Car Transport Services

Transporting your vehicle off-wheels may seem like a large once-off expense. Keep the following expenses in mind before deciding to drive to your destination yourself – fuel and tolls, wear and tear as well as depreciation (extra mileage). There is always the risk of having a breakdown, engine problems or flat tyre, or being involved in an accident. Sometimes driving can be discomforting, tiring and stressful because you may be driving for long hours on unfamiliar or bad roads. Extra money may be spent on accommodation along the way. Autofreight can assist in planning according to your schedule, needs and budget, saving you time and minimising stress.

Thousands of vehicles are transported monthly, over long distances. Incidents do happen, but the percentage of incidents occurring during the car carrier transportation process is very small.

Car carrier truck drivers are well trained and experienced. Your vehicle might be safer on a car carrier than when being driven in traffic over a long distance and on bad roads. On the positive side one should remember that if something happens to the vehicle while it is being transported, the accident will not affect you or your family! Insurance will replace your vehicle, whereas your beloved family cannot ever be replaced!

The alternative to depot-to-depot freighting is preferred by most owners. A truck with a licensed and experienced driver will come pick up your vehicle on the day booked for transport.  This means you can use your car until it is collected from your address (closest access).

You don’t need to leave it in a large facility for days or weeks. A door-to-door service is often more expensive but many owners would gladly pay the extra money to have the use of their vehicle until the date of collection.

Sometimes it may not be possible for the auto transport company to collect or deliver the vehicle from/to your doorstep; this may be because many trucks and trailers cannot travel narrow or steep roads, or streets with low trees, or enter security areas. Hence the carrier can call you and ask you to come to the nearest access point for loading or delivery (which is usually a short distance away).  Please advise the booking office beforehand of any difficulty in loading or offloading, and arrange a convenient flat and open area as a meeting point (preferably at a service station or parking area).

Similar to almost every other decision this one rides on your current circumstances and situation. There are many factors that may play into your decision so you should evaluate and decide what is better for you; the lower cost of depot-to-depot shipping or the added safety and convenience of the faster door-to-door method. 

Autofreight offers airport shuttle services at ORT Airport as well as Cape Town airport:

• – If you fly out from OR Tambo Airport we can arrange to have your vehicle collected at the airport, and shuttled (on wheels), to Elite Car Park Services, where it will be stored until our carrier truck can collect it for transport to your door in Cape Town. 
• Should you need the vehicle at Cape Town International when you arrive, we can transport it in advance, keep it at a storage facility in Cape Town and then shuttle the vehicle (on wheels) to Cape Town Airport to meet you when you arrive.

• – The same applies should you fly in from Cape Town to OR Tambo Airport. Our shuttle service can collect the vehicle at Cape Town International before your flight, and shuttle it (on wheels), to a storage facility from where we will collect the car for transport to Johannesburg on a car carrier. 
• Alternatively we can collect the car from your address in Cape Town and transport it to Johannesburg, where we will store the at Elite Car Park Services until your arrival.  We will then shuttle the vehicle to OR Tambo and hand it over to you when you arrive.

Car manufacturers and car dealers, people who have purchased or sold a car online, families relocating (transporting an extra car, boat, trailer, or caravan), students studying far from home. People go to other areas to work for long periods, get transferred or go on holiday, and prefer to have the use of their own car instead of renting vehicles at high rates.

Furniture removal companies, Auction houses and Government use this option a lot.

Road transport is cost-effective, if you calculate the cost of fuel and toll roads, bad road structure, traffic and stress of driving long hours, time wasted, and possible breakages and cost of overnight accommodation.  Transporting your car will allow you the time and energy to do what is most important, concentrate on the task at hand and arrive well rested at your destination. 

Initial costs may seem high, but a lot of our clients value their time more than the costs.

It is important to ensure that you have enough insurance to cover any losses on your vehicle, whether you are driving it yourself, or have it transported on a car carrier. 

A vehicle or truck is a huge investment, and chances are that you cannot afford to lose it. Make sure that you contact your personal insurance company in order to obtain enough insurance to replace the vehicle should it be damaged in any way during transit or being driven by yourself.

Most carrier companies have a GIT (Goods in Transit) insurance cover on the load it carries. This total amount is applied to all the vehicles on the load (based on book value), and only applies in the case of a total write-off on the truck (overturning, burnout or hi-jacking).  Smaller damages (which might have occurred while driving on the road), are excluded. An excess is still payable by yourself (as with any insurance policy). 

With Autofreight’s door-to-door option the ‘risk window’ is small, as our trucks leave immediately after collections, drive straight to the destination, and deliver within one or two days.  

You can designate someone responsible to represent you to hand the vehicle over or receive the car on your behalf.  This person will be responsible for bringing the car to the nearest access point / depot and also for signing off on the vehicle collection / delivery sheet.

Refer to our Conditions of Transport.  Should the cancellation be within 48 hours (weekends excluded) before the transport date, you will be liable for a 100% cancellation fee.  The reason for this is that Autofreight might have to leave with an open space.  We will, however, try to fill the space, and will then accommodate you with a part (or all) of the amount where possible.

Autofreight do have their own trucks, operating on a door-to-door service on certain routes. Where possible we will schedule your vehicle on one of these trucks. Depending on capacity or routes, we might make use of reputable carrier companies, which we have agreements with, to transport your vehicle.

– Autofreight has been in business since 2000, and have successfully transported thousands of cars around South Africa.

– We have built up an excellent reputation and a good name in the vehicle transport industry (refer to reviews on our website and Hellopeter)

– We have proven ourselves over the years as a competent, reliable and professional company, with an experienced and competent team

– Our business is important to us, and we are committed to excellent Customer Service.

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