What to know before you ship a car

Who you are dealing with

Three kinds of companies show up when you search for car shipping. Knowing which one you are talking to is half the battle.

Carriers

Carriers own the trucks. They are licensed and insured by law and they are the ones physically moving your car. Booking direct can be cheaper, but a consumer has no way to check a carrier's safety record, insurance status, or reputation, and carriers do not run fixed routes, so most will not take a one-off booking anyway. They rely on brokers to fill their trailers.

Brokers

Brokers are the middle layer. They see industry rating systems you cannot, verify a carrier's license and insurance, negotiate the rate, and stay on the order if something goes wrong. Nearly every company you will talk to, including all five we recommend, is a broker. A broker charges a fee for this, and for most people it is worth it.

Lead sellers

Some sites are neither. They collect your information and sell it to several brokers at once. The tell is a site with no MC number anywhere on it. Fill in one of these forms and your phone will ring for a week. Avoid them.

How a shipment works

1. You get a quote based on the vehicle, the route, your dates, and open or enclosed.
2. You book. Good brokers charge nothing at this point.
3. The broker posts your load to its carrier network and a carrier accepts it. Now you owe the broker's fee, or the full amount if you are prepaying.
4. The driver calls to arrange a pickup window, inspects the car with you, and you both sign the bill of lading.
5. The car travels. Drivers usually update you directly; the broker can if they do not.
6. The driver calls ahead, you inspect the car again, sign the bill of lading again, and pay the carrier its share, usually in cash or certified funds.

Door to door is standard with the companies we recommend. A big truck cannot always reach a narrow street or a cul-de-sac, so you may meet the driver at a nearby lot. That is normal.

What sets the price

Brokers do not set prices. Carriers do, by the mile, and brokers negotiate within that market. The things that move the number:

• Distance and route. Longer is more in total but less per mile. Busy corridors are cheaper than rural ones.
• Vehicle size and modifications. Bigger and heavier costs more. Lift kits, roof racks, and lowered suspensions need specific equipment. Tell the broker.
• Open or enclosed. Enclosed runs 40 to 80 percent more.
• Running or not. Inoperable vehicles need a winch and cost more. Fix it first if you can.
• Season. Summer and early January are peak. Snowbird routes spike in fall and spring.
• Your flexibility. A wide pickup window gets a better rate than a specific day.

The quote that grows. Some brokers quote low to win the click, then raise the price when no carrier accepts it. Ask every company one question: what happens if a carrier wants more than you quoted me? The answer sorts the field. See our comparison table for how the five we recommend handle it.

Open, enclosed, flatbed

Open carriers are the nine- and ten-car trailers you see on the interstate. They are the cheapest and most available option and the way new cars get to dealerships. Your car is exposed to weather and road dust. For a normal vehicle that is fine.

Enclosed carriers hold one to six cars inside a hard- or soft-sided trailer. They cost more, there are fewer of them, and they are the right call for classic, exotic, or brand-new high-value vehicles. Lowered cars and race cars sometimes need an enclosed trailer with a lift gate regardless of budget.

Flatbeds are one- to five-car trailers behind a heavy pickup. They are common for short hauls and inoperable vehicles.

How long it takes

Pickup is usually one to five days after booking with a broker quoting at market. Transit is one to two days per 500 miles, so a coast-to-coast move is roughly a week on the truck. Everyone gives a window, typically two days either side, because weather, traffic, breakdowns, and the other cars on the trailer all affect the schedule. Expedited service buys a guaranteed pickup window, not a guaranteed delivery date. Nobody can guarantee delivery and mean it.

Pickup

• Wash the car so existing dings and scratches are visible.
• Leave a quarter tank of gas. Less weight, less fire risk.
• Remove everything personal. Carrier insurance does not cover it, and the DOT restricts it. Some brokers allow a small amount in the trunk; ask.
• Pull toll tags and parking passes. Disable the alarm.
• Photograph and video the whole car before it is loaded, with timestamps.
• Walk the car with the driver. Every mark gets noted on the bill of lading. Sign only when it matches what you see. Keep your copy.
• Hand over one set of keys.

Delivery

• The driver calls ahead. Confirm where the truck can actually get to.
• Inspect the car in daylight before signing anything. Compare against the pickup bill of lading and your photos.
• Any new damage gets written on the bill of lading before you sign. If it is not on the BOL, the claim is very hard to make.
• Pay the carrier the agreed amount, in the agreed form. Do not pay more or less.
• Leave reviews for both the broker and the carrier. It is how the good ones get found.

Insurance

Carriers are required to carry cargo insurance, and that is what covers your car while it is on the truck. Ask the broker for the carrier's certificate of insurance once one is assigned. Claims go through the carrier's insurer, and deductibles and disputes happen. Some brokers add a backstop: AmeriFreight's AFTA plan covers up to $2,000 of a deductible, and Montway carries a $250,000 contingent policy that pays when the carrier's insurer denies a valid claim. Ask every company what happens if the car is damaged and the carrier's insurance does not pay. Then ask to see it in writing.

Choosing a company

Reputation

Read reviews on more than one platform. Google and the BBB are a start; TransportReviews is industry-specific and validates reviewer emails. Read how the company responds to bad reviews, not just the good ones.

Experience

A broker that has been around a decade has carrier relationships that a two-year-old one does not. That is what gets your car picked up in a bad week.

Honesty

Be wary of guarantees, especially on dates. Be wary of any company that says it owns trucks when its MC number says broker. Be wary of a quote far below everyone else's. Honest companies tell you what they cannot promise.

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