At the last count, there were 290.8 million cars in the U.S., almost 9 cars for every 10 people. There's a vast auto transport market for car shipping companies that can deliver vehicles to consumers since not everyone can live next to a car factory.
As with all industries, inflation, the rise of electric vehicles, and other current events are causing large changes in the automotive transport industry. This will affect the car transport volume for 2023, which in turn affects the availability of cars, car prices, as well as infrastructure.
Learn all about the auto car transport industry, its place in the economy, and how to find reliable car transport services this year by reading this handy guide.
Auto Transportation Market
When discussing markets as a whole, it's important to consider the currency with which they're measured. The US Dollar is experiencing a 6.41% inflation rate at the moment, which means that your $1,000 today will get you the same amount of goods as $1,064.10 in 12 months.
Because this is particularly high for America, we are seeing year-over-year declines in new and used car sales. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that auto transport services are struggling. Many people are moving within the United States, which is good for the car transport business.
Present economic concerns are causing people to be more careful when buying cars. If you're making decisions on this basis, be sure to have a good quality business that can conduct pre-purchase car inspections on speed dial for any second-hand car you buy.
Car Transport Volume 2023
With all the aforementioned factors discussed, it's time to look at our predictions for the actual volume of cars we can expect to see in 2023. There are a few different ways 2023 can play out and each scenario will have an impact on the volume of cars transported in 2023. The two major factors influencing these outcomes are the economy's performance and how people will respond to that performance.
A Coming Recession
If America enters a recession, we'll see a drop in overall vehicle sales. Not only because people may have less money to spend, but they will also be trying to save what they can. This won't impact door-to-door auto transport services too much, but if dealerships countrywide need to restock less, then the long-distance car hauling part of the auto transport industry will suffer.
Families and car manufacturing relocation within the US will impact all aspects of the auto transport industry. We don't expect car manufacturers to move the way Tesla did in 2021, seeing as many of them are actually slated to lay off staff this year. However, many of the newly unemployed workers from that industry may seek to relocate to "cheaper" states.
If these things happen in 2023, we'll see a drop in the car transport volume in 2023 compared to previous years. Not only will fewer cars be shipped around, but when families do move they may use a car shipping calculator and see that it's cheaper to relocate their cars themselves.
Business as Usual
Not to worry, though, as many economists are optimistic about America's economy. Going through 2023 without a recession will not have as bad an effect on automotive transport. However, we still won't see a big increase in the car transport volume.
If you look at projections for the car carrier market, you'll not that it's only set to grow at 2.7% each year for the next 10 years. In absolute terms, this does mean that by 2033 the auto transportation market will be worth "more dollars", but that doesn't really mean much.
The average growth rate for industries worldwide is set to be consistently higher than 2.7%, indicating that most other industries will leave the car carrier business in the economic dust.
In real terms, this means that it's beginning to shrink (but very slowly). By all available metrics, it seems like the car transport volume in 2023 will be the same as or less than in previous years.
Reliable Car Transport and Car Shipping Companies
The automotive transport industry comprises several different kinds of services and companies, all of which handle the shipping of vehicles. Some of these companies have people drive your car between destinations. Others do long-distance car transportation with open and/or closed car hauling rigs.
In uncertain times, you need to know that spending money on a service gets you the best service possible. Especially if you're entrusting them with an asset as valuable as your car.
That's why the first thing you should know about vetting a transport service is a car hauler inspection. The car transport company you do business with needs to show you that they have reliable haulers before you let them have your car. If they're safe to use, there can be many benefits to using a transport company.
The main benefit is that having a service do your cross-country car shipping for you is very convenient. It frees you up to take care of other affairs such as finances, organizing your new home, or selling your old one. This is great for families who also have children to look after and military personnel who need to move quickly.
Car carrier insurance is also a big financial incentive. If you move your car yourself, any damage done to your car is your problem alone. If a company moves your car for you, you're guaranteed a safe move and damages are covered in the unlikely event of an accident.
Find the Best Auto Car Transport Service
To ship a car from one state to another is no joke; that's why an entire industry sprung up around car shipping. The auto transport market revolves around people needing reliable car transport. This gives rise to a high car transport volume.
The car transport volume for 2023 is not looking better than in previous years but is by no means worse. Consumers can expect to see more of the same in terms of auto car transport numbers and prices from car shipping companies.
If you are moving your car or cars to another part of the country, then you need a reliable car transport business. Check out how our service works and see why we're the right business for you.
