Whether you need a vehicle transported due to a relocation or purchasing a car in another state, you may need a trusted auto transport company to ship a vehicle for you. When using a professional car transporter, you can expect them to provide door-to-door service. In other words, the carrier picks up the vehicle at your home and delivers it to your destination, such as a new home.
However, the truck and trailer are sometimes unable to reach your location due to narrow roads, low-hanging tree branches, or other physical and legal restrictions. In situations in which access is an issue, drivers arrange to meet customers at alternative car pickup locations. The same applies to car transport drop-off locations.
Based on the need to find an alternative location, the article discusses the factors to consider when choosing a location. Then it suggests three locations that often prove suitable for the carrier and customers.
What to Look for in an Auto Pickup and Delivery Service
Whether the driver suggests an alternative location or asks for your suggestions, the best locations are spacious, flat, well lit, and free of legal or other restrictions. Key criteria for alternative pick up shipped car and drop-off locations include:
Commercial Truck Maneuverability. Large car carriers need a lot of room to enter, maneuver in, and exit an area, so locations with tight corners, dead ends, and similar restrictions can be problems. Desired locations also have enough room to stage several vehicles when loading or unloading.
Overhead Clearance. Loaded car carriers stand 13 to 14 feet tall, so open-air lots are preferred.
Surface and Grade. The ideal location has a flat paved surface so vehicles can roll on and off the carrier without scraping.
Convenient. The best locations are those you can walk to or from, or that allow you to arrange transportation with a friend, family member, or an Uber driver.
Nighttime Lighting and Security. The pickup and drop-off should occur in safe locations that are well lit at night and with acceptable mobile phone signals. Quality lighting is also important for you and the driver to inspect the vehicle and sign the Bill of Lading.
Legally Permissible. The carrier driver cannot park in a location that blocks traffic or is otherwise illegal to use for this purpose.
Management Approval. Retail parking lots are often used as pick-up and drop-off locations. However, you should obtain permission from the relevant management authorities to use these locations.
What Are the Best Car Pickup Locations?
Among the best pickup and car transport drop-off locations are big box retailers, truck stops, and highway rest stops, along with churches, schools, and industrial parks.
Big Box Retailers
Large big-box retailer parking lots are common choices as meeting points since they have vast open asphalt areas, high clearance, little time pressure outside of retail hours, and generally tolerate short commercial stops. Note that retailers generally do not have explicit corporate policies that cover these processes and give discretion to local managers. However, most big box retailers are generally tolerant of these transfers if you do not obstruct their operations or inconvenience their customers.
Among retailers that fit the criteria listed above that are also generally open to their parking lots being used by auto transporters are Walmart, Target, and Home Depot due to:
Large, well-lit parking lots
Often close to a highway entry ramp.
Stores are often open to the public from 6 AM to 11 PM, 8 AM to 10 PM, or similar hours, leaving parts of the day when there are few cars in the lot.
Shopping mall outer parking lots also meet these criteria and are generally suitable locations.
Truck Stops/Highway Rest Stops
Truck stops, such as Pilot Flying J and Love's Travel Stops, and highway rest stops are great alternative locations since they are purpose-built to handle heavy-duty trucks and their trailers. Their advantages overlap those of big box retailers:
Large, well-lit parking lots
On the highway or very close to a highway entry ramp.
Open 24 hours and nearly always have people coming and going at all hours
Management permission is not a problem
Highway rest area locations can be quite distant from the customer’s desired location, though truck stops tend to be accessible to a high percentage of the driving public.
Churches, Schools, and Industrial Parks
The final group of alternative locations for a carrier to pi
ck up a shipped car or deliver one includes churches, schools, and industrial parks. Large churches and many schools have sizable, well-lit parking lots, and they complement each other since the church lots tend to have less traffic during the week, while schools tend to have less on weekends and in the summer, the busiest relocation season.
Industrial parks can be handy since their roads are built to handle heavy traffic. During off hours, you can park on the road without obstructing traffic. On the other hand, the lighting and security of these locations during those hours can be a concern.
It is also worth noting that many policy departments have designated areas used for private vehicle sales. They provide a security area to pick up shipped cars and manage the exchange of money or valuables, are generally well-lit, and are close to many customer locations. However, they tend not to have parking lots large enough for a car carrier to load and offload vehicles.
Benefits of Auto Transport Services
Regardless of the reason you're transporting your car, you'll receive multiple benefits from working with an auto transport service. Auto transport services:
Allow you to ship one or several cars at once, simplifying your move between locations
Reduce the wear-and-tear on your vehicle
Reduce the stress related to one of life’s most stressful events.
Provide their services at surprisingly affordable rates
To obtain a fast, accurate quote for Nexus Auto Transport to move one of your vehicles, use our handy cost calculator.
Comparison of Alternative Vehicle Pickup Locations
Location Type | Commercial Truck Maneuverability | Nighttime Lighting and Security | Management Approval Required |
Big-Box Retail Store Lots | Excellent, wide-open space | Excellent, well lit | Generally accepting when asked |
Highway Truck Stops | Excellent, wide-open space | Excellent, well lit | Approval is not needed |
Industrial Park Roads | Excellent, along roads | Varies, can be poor | Approval is not needed |
Police Station Parking Lots | Generally inadequate | Excellent, well lit | Approval is needed |
FAQs
Do I need to be physically present during the loading process at a neutral site?
The customer or a designated representative must be present when the carrier picks up the shipped car or at any car transport drop off locations. You or your representative must be there to inspect the vehicle, sign the Bill of Lading, and transfer the keys. If someone other than the vehicle owner is present, confirm the carrier’s requirements regarding the need for a notarized letter or other documents providing them the authority to represent you.
How far in advance must I notify store management before the auto transport arrives?
There is no standard for when to contact the manager of a big box store or other location. Often, carriers use these locations without explicit permission. However, it is appropriate to contact the manager the day before your meeting, and to confirm the following morning.
Big box store managers often work in shifts, so the person you contact initially may not be the same person you contact the following day.
Keep your call and request brief, get the name of the manager who provides permission, and ask if there is a part of the lot they prefer to be used.
Are there different insurance liabilities when loading a vehicle on private commercial property?
Your vehicle’s primary insurance coverage comes from the carrier’s commercial auto liability policy, which governs incidents during loading and unloading. That does not change regardless of where the pickup and drop-off occur. The challenge when the exchange occurs on private commercial property is the documentation if an accident occurs.
Police reports, which would be available for accidents on public roads, are not available for damage in parking lots. So, ensuring the exchange occurs in a well-lit location and taking a video of the loading and unloading process can provide you with evidence of any damage that occurred before or during the process.
What is the standard procedure if the carrier cannot safely maneuver into the chosen parking lot?
Situations like these are among the reasons for ensuring the alternative location has suitable mobile phone coverage. If the driver cannot reach the agreed-upon spot, they will call you to try to identify another location to make the exchange.
Can I change the designated meeting point on the actual day of transport if circumstances change?
Changing the location can be problematic since the driver’s routing and timing are based on your agreed-upon location. Changing the location from a Walmart to a Home Depot several blocks away likely will not be a concern, but changing to a different part of town or a different town can cause problems for the driver. Brokers and carriers often have penalty charges for customers who make last-minute changes or who do not appear at the scheduled location and time.
