What should I know before I choose a boat, yacht, RV, car, motorcycle or freight transporter?

• Choose only legal and insured transporters to move your item. Anytime you look at a potential transporter demand that they provide you with their DOT and MC #’s so that you can go to safersys.org and verify their carrier and insurance status prior to letting them transport anything for you. Using illegal carries will put your valuables at risk because if something happens you may be left holding the bill or going through costly and lengthy legal battle and still may not be able to recoup the loss.

We found Smitty’s Haulin’ on a 3rd party website, are we allowed to contact you directly?

• Smitty’s Haulin’ LLC is it’s own legal entity and can be treated as one. If you are searching for the best rates available contact us ASAP. By contacting us directly we can cut out the middle man and endless correspondence across open forums ultimately increasing the efficiency and passing the savings along to you.

What type of insurance covers my shipment?

• All legal carriers should be able to provide you with a copy of their liability and cargo insurance policies. At Smitty’s Haulin’, we carry $1 million in liability coverage and $250K in cargo insurance routinely. We are able to authorize up to $500K in cargo coverage in the matter of minutes and over $1 million in coverage with enough advance notice. We also recommend that you have your items insured through your own insurance policy to help cover your day to day needs that may not be covered before or after the delivery process.

How long does it take to transport my boat, RV, auto, etc.?

• The most asked question and the only answer we can give you is “it depends”. It really does depend on what is being transported, the method of transport and the overall size of the loads.  On average a driver will cover 600 miles per day in urgent deliveries we will use 2 drivers and “hotshot” it to you and run thru non-stop until it is delivered. Please click on FREE QUOTE and submit the information to us and we can contact you with more specific time-frame and cost.

Why is it so expensive to transport my boat, RV or auto?

• A reputable transport and logistics company has a lot of overhead expenses that are incurred just for routine transports that range from insurance premiums, special oversized trip permits, DOT and Federal Motor Carrier fees, fuel, tolls, route restrictions, days in transit, downtime etc. The bottom line is cheaper doesn’t always mean a bargain, buyer beware. Put your trust in a reputable service provider and rest easy knowing that your transport is insured and in the hands of experienced professionals.

How can I prepare my boat or RV for transport.

• We will provide you with a complete checklist prior to transports but in general the following guidelines are suggested:

1. Make certain that all loose items in your vessel or RV such as plates, galley utensils, personal items or any other non-secured items have been secured or removed from the vessel.
2. Empty all fuel and water from the vessel or RV when possible.
3. Disconnect battery cables.
4. Remove any device or fixture that extends beyond the hull of the vessel or RV such as antennas, radar, compasses, large tower structures etc. To save you on time and money when possible the vessels need to be under 13’ 6” when placed on a trailer. With our lowboy trailers this typically means having the vessels measure out to12ft or less from keel to highest point. Shipments over 14ft tall when loaded will and greatly increase the cost for over land transport.
5. Secure decor such as tops, curtains, seat cushions.
6. Remove the drain plug from the vessel.
7. You will need to store and secure plastic and plexiglass windshields before transport.
8. If you are moving the vessel or RV during the winter months, then you need to winterize all water systems and weather sensitive items. Typically this is not a requirement for some of the more Southern destinations.
9. Shrink wrap is an excellent way to protect your boat during transport. Be awar that a poor shrink wrap job may tear due to the high winds on the road. If this happens, the vessel could suffer damage from the shrink wrap beating against and scratching the vessel. Smitty’s Haulin’ will not accept responsibility for damages caused by improper shrink wrapping jobs. This is why we offer a shrink wrap service ourselves to properly prepare your vessel or RV before transport.
10. If your vessel needs to be loaded transom forward, then the craft needs to be shrink wrapped to prevent any damage that may occur to the windshield during transport.
11. When moving a sailboat, you must remove the mast, all rigging, lights, spreaders, wind indicators prior to transport.
12. Last but not least any personal items need to be removed from your vessel or RV prior to transport.

Contact us with any additional questions!