Fuel Prices Affecting Car
Shipping Rates
We’ve all seen fuel prices steadily
and dramatically increase over the past few months.
While it can be frustrating to your family budget, this
increase can literally put some auto shippers out of
business. Any industry that faces an increase in operating
costs is faced with few choices. The most immediate
and painful one is to increase the price they charge
for their services – in this case the cost to
ship your car.
The average auto
transporter gets only about 5 miles per gallon.
At an average of only $2.50 per gallon (in many areas
the drivers are paying $3.00 per gallon) it costs $25
per hour just to keep the engine running at 60 miles
per hour. According to recent news stories fuel prices
are up 40% in the last 12 months. Fuel cost is easily
the largest expense in maintaining and running a car
shipping company. A coast-to-coast auto transporter
will put 6,000 miles on his truck for the round trip.
That translates to around 1,200 gallons of fuel –
or about what the average consumer would use in a year!
Imagine how this fuel situation will impact your pocketbook
over the next year and understand the auto shipper will
feel that pain over 14-17 days! A .50 increase in fuel
cost adds approximately $1,000 each month in additional
operating costs for each car transporter you see on
the road!
This increase in fuel price has forced
the auto transport industry to increase our rates. This
is an action National Car Shipping takes very seriously.
We pride ourselves on giving our customers the best
value for their dollar. However, it simply isn’t
fair to the drivers to ask them to shoulder the entire
burden of rising costs alone. Our rates have increased
by $50-100 across the board to enable our quality drivers
to continue shipping cars for our customers. If and,
hopefully, when the price of fuel falls the rates will
as well. We appreciate your understanding and are always
here to answer any questions you may have about shipping
your vehicle.
Hurricane Katrina Damage
Everyone has seen the horrific damage
caused along the Gulf Coast by hurricane Katrina. Certainly,
our thoughts and prayers go out to anyone affected by
this disaster. The loss of life and homes are far away
the most important things in a situation like this.
In addition to the personal tragedies,
many roads have been closed along the southern routes
through this area. Vehicles being moved along Interstate
10 from Miami to Los Angeles have been subject to delays
due to road closures. Additionally, many gas stations
are either rationing fuel or out of it altogether. We
are doing everything possible to work with our customers
and drivers in these parts of the country to ensure
as smooth as possible transportation of vehicles. We
ask for your patience and understanding as we work through
these difficult times together.
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