As a car transport company, we inevitably end up moving lots of automobiles from people who are relocating their life to a new city or state.  While we are never involved in the transport of household items, recent comments from several customers reminded me of the problems consumers face when making a decision for household items.  The major complaint I get from consumers when moving their household items is the up-sell they get when the company arrives to load their items.  A piece of advise from us would be when you call give them an itemized list of EVERYTHING in your house so there is no reason for the price to change.  Secondly, make sure the company you chose has been around a while, newer companies worry less about their reputation and more about getting money in the bank.  While you may pay more initially to go with a reputable company, you can have piece of mind your items will safely arrive to their destination.

Competition between major manufacturers to create a totally green car is heating up.  In the 2011 auto show in Houston several car makers had their new all electric or partially electric cars on display.   Nissan had their heavily advertised LEAF, Toyota had their electric model from their extremely successful Prius on display.  American manufacturer Chevy is getting into the game as well with their Volt.  Then the semi electric manufacturers such as Lincoln, BMW and Ford have been showing their varieties hopefully this new demand from customers will push Americans away from our dependency on fossil fuels.  Global warming aside, the pollution is indisputable and the fact that we are sending money out of the country at such a heavy volume should concern us, and the current demand for change I believe is reflecting that.

I have talked about this several times on the blog, but I really wish I could get this information out to people on a bigger scale.  We encounter a huge volume a calls from people who get 10 quotes, take the cheapest one (of course fail to wonder WHY it is so much cheaper.)  Here is what we advise all of our customers to do when they get quotes, get several quotes from reliable companies that have been in business for at least two years or more, are on the Better Business Bureau and do not have lots of complaints.  Generally the companies that run scams quote out lots of cheap rates, ask customers to prepay a deposit and fail to deliver the service and try to keep the deposit.  it is simply a matter of if you want to pay for good service or just hope your car arrives safely and on time and you are able to reach the company you hired while it is in transit. Good luck in your search.

While I know we have talked about it before on the blog, it deserves being mentioned again.  A few weeks ago one of the receptionist asked me why so many people who call in ask her for pickup immediately because they booked with a company that let them down.  So, I wanted to touch on it again because as things stand now if you want to ship a car you have to be careful on what companies to even consider.  Unfortunately many car transport companies quote out prices that are unrealistic and make promises they can’t back up.  It is important to look up the reputation of the companies who are quoting you on the Better Business Bureau to see if they are experienced or valid companies first.  Often what happens is that customers get a quote of, as an example, $800 on a move that should cost $950-1000.  And like most anyone, they feel like they are getting a great price.  Unfortunately the company that quoted that price may want full or partial payment upfront because they have only been in business a short time and are not even certain they can get the car moved but they do want the money.  Then, after they don’t get the car shipped, they have to fight to get that money back which may or may not happen.  Then they have to scramble to find a reputable company and change their budget on having the car shipped.  The point of this blog is that you should research the companies before you even get a quote, then you can get accurate pricing and generally reputable companies will be similar on the pricing.

For those of you who remember a time before cell phones, you remember that it would be perfectly normal to have a conversation with a bunch of people in your car while you drive.  However, many people haven’t been able to master the skill of talking on their cell phones and driving.   Part of the reason is that our culture has become so keen on multitasking that we assume that our drive will be without incident.  More and more research is showing this isn’t the case, and states like California are making it law to prevent people from holding their phone to their ear while they drive so they can use both hands if necessary.  As a trucking company that transports cars, all too often we see people fly in front of us while our drivers are on the road, and while switching lanes in a Honda Civic is simple, maneuvering a 80,000 lbs. truck around a busy freeway is a bit trickier.  So, anything that can be done to make our roads safer is greatly appreciated by our drivers, and hopefully most of the road, even if they find it annoying to put an ear piece in or sync it to their car.

Technology from a Massachusetts based firm is in the testing phases which is being checked out by US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.  The technology will detect if the driver is over the legal limit of .08, and if so it will not allow the car to start.  Currently there is a required system for some individuals already convicted of DUI which requires them to blow into a tube before starting the car.  However this new system is designed to be far less intrusive, and one idea is to measure through a touch-based system, possibly on the steering wheel itself.  So when you get in your vehicle and put your hands on the wheel it will quickly check your blood alcohol level, and if you are below the legal limit your car will start and will not ruin the over design of your cars interior.  This will be good to prevent deaths from DUI as well as people who are not certain or not if they are over the legal limit.  If they had 2 beers after work and feel fine to drive but don’t want the DUI arrest.  It is estimated that this technology could save approximately 9,000 fatalities a year.

As demand for cars has started to make its slow climb back up from the huge crash of 2008, suppliers are working fast to create the parts but are falling behind.  Many major car manufacturers such as Ford, Chrysler and Volkswagen have had to ask their employees not to come into the factories for 1 day to a week because of parts shortages.  It is nice to see that people are feeling more confident in their future that purchasing cars is okay, but most factories reduced their work force to a minimum in order to keep the doors open.  Now they are trying to ramp everything back up again to keep their customers, the manufactures, satisfied.  Good news for the future.