How Much Does Motorcycle Shipping Cost?

When you use a reputable company, you’ll get a motorcycle carrier with experience shipping bikes. They’ll use specialized platforms for motorcycle shipping and follow safety precautions to bring your bike from point A to point B in good condition. Below are some things to be aware of that can make the process hassle-free.

Door-To-Door Service Is Approximate

Most companies offer door-to-door service as a standard option, but the reality depends on how narrow your streets are. If a semi-truck can’t make it to your driveway easily without risking damage, the carrier will ask you to meet in a nearby parking lot instead. The driver will not risk their own reputation and insurance coverage to bring a bike to a downtown apartment location or into a neighborhood with winding streets.

The auto carrier has no wiggle room – literally. If you refuse to meet them a few blocks away to get your bike, the driver will have no choice but to drop your bike off at that location anyway. Be prepared to meet the carrier a few minutes away from your exact location, whether that means having a friend or an Uber driver bring you there.

Having A Good Experience Requires Trust

Motorcycle carriers are independent businesses – not employees of shipping brokers. That means they work on their own schedules and can quit a prospective job if the customer starts harassing them for an exact pickup time or the particulars of how the motorcycle will be strapped down.

Carriers have access to hundreds of vehicles that need to be shipped at any given time. They can always get another job if a certain customer proves to be difficult before pickup. To have a good experience with fast service, it’s best to let the carrier do their job without too much interference.

Expect the carrier to contact you with a pickup timeframe, but you probably won’t get an exact time down to the minute. Carriers have other shipments to make on their routes to you, along with having to face tolls, traffic jams, severe weather, or other obstacles on the road. Because of this, we recommend you don’t commit to other plans on pickup or drop-off days. You can always have a trusted friend meet the carrier if you can’t be there.

Our Customer Satisfaction Survey

In our auto shipping satisfaction survey, we found that 68 percent of customers were satisfied with their experience to some degree. However, about 21 percent were dissatisfied. 

Some customers experienced damage during transit while others were disappointed that the price changed after the initial transport quote. To maximize your satisfaction, compare rates early and maintain flexibility during the process.