What door-to-door means
Door-to-door service means the carrier comes to the pickup address you give us and delivers to the destination address, rather than you dropping the car at a terminal and the recipient collecting it from another. It is the default for every shipment we arrange, and it carries no extra fee.
The honest footnote is in the word "door." A loaded car carrier is up to 80 feet long and nearly 14 feet tall. It cannot legally or safely enter many residential streets: cul-de-sacs without room to turn, streets with low trees or wires, gated communities, apartment complexes, steep hills and narrow lanes with cars parked on both sides. When your street is one of those, the driver will arrange to meet you as close as the truck can safely get, typically a wide cross street, a shopping center lot or the entrance to your community. Your coordinator confirms the spot before the truck is dispatched.
How pickup day works
- The driver calls ahead. Usually the day before and again an hour or so out, with an arrival window rather than an exact minute; traffic and previous stops move the schedule.
- Inspection together. You and the driver walk around the vehicle and note its condition on the bill of lading. Take your own photos too.
- Keys and signature. Hand over a key, sign the bill of lading and keep your copy. The car is loaded and secured.
- Updates. You receive confirmation at pickup, a check-in during transit and a call before delivery.
Delivery
At the destination the process repeats. The driver calls ahead, meets the recipient at the address or an agreed spot nearby, unloads, and walks the vehicle with them against the pickup condition report. If anything doesn't match, it is noted on the bill of lading before signing; that note is what any claim relies on. Any adult you authorize can receive the car, so you don't have to be there yourself.
Terminal-to-terminal, and why we rarely suggest it
Some companies offer terminal shipping, where you drop the car at a storage yard and the recipient collects it from another. It can shave a little off the price on a few lanes, but it adds two trips, storage fees if the schedule slips, and a yard full of other people's cars between you and the carrier. For almost everyone, door-to-door is simpler and worth it. We quote terminal options only when a customer specifically needs them.
Making pickup easy
Have the car washed, fueled to a quarter tank and emptied of personal items. Fold the mirrors, disable the alarm and have a key ready. If you live on a difficult street, suggest a meeting point when you book; you know your neighborhood better than dispatch does. Be reachable by phone on pickup day, or name someone who will be. Those small things turn a thirty-minute pickup into a ten-minute one.