, bringing us to varying climates and different metropolitan areas.

During one move, we shipped our car with our household goods on the moving truck. It was highly recommended because of the convenience and control by the van line. As we waited for the car and our winter jackets to be delivered during the move from Florida to Massachusetts, we received a call from our relocation coordinator at the van line. There had been an incident and the deck holding some of the household goods above the car on the moving truck had given way. Not only were those items all damaged or ruined, but also they all fell on the roof of our car, so that was damaged as well, with numerous dents and scratches and a broken windshield.

As our family sat outside, freezing and waiting for our delivery, they removed what was our recently purchased family sedan out of the moving truck. While the physical dents did not constitute a total loss, the repairs meant being without our car and with a rental for several weeks. All while we also dealt with the fact that our furniture was also damaged and requiring repairs or replacement.

From that move on, we always requested an experienced auto transport company in lieu of the moving company for our automobile transportation. While its only one incident, it’s one that has stuck with each member of our family for many years.