Motorcycle transport costs | Shippingmasters

This article discusses the rates and potential fees of motorcycle transport.

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Knowing all potential fees along with the shipping rate regarding motorcycle transport is important when making a decision on which motorcycle shipping company to select for your motorcycle shipment.

Let’s begin with a discussion of how motorcycle shipping rates are determined. There are many factors that come into play when determining the rate to ship motorcycles. Some of the factors that are included in determining the shipping rates are the size of the vehicle, the pick up and or delivery location, the distance from the pick up location to the delivery location, the current price of fuel, cargo insurance and licensing, any special handling that might be required based on the type of vehicle being shipped, etc.

Some motorcycle transport companies simplify their rates by using a zone matrix rate structure. What that means is the shipper has one rate for a given area of the country. If the shipment goes from one zone to another zone there is a different rate than if the shipment is within a given zone. Depending on how many zones the shipment crosses, the rate usually increases based on the number of zones the shipment crosses through.

Other shippers determine the rate by the distance from the pick up location to the delivery location. They use a rate per mile strategy when determining the overall shipping rate. Additionally, there might be surcharges for remote locations and or locations that are difficult to access with a large motorcycle transport truck.

The size of the vehicle being shipped often has a bearing on the shipping rate. The rate to ship a three or four wheeled vehicles often cost more than shipping a standard narrower two-wheel motorcycle. The more space a vehicle occupies in the shippers trailer the more the likelihood the rate will increase based on the overall size of the vehicle. Some motorcycle transport companies have flat fees for almost any size motorcycle but most do have extra fees for trikes and utility vehicles.

Some of the potential additional fees involved in motorcycle shipping are remote fees for picking up from or delivering to very remote locations, oversize fees for large bikes, fuel surcharges based on the current price of fuel, additional insurance coverage fees if you need more insurance coverage than the standard insurance coverage the shipper offers, residential pick up or drop off fees, attempted delivery fees, storage fees and wait fees. Wait fees are potentially incurred when the driver has arrived and has to wait for a point of contact to make the bike available for loading or the driver has to wait for someone to be available at the delivery location to sign off on the bill of lading and or vehicle inspection form. Most of these fees are not incurred on the vast majority of motorcycle shipments but there is a potential for these fees to be charged if certain situations arise that are spelled out in the shippers booking contract form. Be sure to read the quote information carefully along with the shippers contract information to make sure there are no surprise fees with your shipment.