Transporting Your Car, Motorcycle or Boat to Your New State

When you think about hiring long-distance movers to transport your belongings to another state, the first items that come to mind are probably your furniture and boxes. But what about your car, motorcycle, or boat? If you have vehicles to move, you’ll need to figure out how to get them to your new destination. Fortunately, there are several options to choose from when moving your vehicles across the country.

Car Transport Options

Drive It Yourself

If you only have one vehicle, driving it yourself is the most affordable option. Sometimes, however, it just isn’t feasible or desirable. There’s also the possibility that you have multiple vehicles. If you don’t mind driving one of the vehicles yourself, you may opt for a combo solution, meaning you’ll drive one car and arrange transport for any subsequent vehicles.

Sell One or More of Your Vehicles

Frequently, families with more than one car or truck will sell all but one of them so they can all ride together during the move while a moving company transports their belongings. Riding in the same car allows couples to take turns driving, making the trip more manageable. However, everyone’s situation is different, and it’s not always a good financial move to sell a vehicle you have financed.

Contract an Auto Transport Company

Some moving companies classify automobiles as “big-ticket items” and have a special division that handles auto transport at an additional cost. But more often, a moving company has affiliations with auto transportation providers that are trusted vendors who specialize in moving vehicles and can do it for a reasonable price. Using an automobile transportation service is also referred to as “shipping” your car.

If you have multiple vehicles, or for whatever reason, you just want to skip the drive and fly out, we’ve got you! Suddath is a reputable long-distance moving company that has trusted partners to help you facilitate moving all your vehicles.

Vehicle transport companies that partner with long-distance moving companies can save you a lot of headaches by moving your automobiles in conjunction with your home move. When you go through Suddath, you can get a quote on two different types of vehicle transport. Our partners, such as Atlas Van Lines, offer a choice of door-to-door or terminal-to-terminal transit.

Door-to-door transit means we would arrange to have your vehicle picked up at your old address and dropped off at your new one. Terminal-to-terminal transit is where we instead have the vehicle transported to a holding facility to be delivered or picked up at a later date.

It’s not uncommon for there to be special circumstances surrounding a move, such as needing to transport multiple vehicles or even an entire car collection. Perhaps you have a classic car that’s a collector’s item—that valuable car may require special handling in an enclosed vehicle.

For other situations, you can save money by allowing your car or truck to share space with other vehicles on an automobile carrier. If you’re moving overseas, you’ll most definitely require the help of an outside car transport company to move your vehicle by air or sea. Whatever your preference, a Suddath moving coordinator can make it happen for you.

Hire a Professional Driver

Long-distance moving companies often have access to a network of specialty providers to assist with auto transport options, and that doesn’t always mean loading your vehicle onto a truck. A professional driver could be a possible transportation provider as well. People in that line of work typically come with references and have an excellent driving record, so it may be worth considering.

Send Your Car by Train

This is location-specific, but if you happen to be moving along a particular stretch of the eastern seaboard, Amtrak Auto Train is a service that may be able to drive your vehicle either north or south. State-to-state movers like Suddath that often service the east coast will be familiar with this option, including its advantages and its limitations.

Boat Transport Options

Consider Your Destination

If you own a boat, perhaps there’s a body of water between your old house and your new house. If that’s the case, you might want to consider an option where your boat is loaded onto a “boat carrier” and taken to a port near your new home. However, if either your old house or new house is landlocked, ground transportation is your only option.

Just like with automobiles and motorcycles, you’ll have the option of open-air or enclosed transportation as well as a choice of door-to-door or terminal-to-terminal transport. If you hire Suddath for your move, you’ll have a dedicated moving coordinator to arrange all this for you.

Consider Various Boat Storage Options

Keep in mind that moving your boat might be more complicated than moving other vehicles because it’s less likely to follow a parallel timeline with your actual move. Sometimes, because of bridges and height restrictions or having to travel at a slower speed, your boat will arrive at the new house much later than you and your other belongings will.

If you’re planning to use the boat as soon as you arrive at your new home, it might be best to send your vessel on ahead of you, especially if you were going to have it taken to a storage facility anyway. In fact, sending the boat ahead can sometimes save you money since the timing of the move can affect the cost.

Contact Your Long-Distance Movers

Your dedicated Suddath move coordinator will help you facilitate the transport of your boat by working out all these details with you and one of our trusted transportation partners.

Motorcycle Transport Options

Ride It Yourself

A leisurely ride to your new home on your motorcycle might be a relaxing break from the stress of a big move. Maybe you can have someone else drive your car while you ride across the country on your bike. That said, it may not be possible to ride it all that way due to inclement weather or a tight schedule with your move.

Haul It Yourself

Since a motorcycle is substantially smaller than a car, moving it yourself might be feasible if you have access to a pickup truck, or a trailer and vehicle large enough to pull it. Before going with this option, be sure to research the proper way to load and stabilize the bike securely for safe transport.

Get Help from a Moving Company

Suddath has relationships with trustworthy motorcycle transport companies that can move your motorcycle to your new location in a timely manner. Since a motorcycle has a relatively small footprint, there are several ways to transport it. The method of transportation you choose will probably just depend on cost and timing.

Options for moving a motorcycle include transporting it in an open-air container or inside an enclosed moving truck. There’s also the matter of where you want your bike taken.

In all the scenarios we’ve discussed, your Suddath move coordinator will work with you every step of the way to coordinate the details of your move, including transporting your motorcycle and any other vehicles you may have.

Suddath and Its Partners Can Help You Move Your Vehicle

As experienced long-distance movers with an extensive history in the moving industry, we have long-standing relationships with reliable transportation providers for virtually every possible situation.

The bottom line is that there are many available options for transporting your vehicles to your new address. Your dedicated Suddath moving coordinator will be happy to help you determine the best way to get your cars, boats, and motorcycles to your new driveway as part of your home move.

Find out more about the specialty moving services that Suddath offers or give us a call now at 888-799-5033. For helpful tips on preparing for a long-distance move, read our guide.