Whether you’re looking for new business vehicles to bring in or relocating part of your fleet to a new business location, there are ways to keep costs down. Careful study of the route your carrier needs to take can lower your overall costs, as can choosing the right time of year. Knowing when to ship and when to sell a vehicle can also help your bottom line.
1. Maintain Your Fleet
Any vehicle you ship must be free of leaks and the fuel level should be at 1/4 or less. As vehicles age, keep an eye on your parking spots to note any leaks. If it’s hard to determine fresh leaks from old spots, start spot-checking vehicles once they’ve been fully warmed up.
If you can park a warm vehicle over a blank piece of cardboard and see no drips or puddles, the vehicle should be safe to ship. If you notice a leak, get an estimate on the price of the repair. If the vehicle has enough miles on it, you may be better off selling it rather than trying to chase down the repair. Of course, each situation will be different; it may make more sense to use the vehicle to haul products and paperwork to your new business location and keep driving it.
2. Ship Vehicles During The Slow Season
Car transport companies have a busy season. For Texas car carriers that transport both commercial and personal vehicles, late summer can be especially busy. To keep your costs down, negotiate with the carrier to get your fleet vehicles transported during the slow time.
To that end, stay flexible. If at all possible, get your current vehicles in a repair rotation for basic maintenance that doesn’t put too many vans or delivery vehicles out of commission at once. If one of your fleet vehicles fails completely and you have to rush in a replacement, you may end up paying expediting fees and other costs.
3. Ship And Collect From Secured Lots
Work with a carrier that offers secured lots at pick-up and drop-off points. Many vehicle carriers load and drive vehicles during overnights, especially if the weather is very hot or the traffic is intense. By dropping off and picking up vehicles from secured lots, you can manage the transfer during business hours and avoid paying overtime for drivers to meet the carrier late in the evening.
Take a look at local maps and note the distance between the secured lot and the nearest fueling station. Because you need to ship your vehicles with a low quantity of fuel in the tank, whoever is picking up the vehicle should aim to fill it up soon after picking it up to avoid any schedule challenges such as running out of fuel.
4. Watch Vehicle Weight
The fuel level needs to be low for multiple reasons, such as liability over fire risk. However, vehicle weight and other factors will also have an impact on the cost of shipment. If you have fleet vehicles with custom storage build-outs, or if you have toolboxes mounted to the inside of your fleet vehicles, these may need to be removed to get the best shipping rates.
At some point, you will need to determine the cost of pulling and reattaching such customizations. There is an hourly cost to unloading a truck and pulling the rack shelving or drawer units. If you can ship during the slow season, you may be able to apply that discount to the extra weight and avoid the work of stripping your fleet vehicle.
5. Drive When Profitable
Finally, look for stops along the way when transporting a fleet vehicle. If you need to move a fleet vehicle from McKinney to Houston, it may make more sense to use it for deliveries in east Texas or western Louisiana along the way and skip the shipping process altogether.
If you’re buying something new from a new-to-you vehicle dealer, it may also make more sense to pick up the vehicle in person and drive it back. Making those personal connections and being certain of the seller’s intent may well be worth the travel costs.
Fleet vehicles represent your business. If your logo is on it, you want to be sure it’s being driven well and not stuck on the side of the road. Getting a good deal on a new fleet vehicle, shipping it for a fair price, and keeping it in good repair will pay you back in reliability.
