Tempe car shipping, door to door

Tempe is only about 40 square miles, boxed in by Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa and Chandler, and it has freeways on every side: Interstate 10 to the west, Loop 202 across the north, Loop 101 down the east side, and US 60 through the middle. Getting a car carrier to Tempe is never the problem. The last quarter mile is. Streets near campus are narrow and crowded, many apartment communities are gated, and a lot of parking is underground or in structures a carrier can't enter.

We plan Tempe jobs with that in mind. Before the truck is dispatched we ask where the car is parked, whether there's a gate, and what the street out front looks like. If the driver can't stop at your building, we agree on a meeting spot within a few blocks, usually a wide side street or an open surface lot, and you bring the car there. Our office is on Broadway Road just west of Loop 101, so these are familiar blocks.

Every August thousands of students arrive at ASU's Tempe campus, and every May most of them leave again. For families in Illinois, Texas, California or the Northeast, shipping the car and flying the student is often easier than a multi-day drive, and it keeps a new driver off 1,500 miles of interstate.

Students who are 18 or older can release and receive a vehicle on their own, so a parent doesn't need to be at either end. Move-in and move-out weeks are the busiest of the year for Tempe carriers, and booking three weeks out is a good rule. Aim to have the car delivered a day or two after the student arrives, once they know where it's allowed to park. Campus lots and most nearby streets are permit-controlled, so sort out the parking permit before the truck shows up.

Carriers can't drive onto campus or into residence hall lots. Delivery happens on a public street or lot nearby, and the driver will call ahead to pick a spot.

A large share of Tempe lives in apartments, from the towers near Mill Avenue and the lake to the complexes along Rural Road and Apache Boulevard. A few things make these pickups go smoothly. Give us the gate code and the best phone number. Move the car out of any garage ahead of time, since a loaded carrier stands about 13 feet tall and won't fit under a parking structure. And check whether your complex has fire lanes or tow-away zones where a truck can't stop even briefly.

Morning pickups tend to work best in Tempe. Streets are quieter, loading zones are open, and in summer both you and the driver avoid standing on hot asphalt at four in the afternoon.

Tempe has one of the densest job centers in Arizona, with large offices along Rio Salado Parkway and Tempe Town Lake, the ASU Research Park in south Tempe, and technology and finance employers spread in between. If your employer is covering your move, ask us for a receipt you can submit for reimbursement. If you're moving two vehicles, have us quote them together. Two cars on one truck usually cost less per vehicle than two separate bookings, and they arrive on the same day.

A car left in an uncovered Tempe lot from May to August sits through months of 105-degree afternoons, which is hard on batteries, tires and interiors. If the student won't be using it, shipping the car home in May and back in August often makes more sense than paying for a parking space and returning to a dead battery. If you plan to ship both ways, book the two legs together. Give us both sets of dates and we'll line up the return trip while there is still space on the trucks for move-in week.

A quote takes five details: the pickup ZIP code, the delivery ZIP code, the year, make and model, whether the car runs, and your first available date. For a Tempe address, add the name of the building or complex so the driver can look at the access ahead of time. The online form returns an all-in price in about 30 seconds, and getting a quote is free.

Tempe borders Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and people often ask whether they can leave a car in airport parking for the carrier. They can't. Car carriers aren't permitted to load in airport garages or at the curb, and a vehicle can't be released without someone there to sign for it. If you're flying out before pickup, leave the car and keys with a friend, a roommate or a neighbor in Tempe and give us their contact details.