How to Tell if an Auto Transport Company is a Broker?

An auto transport broker is a company that books orders to ship people’s cars and motorcycles. They then give these orders to an auto transport carrier that owns their equipment and transports the car using their drivers and equipment. Brokers receive a commission from the car carriers for providing them with car shipment orders. They get this commission from finding a carrier that will ship your car for less than they are charging you. This incentivizes the auto transport broker to find the cheapest carrier to ship your car.

Brokers may have pictures of trucks and truck drivers on their website, but that does not mean they own them! If you do ship your car with a broker, it’s important to realize that they are not the ones transporting your vehicle. Brokers typically don’t provide the carrier’s information to prevent you from calling them directly. You likely won’t find out the carrier shipping your car until they are at your driveway for pick up or delivery.

Not having the car carrier’s information prevents you from researching that company and learning about their reviews, safety record, and other crucial information like insurance. As mentioned above, all carriers have varying levels of insurance to protect your vehicle, so it’s important to know the company you’re shipping with has the proper insurance limits for you. If you do not have this information and do not discuss it with the broker, the carrier that does ship your car may not have enough insurance to protect your car leaving you with a financial burden if damage was done to your car.

You could save money by going directly to the carrier, cutting out the brokerage firm’s trade commission. This may require a few more phone calls and price quotes, but it gives you control over who to trust shipping your car. And if something does go wrong in transport, you will have to deal with both the broker and carrier during the claim process. It is crucial to get the carrier’s information before the transport is complete when shipping with an auto shipper that is a broker.