The auto transport industry can be a little confusing for consumers. However, once you understand how it works it is easier to understand why things happen the way they do. Here are the basics of the industry:
Most auto transport companies who provide you with quotes do not own any trucks. These companies are called auto transport brokers. (Even companies that do own some trucks do not own enough to ship cars everywhere that people want to ship cars.) When you contact an auto transport broker, they provide you with a quote. After you choose to do business with them, the broker contracts with an auto hauler to pick up and deliver your car.
Auto haulers, which can be a trucking company or an individual owner-operator, want to run their trucks as fully loaded as possible. So, they look for vehicles that are shipping in the same direction they plan to travel. Auto haulers frequently use load boards, which are sites where auto transport brokers post available loads, to to fill their trucks. Auto haulers do not work directly with individuals shipping their cars, because it is difficult to find enough customers who are shipping their vehicle along the same route at the same time.
Typically, auto transport brokers quote you a price without having a truck lined up. This is because most customers get quotes from 3 to 10 car shipping companies before choosing a company to work with. Once a customer chooses to work with a broker, the broker finds an auto hauler to ship the vehicle at the quoted price.
MoveCars.com is a directory of auto transport companies . Since 1997, MoveCars.com has been providing a comprehensive directory of car shipping companies, including international car shipping companies and enclosed car transporters, as well as car shipping tips for first-time car shippers .