Question: How far in advance should I make an Auto Transport Reservation?

 

Answer: We recommend that all customers book their reservations at least three to four weeks before their desired pickup date. We are often able to ship vehicles with much less lead time but when schedules are busy more lead time allows us to accommodate customer pickup and delivery dates much better. If you are making flights or moving plans we recommend scheduling the transport far in advance to make sure that our schedule can

accommodate your timeframe without any issues. 

 

 

 

Question: How long does it take to ship my vehicle to/from Florida?

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Answer: 90% of our snowbird transports take about 4-6 days total transit time from pickup to delivery. Depending on the specific schedule and pickup and delivery locations these transit times can fluctuate up to 7- 10 days in some cases. We strive for fast, safe and reliable transport of every customer vehicle but once in a while delays do occur. Factors such as driver scheduling, driver regulations, traffic, weather, mechanical issues and other unforeseen issues can arise and delay the transport of your vehicle. 

 

 

 

Question: How do I pay for my vehicle transport?

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Answer: We do not take a deposit for any auto transport reservations and do not have any penalties for cancelled reservations. Once your reservation is made, we do guarantee service. In an effort to make things easy for our customers and our office team we accept credit card payment in full after your vehicle has been picked up or by certified bank check at delivery.

 

We strongly suggest customers pay via credit card prior to delivery to make the process as seamless as possible. If you would like to pay with personal check or would like to pay in advance, we can accept payments prior to transport of your vehicle. 

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Question: Should I ship my vehicle on open transport or enclosed?

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Answer: About 97% of all vehicle shipments are done open transport. It’s proven to be a very safe method with very few issues. It is important to note that a very large percentage of new vehicles including BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche, Range Rover and many others are delivered to the dealership on open transport.

 

If you have a collector car or really expensive automobile with a price tag over $125,000, then we recommend shipping it in an enclosed trailer. The price for enclosed is anywhere from 25% to upwards of 60% higher than with an open transport. In addition to premium pricing, scheduling can be a bit more difficult as well.  While most of our transports are done via open we can certainly take care of any enclosed transport requests. 

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Question: Can I pack personal items in my vehicle for transport?

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Answer:  We advise all customers to limit personal items in their vehicle for transport. All customers are allowed up to 100 pounds packed in suitcases confined to the trunk space of the vehicle. We do reserve the right to to assess a $250 surcharge for abuse of this policy. In addition, U.S. Transportation Law states that a carrier can be fined $10,000 for hauling household items in the vehicle so all of our drivers do not take this lightly, no pun intended. Each driver will inspect each vehicle on their truck to  estimate the weight of each vehicle that they carry to avoid issues on the road or at weight scales. 

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Question: Is Baier Transport a broker? 

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Answer: We are not a broker. We own and operate a fleet of modern Peterbilt trucks with Cottrell soft tie auto transport equipment operated by company drivers who are highly trained in vehicle transport. Most of our drivers have over 20 years of experience in transport of vehicles. Currently our fleet consists of 12 trucks that cover the entire east coast. 

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Please note Baier Transport is affiliated with Baier Automotive Logistics which utilizes a network of hired carriers to serve customer transports that fall outside of our typical coverage zones. Baier Automotive Logistics offers full service transport solutions for individuals and larger volume clientele. 

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Question: Is my vehicle insured while being transported?

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Answer: Yes, your vehicle is covered by our cargo insurance policy. Although damages and accidents are extremely rare, in the event that something does happen your vehicle is covered. If damage should occur, you must report it upon delivery and note on the Bill of Lading and Vehicle Inspection Report.

 

Regardless of damages, federal law states that payment must be made for services rendered and the transport fees are treated as a separate transaction from any damage claims. It is important that you and the transport driver sign the inspection papers. Claims cannot be processed by the our company if damage is not noted at time of delivery. We recommend taking digital photos of your vehicle before and after shipment to support any claim of damages. Please know that damages are statistically very rare, which is why new car manufacturers also ship that way.

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Question: How do I prepare my vehicle for shipping?

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Answer: Make sure to clean your vehicle out of any loose items. Remove anything of value from the vehicle such as portable electronics like GPS units etc. Remember to remove any EZ Pass or Electronic Tolling devices. Keep personal items to a minimum in the trunk or out of sight. Do not fill up your gas tank before transport, only about 1/4 tank of fuel is recommended. 

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Strictly Prohibited:

The following items are strictly prohibited; medications of any type, medical devices, perishable food, plants, flammable materials, ammunition, firearms and fireworks. Baier Transport LLC cannot be held responsible for these items if confiscated or removed from vehicle.  

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Driver Consideration: Being an auto transport truck driver can be a thankless job. Our drivers work long hours and are away from their families for weeks at a time especially during the busy snowbird rushes around the holidays. Please be friendly, helpful and considerate to our drivers, and they will treat you in the same manner. Tips are always welcomed! 

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Question: How can I track the progress of my vehicle's transport?

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Answer: We have the ability to provide most of our customers with live tracking to the truck that is transporting your vehicle. Most times the office will email a tracking link to each customer once the truck is in route to it's final destination. If you do not receive it or have an issue with it you can call and ask for an updated link. Our office team can also give you updates on the truck's progress. 

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In addition to the tracking, our drivers are trained to call the delivery contact roughly 24 hours in advance of delivery and again on the day of delivery to give the customer plenty of heads up. Drivers should be in contact with the delivery contact if any delays do occur.

 

**Please note, we are working toward live GPS tracking on 100% of our transports but at this time cannot offer it on every single reservation. This feature is primarily available on east coast transports. 

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Question: What does door-to-door transport mean?

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Answer: Door-to-door transport means that we pickup and deliver vehicles to and from your home address (restrictions do apply). Many companies offer terminal transport where you drop your vehicle at a terminal and pick it up at a terminal on the other end which we can and will do if requested. 

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85% of our residential pickups in New England are done via smaller flatbed tow truck to provide convenient service since our larger car carriers are unable to travel  many of the secondary roads in this area. In Florida and when smaller trucks cannot be utilized our car carriers will get as close a possible to the pickup or delivery address but will sometimes need to utilize a larger parking lot such as a Wal-Mart or Home Depot to meet the customer. Our drivers are responsible for coordinating this directly with the customer prior to pickup or delivery. 

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Disclaimer:

Northbound Vehicles are picked up as trucks become empty in Florida and are subject to pickup windows of approximately three days. We cannot guarantee a specific pickup day for Northbound vehicles unless a terminal service is used. Please discuss with our dispatch team to use a parking or terminal service if desired. 

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Question: What is a fuel surcharge?

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Answer: Fuel surcharges were established in the early 2000s by the Freight Carrier's Association for trucking and barge and the Canadian railways for rail and are used by the transportation industry to isolate the impact of fuel from total shipping costs since fuel was often responsible for much of the change in shipping cost over time.
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In 2007 fuel charges were established to account for the often rising and volatile cost of fuel. The surcharge is applied as a percentage of the shipping cost, rates differ based on mode of transport (truck, rail, and barge e.g.). 

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In an attempt to be as transparent as possible, Baier Transport will inform customers of current fuel surcharges before your transport. Fuel surcharge rates are established each Monday and will applied to all transports in that week. You can see our current variable fuel surcharges here: Fuel Surcharges **Updated September 9th, 2022. 

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