Ha! Good to know. Some of the quotes started at $2,500 and are now down to $1,250.
Auto Transporters
- Thread starter Mike Z
- Start date
Ha! Good to know. Some of the quotes started at $2,500 and are now down to $1,250.
Mike it may not hurt to contact some of the bigger auto haulers.
Roadrunners is one I have seen in the past.
CarMax uses several outside haulers so if you have a CarMax close by, you could ask them who they use.
Just be sure and value what you are shipping at replacement cost and not what you paid for it!!!!!
Make sure they have quality insurance that covers any damages, if there happen to be any.
All good points, John. Thanks.
I did reach out to Roadrunner separately last night and they came back at $1,300. Not too bad.
No, I thought they were good. Good communication.
You want to be in the middle..dont pick the cheapest guy but also don't pick the most expensive. No matter who you choose be prepared for the following.
The driver will say he will be there at 10 am on Friday. You take the day off and the excitement builds. It is now noon and still no delivery. You call the driver who doesn't answer. Then dinner comes around and you are nervous. Have I been scammed? Is my vehicle in Mexico? What will my wife say when I have to tell her?
The next morning the driver calls and says he is running behind and will for sure be there tomorrow morning.
The next morning you wait and the excitement builds. Morning turns into evening and after many phone call attempts you give up and head to bed.
You are awakened at 12:43 in the morning by a phone call. Shit somebody has died!!! Nope it's a gent with a heavy Russian accent calmly explaining that he will be there within the hour.
The driver shows up at 3:45 am announcing himself with back up sirens and a shit load of flashing lights. He unloads the vehicle and you hope it's not damaged but it's hard to see in the pitch black. It's also cold so your nipples are rock hard.
You put the vehicle in the garage/driveway and try to go back to sleep but you can't so instead you sit up and drink coffee until it's time to leave for work.
The driver will say he will be there at 10 am on Friday. You take the day off and the excitement builds. It is now noon and still no delivery. You call the driver who doesn't answer. Then dinner comes around and you are nervous. Have I been scammed? Is my vehicle in Mexico? What will my wife say when I have to tell her?
The next morning the driver calls and says he is running behind and will for sure be there tomorrow morning.
The next morning you wait and the excitement builds. Morning turns into evening and after many phone call attempts you give up and head to bed.
You are awakened at 12:43 in the morning by a phone call. Shit somebody has died!!! Nope it's a gent with a heavy Russian accent calmly explaining that he will be there within the hour.
The driver shows up at 3:45 am announcing himself with back up sirens and a shit load of flashing lights. He unloads the vehicle and you hope it's not damaged but it's hard to see in the pitch black. It's also cold so your nipples are rock hard.
You put the vehicle in the garage/driveway and try to go back to sleep but you can't so instead you sit up and drink coffee until it's time to leave for work.
"You are awakened at 12:43 in the morning by a phone call. Shit somebody has died!!! Nope it's a gent with a heavy Russian accent calmly explaining that he will be there within the hour."
P man,
This is exactly what happened when my kid shipped his car a few years ago. The guy was nice enough, but his Russian accent was so thick that we really couldn't understand him. He delivered the car around 2:00 AM.
Good advice to choose a carrier with a price that is reasonable and not necessarily the lowest. Although, Montway, SGT Auto transport and Roadrunner are all around $1,200 now. Their initial bids were $1,800.
I figure if I wait another day or two, it will be free
P man,
This is exactly what happened when my kid shipped his car a few years ago. The guy was nice enough, but his Russian accent was so thick that we really couldn't understand him. He delivered the car around 2:00 AM.
Good advice to choose a carrier with a price that is reasonable and not necessarily the lowest. Although, Montway, SGT Auto transport and Roadrunner are all around $1,200 now. Their initial bids were $1,800.
I figure if I wait another day or two, it will be free
We used Transamerican Auto Transport for moving our 2 cars and my TJ from California to Florida and they were absolutely great. (561)756-1515 [email protected]. They were on time for both the pickup and delivery, we really liked their service.
