Those of us that have been in the car shipping industry for a number of years have pretty much seen it all. We don’t want you to have any unexpected surprises when a transporter arrives at your pickup location so we want you to understand the difference between Running or Non-Running vehicles.

A carrier has been dispatched for a move; they arrive at the pickup location expecting to pick up a running vehicle and surprise! the car is sitting out behind a barn surrounded by waist high grass on tires that weren’t fit to hold air back in the 80’s. Now, while this example is a bit extreme, it provides an excellent platform for us to explain the differences between what is considered an operable vehicle or an inoperable vehicle (INOP) and why it’s important to classify yours correctly.

Operable vehicles are vehicles that will start under their own power, move under their own power, and stop under their own power. Transporters usually carry a set of jumper cables with them because the occasional jump start is bound to be necessary, so a dead battery isn’t the end of the world. But that being said, if the battery is dead in that vehicle when it’s perched at a 45 degree angle, thirteen feet in the air on an auto transporter, then that is another story entirely! A vehicle that starts, but has flat tires is not a running vehicle as it will have to be winched onto a transporter. Vehicles that start and have four good tires, but no brakes are considered INOP as well. They also have to be winched on and off the transporter so the driver doesn’t hit the $50,000 Mercedes sitting in the spot in front of your vehicle when he can’t stop!

It’s important that the proper condition of your car is honestly relayed when you place your quote request. Failure to do so can add delays and unexpected costs to your move, and nobody wants to see that happen.