If you have never shipped a vehicle before, you are undoubtedly apprehensive about the task at hand. There are, however, some steps you can take to alleviate your fears and make the vehicle shipping experience run smoothly.

First off, start with a clean car. You together with your shipper will want to inspect your vehicle thoroughly before the pick up to record any pre-existing damages to your vehicle. This is very important for an easy and accurate final inspection at the end of the trip.

If your car is not in running condition, you must notify the shipper of this. Better though is to get it in running condition with battery charged and a small amount of gas in the tank. The shipper may need to drive it from one place another, although this is unlikely. Car hauling companies will probably have other means of transporting a vehicle a short distance.

Remove all exterior attachments. This includes bike racks, spare tire covers, and even your car antenna if it does not retract. Anything that can easily be knocked off, or that can damage another car on the carrier should be removed. You should also remove any personal belongings that may be inside the vehicle. This includes global positioning systems, removable radios, and anything else that can be reasonably removed. The shipping company’s insurance will not want to be responsible for anything other than your vehicle and chances are that they won’t be.

Do not ship a vehicle that leaks any fluid whatsoever. Fix those leaks before you ship. Leaky fluids can cause harm to other vehicles stacked on the carrier, to the carrier itself, and not of the least concern, to the environment. Show the same respect to others as you would want them to show to you.

You will, of course, disarm or even better, disconnect any alarm systems that may be on your car and make sure that the hauler has a full set of keys to your car. This means ignition key, door key, trunk key, gas cap key, glove compartment key, etc.

Following these few simple, common sense tips before shipping your vehicle will definitely help you to be less apprehensive about the task that lies ahead. Now, wasn’t that easy?

For more information on car transporters or to get a free online shipping quote please visit http://www.jmnhaul.com .