Essential Terminology for the Auto Transport Industry

What is Shipping Calculator?

A shipping calculator is defined as an online application that aims to help users calculate the cost of shipping goods and or vehicles from one destination to the other. Users can instantly get a preliminary price estimate filling in the specific details about the shipment including the origin, destination, weight, and dimensions of goods for shipment and the type of vehicle required.

How Shipping Calculators Work

Shipping calculators utilize complex algorithms and databases to determine shipping costs. Key factors considered by these calculators include:

• Distance: This is true because the distance between the pickup and delivery points is a strong determinant of the cost.
• Weight and Dimensions: The amount of shipment and its mass defines the means of transport and, consequently, the costs.
• Vehicle Type: Car shipping differs from truck shipping or motorcycle shipping because the vehicles are in different classes and occupy varying amounts of space requiring different methods of handling.
• Shipping Method: Options like the open carrier service, enclosed carrier service, and expedited shipping are determinants of the price.
• Additional Services: There are other additional services which include insurance of the car, delivery of the car across the doorstep, or even preparing the vehicle for delivery will also increase the overall cost.

This is because through the input of the correct information, the user is likely to arrive at a close estimate of the cost of freight. It should however, the said estimations are based on the average rates of the extant methods and techniques and might differ depending on certain circumstances.

Benefits of Using a Shipping Calculator

• Cost Estimation: Gives a basic insight into the shipping costs.
• Comparison Shopping: This enables the users to know the varying prices that various shipping companies are offering.
• Time Savings: Saves time as there are no more computations and quotations to be done by hand.
• Convenience: Available on the web and sometimes included as a feature of shipping software.

Limitations of Shipping Calculators

While shipping calculators are helpful tools, they have limitations:

• Estimated Costs: Such estimates are rough estimates and often do not give the actual costs that you are likely to encounter.
• Limited Factors: It is also possible to encounter calculators which do not consider all the possible and necessary parameters, for example, the price of fuel or availability of the carrier.
• Dynamic Pricing: The shipping cost can be affected depending on some market circumstances that cannot be considered by the rate displayed in the real-time calculator.

Thus, shipping calculators have their use, especially in the context of shipping specific goods or cars. In combination with other research and quotations from shipping participants, users will be able to make relevant decisions regarding the transportation of their goods.

If you are interested in the information about the types of shipping calculators or the way to find a proper one, you are welcome.