Specialized transport of your collector....

[TVtommy]

I'm fishing here....thanks for reading.

 

For those of you with highly specialized valuable vehicles, would you pay extra to have your vehicle transported in a single unit enclosed carrier? If so, would it be worth a minimum of $3 per loaded mile to do so?

 

Thanks in advance!

[John_S_in_Penna]

Maybe for cars at the highest end of the market;

but people with those specific cars would have to

answer for themselves.  In those cases, the driver

would have to have impeccably clean and new equipment,

and be courteous and educated, knowing well the

vehicles he is transporting.  I don't think you could get

a greasy used rig and hire a guy out of high school.

 

In my case, no, because of the high cost:

$3 per mile would mean $9000 to cross the country,

or $3000-$4000 from the Northeast to Florida.

The average car hobbyist needing such single-car

transportation could not justify those prices, and he

probably has his own trailer and tow vehicle,

or goes with a friend when those infrequent needs arise. 

Edited November 18, 2017 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

13 minutes ago, TVtommy said:

For those of you with highly specialized valuable vehicles...

 

Tommy, often the public thinks antique cars are very valuable.

They get a distorted picture from television, or see exorbitant

asking prices, sometimes double the actual value, from dealers

and other optimistic sellers.

 

Perhaps you have that impression.  However, most antique cars

are in the $5000 to $25,000 range, which is about the value of a

used Ford Taurus.  The expensive cars, say in the $100,000 to

$300,000 range, are a tiny sector of what's otherwise an affordable hobby.

[TVtommy]

I completely agree. It would be a highly specialized white glove service.

 

I don't think many could pull this off, but the right person with deep pockets who could afford a specialized transport rig could be rewarding.

[John_S_in_Penna]

Also, please don't think that well-to-do people will

spend profligately.  Unlike on TV shows, they earned

their money and saved it by investing carefully and wisely.

 

One billionaire I know of has his own trailer with

lifts inside, able to transport 4 cars to national meets.

Another man, whose annual income has been at least

$30,000,000, I told of a car for sale;  and his very first

question was, "What's he asking for it?"

 

The truly wealthy I have encountered are as modest

and friendly, and even thrifty, as anyone else.  But I don't

think they frequent our forum!

[1937hd45]

Going to be tough to brake into the Pebble Beach hauling market IMO.

 

 

Bob 

[kevin1221]

I feel that $3.00 per loaded mile is going to be tough to obtain. I just got a quote from a well known national carrier for enclosed transport to ship my car from Florida to Nevada. I was quoted $1.25 per mile. I know it’s not individual transport as you are asking about, but to me, the difference between the two is too big to overcome.

 

Kevin

 

 

[edinmass]

Rates of up to five dollars per mile on multi million dollar cars are common. That’s the best new equipment possible, electronic tracking in real time, TSA and Customs cards, etc,etc,etc. Even at that rate, you will only earn a living. Most of the major collectors use a local guy or their own equipment for less than one thousand miles. After that, it’s cheaper to hire an entire tractor trailer for yourself from one of the major companies, and then lend, give, or sell any extra space in it if you so desire. Biggest issue is most people paying these rates want instant service. Most people aren’t willing to live on a schedual like that. Ed

Edited November 19, 2017 by edinmass (see edit history)

[alsancle]

Ed hit a critical issue which is the guys that will pay the premium want things done yesterday.  The typical shipper strategy of efficiency with multiple cars going to multiple places that are relatively close (i.e. 2 states over) won't work with premium money. 

 

Also, the big shippers (see Bob's picture above) have a size advantage and with a few of them, the trust of the big collectors to put a 4 million dollar car inside and know its not getting pulled out in the rain for a fiberglass Cobra replica to be delivered (true story).

[1937hd45]

There are so many impressive things at Pebble Beach, the rows of car haulers was one of them, and it wasn't just the orange fleet. Just how does the Pebble Beach haul get organized, do four or six owners get together for a loading at an arranged spot or is it  a door to door pickup, one tie down or do cars get shuffled around or loads changed? Really hope to get to Pebble Beach 2018, what is the feature car going to be? 

 

Bob 

[alsancle]

Bob,  I think it is door to door pickup.  But at Pebble, you need a mix of auction and show cars in an individual trailer.  You can only fit so many cars outside the trailers so if 4 different show guys were in the same trailer and wanted their cars at the same time it would be a problem.  If you mix in the auction cars, they can be taken out at the beginning of the week and staged at the auction, out of the way for the show cars.

[1937hd45]

Thanks! Walking around the show cars and haulers before the show was a real highlight of the event for me. A pre show if you will, easy to meet and talk with the owners and restorers, I really need to get back out there in 2018. It reminds me so much of the hobby in the early 1960's. Bob 

[Akstraw]

I just paid 1.25 per mile for personal door-to-door haul of a CCCA classic in a single enclosed unit half way across the country.  I had to pay for unloaded miles as well, but I the end, was still about $2.00 per loaded mile.  I could have gone the normal broker route and had enclosed haul for somewhere around 1.70  per mile in a max 3-car unit.   The value question is:  What would you offer that would be worth an extra dollar or more per mile? (Another $1250 or so in my case)?