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      10-15-2021, 12:37 AM   #1
rajahfl
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Drives: 2020 M8 GC
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Royal Auto Carrier: Vehicle Transport - Carrier Review



I was lucky enough to have my little jet shipped cross country by the very professional Royal Auto Carrier LLC. I won't say who specifically was my driver to honor all of the drivers there, but I was blown away by the professionalism, quality and cost of their service.

I requested a top load, covered car carrier and this company delivered and exceeded my expectations. I'm not rich, but I'll pay for someone to take great care of my car. The trip was from California to Florida and they estimated about 8 days. They delivered my car in less than that. My driver was always responsive with my text messages and happy to give me updates along the way. My car had good travel companions too -- a few BMWs, a Rolls Royce, a Mercedes, and a Honda The car already top-loaded in the first pic is an M4.

I of course was nervous at first, but the driver was very patient to answer my questions. He spoke frankly about the industry and the best way to save money. The auto carrier business is based on volume, gas prices, referrals, job boards, and brokers. A lot of carriers and brokers may quote you ridiculously low rates, but if gas prices are up then you're basically paying for someone to treat your car like a tin can instead of the prized possession that it might be for you.

I was terrified of handing my keys and entrusting my car to someone else, so I used a broker. The broker is just a middle man who says they have relationships with the carriers, which is true to a degree. But when the broker finds a carrier for you, then the broker I chose took a cool $750 off the top just for the referral and "services." The broker's services are not worth $750.

My advice, if you love your car, then pay the premium for top-tier service. And one other important lesson learned, by cutting out the middle man (the brokers) and going straight to Royal Auto Carrier means you can pay them a little more but still not as much as the broker fee + the carrier service charge. You literally have a win-win between you and the carrier. Royal Auto Carrier will take great care of your car and give you peace of mind.

Tips:
  • Contact the carrier directly, don't use an auto-carrier/transport/shipping broker for the reasons mentioned above. If you pick a great carrier, then the carrier will provide all the services you need, including vehicle coverage and updates.
  • If you submit your contact info on a auto transport broker's quote blasting page then you are implicitly agreeing to continue receiving quotes from them for many months afterwards.
  • Do the math: (broker referral/service fee + carrier service fee) > carrier service fee
  • Search the forums for a reputable carrier that other people are generally happy with.
  • Remember, just because a carrier might have some negative reviews doesn't mean the carrier is bad. No auto carrier has 100% positive reviews.
  • Take into consideration how long the carrier has been operating. A brand new carrier might have a shiny new truck, a cheap quote and a driver who is still pretty green.
  • Don't worry about whether the transport truck is new, fancy, sleek, or modern. Focus on the reputation of the carrier.
  • Look at the kinds of cars the carrier has been entrusted to ship. If they're doing exotics and classics, then I'm sure your car will be safe. Check out RAC's instagram feed below. The cars they ship are beyond exotics.
  • A good carrier will give you their cellphone number and be happy to respond to your questions and provide updates.
  • A good carrier is insured and has coverage well above the value of all the cars to cover any issues, typically between $500k - $1 million.
  • Its ok to pay half up front and the other half upon delivery
  • Pickup and delivery payments are typically requested in the form of a certified check or some other guaranteed funds payment
  • On the day before delivery, the driver will contact you and tell you where he wants to meet. Most likely he will have already done some research, scoped out the surrounding streets and will have an idea of where he would recommend to meet for the pickup and delivery locations. If you're thinking about it, they've already planned for it
  • The Bill of Lading is just a pickup inspection report. At the time of pickup, the carrier will look over your car, mark the blemishes, ask you to review/sign and give you a copy. Then upon delivery you use the Bill of Lading to make sure your car looks good, pay the driver the second half and you're all good
  • Pay a little extra and ask for "top load" or if your car is on the bottom then consider putting a tarp or plastic wrap on your car, just in case nothing drips on it from the top loaded cars (i.e. classics). My car was eventually top loaded b/c the truck has a pneumatic lift which lifted my car after it was driven in to the truck.
  • Enclosed transport is worth every penny and pays off as peace of mind.
  • Remember, all moves are affected by national gas prices. At the time, gas prices were about $3.80/gallon of premium at Costco. So if gas prices are higher now, then so should the quotes. Besides, do you really want your beloved car to be shipped by the lowest bidder?

Contact Info:
Royal Auto Carrier, LLC
Phone: 602-512-5010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Royal-Auto-...8102372572446/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royalautocarrier/
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