Alaska Auto Transport

Alaska Automobile Transportation

Originally inhabited by Native Americans thousands of years ago, Alaska today is a sprawling metropolis, despite all the snow. From Anchorage to Juneau, Fairbanks to Nome, there are American cities sprawling all over the place. And even with all the cold weather that the state is known for, it doesn't stop people from going up there and having a good time.

Alaska was originally completely above water, much more than it is today. The Bering Strait, the main body of water that separates Russia from the United States, was originally connected thousands of years ago. Archaeologists speculate (more like have proven) that, during the last ice age, homo sapiens crossed this land bridge from Asia into the Americas, finally settling in the Pacific Northwest. When you're in Alaska, you can retrace their steps, although it would be kind of hard seeing as how the bridge itself does not exist and it's still really cold up there.

During the 19th century, Alaska was owned by Russia, which was at that time under control of the Czars. They had tried to colonize the region as early as 1794, but the Russian colony was not very successful and was ultimately abandoned. It remained in their control, however, until 1867, where President Andrew Johnson, with help from his Secretary of State William Seward (who had also served under Lincoln), purchased Alaska for $7.2 million. This, however, was regarded as a really, really bad business transaction by the people, and both Johnson and Seward recieved a lot of critism.

After the purchase, Alaska just kind of...sat there. There really wasn't a whole lot to offer the United States, other than lots of snow, until gold was found in the neighboring Yukon Territory. Thousands of people flocked from all across the United States to strike it rich, and many people regard it as the largest gold rush in history (even bigger than the California Gold Rush of 1849). Regardless, this rush officially put Russia on the U.S. map, and in 1912 it was finally recognized as a territory.

During World War II, three islands in the Aleutian Island chain were occupied by the Japanese. Taking it back was neither strategic or costly, but it did instill in the people of the United States a sense of national pride, boosting spirits and bolstering the resolve of the people and the troops fighting overseas. After the war ended, military bases were built across Alaska to help defend against a Russian nuclear attack (and to hit Russia that much faster), which ultimately helped the various cities in Alaska to prosper. With such high military traffic, these cities rose up from base towns to full-fledged cities, and, in the case of Anchorage, mini-metropoli (I don't know if that's the plural or not, but it sounds cool).

In the 1970's, oil was found in Alaska, thus fueling the debate over whether or not we should drill in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Because the Wildlife Refuge is, in fact, a wildlife refuge, many people have stated that it is off-limits to money-grabbing oil barons. Others still, however, cite the different gas shortages (170's, 1980's, and today) as more reason to drill in the refuge. This debate is, however, still raging, despite the horrific 1989 Exxon-Valdez spill in Prince William Sound, off the coast of Alaska. The Exxon-Valdez oil tanker hit a reef off the coast, spilling some 35 million gallons of harmful crude oil into the waters, damaging the ecosystem there for decades.

Alaska today is a wonderful place, and if you're looking for auto transport there we're sure you know it's great too. But how does the transport work, you ask? Well, here's how it works:

When you decide to use Magic Carpet Auto Transport for your car shipment to Alaska, we're going to ask you where your car is. So, let's just say your car is in Buffalo, New York. What will happen is that whoever is your sales representative will set up auto transport, via an 8-10 car carrier, to Seattle, where the Matson port is. Matson is another auto transport company that strictly focuses on overseas shipment, mostly to Alaska and Hawaii. Now, when the truck gets to your house, you and the driver will both inspect the vehicle and note any damages that are on the car (so you can't go after the auto transport company later), then you'll both sign a Bill of Lading. The trucking company will hed out to Seattle, where it will then drop your car off at the port.

Matson employees will then unload your car from the truck and place it immediately onto the boat. Once on the boat, your car will be hauled up to Alaska from Seattle and you'll meet them at the port! How convienent, no? But, you ask, why not just ship it through Canada?

Well, Cindy, the main reason we can't ship through Canada is that customs will be on us like white on rice. See, if you're hauling goods (or anything for that matter), the Canadian government places an import tax on that thing. So, if you have 10 cars going into Canada, you have to pay an import tax on each of those cars, which can rack up really high, really fast. Then, to make things worse, truckers would then have to travel through the freezing cold of the Canadian north, which as we all know is really cold and snowy. And then, still, when they get to the Alaskan border, they would have to pay the Canadian governemtn an export tax, which is another huge sum of money. Those Canadians have to pay for their universal healthcare somehow, right?

So, let's just say that a trucking company does decide to haul through Canada. They paid the import/export fees, traversed the Canadian wastes and are now in Alaska. Oh, wait a second, it's cold in Alaska too! That's right, Bob, the trucker would then have to finnagle with the icy roads in Alaska, which is even more treacherous than the Canadian roads! So, needless to say, the oceans are much easier to traverse than the roads, it's a lot cheaper, a lot quicker, and you know that your car will show up without all the ice and stuff hanging off of it.

There you have it. Alaska in a nutshell.