We did a whole lot of research on various car transport services and most had too many bad reviews to even consider, we gave Transamerican five stars in our post-delivery review.
We did a whole lot of research on various car transport services and most had too many bad reviews to even consider, we gave Transamerican five stars in our post-delivery review.
I would think the cheaper the cost the more they try to find alternate loads to fit on the truck and deliver causing potential delays. But that might be no matter what the cost to maximize profit/time…I would likely do the same in their shoes.
Same here. I was concerned that might be an issue for a carrier. Good to know. I will get in touch with them for a quote.
Same here. I was concerned that might be an issue for a carrier. Good to know. I will get in touch with them for a quote.
That's the other thing some outfits will try to pull..adding extra fees for bigger tires etc..dont fall for that crap
Shipping a vehicle is mostly a dirty game.
FIrst off, never provide your phone number to a shipping website. That's typically a trap for the unwary because the website likely farms your number to 20-50 companies who each pay for the lead and that's why you get blasted with 50 phone calls and emails. To prevent yourself from being overwhelmed with a bunch of sharks, I suggest you create a specific email for this task and then review the quotes, and then call who you choose to potentially go with. Middle of the road pricing is likely your best bet. Keep in mind that money side can be gamed and the reviews are mostly gamed.
Many companies will quote you a low price to get you to go with them, but if the price is too low to entice a driver to agree to pick up the vehicle you will then have to pay more later to get it moved or it will continue to sit.
Most folks quoting you do not have a truck of their own and they use their quote to try to turn a profit by getting a driver to take the load for a price that fits within the amount they quoted you —> but that person who called you also prefers to keep a good chunk of that quote in their pocket. Usually, you find yourself being asked to put a deposit down. That "deposit" is nothing more than a broker fee that the broker will end up keeping, and taking a deposit allows them to put your vehicle on the vehicle dispatch website (per the standard practice) where truckers look to see what vehicles are on their route. Some routes are better than others. For example, LA to/from NYC and LA to/from south Florida are some of the easiest routes to be taken care of on if you need a vehicle shipped.
Choosing a company who's quote was too low will only waste your time/money and wreck your nerves. But paying too high may just put more money in the broker's pocket and not help entice a driver to pick up your vehicle.
Steps you can take:
Treat it like choosing a mechanic. Sure you can be a fucking moron and get taken care of if your mechanic is honest, but if your mechanic isn't honest you are surely going to pay a premium for your ignorance. The same logic applies here, and it's still mostly an unregulated market afaik.
Some drivers do repetive routes and will take care of you, so it's worth looking into. Jerry's situation seems to be one of those great situations which is more awesome and abnormal than I can properly convey.
There are also good logistics folks who care about doing things honestly (by far the minority due to greed).
Short of finding a unicorn, the reasons above provide why I will almost always drive a vehicle myself unless it's on a good route where there will be many options for drivers (more leverage on my end).
Edit: It's possible to have a good experience, but sadly there are a lot of folks out there who get taken advantage of.
Edit: words
Hope that helps.
FIrst off, never provide your phone number to a shipping website. That's typically a trap for the unwary because the website likely farms your number to 20-50 companies who each pay for the lead and that's why you get blasted with 50 phone calls and emails. To prevent yourself from being overwhelmed with a bunch of sharks, I suggest you create a specific email for this task and then review the quotes, and then call who you choose to potentially go with. Middle of the road pricing is likely your best bet. Keep in mind that money side can be gamed and the reviews are mostly gamed.
Many companies will quote you a low price to get you to go with them, but if the price is too low to entice a driver to agree to pick up the vehicle you will then have to pay more later to get it moved or it will continue to sit.
Most folks quoting you do not have a truck of their own and they use their quote to try to turn a profit by getting a driver to take the load for a price that fits within the amount they quoted you —> but that person who called you also prefers to keep a good chunk of that quote in their pocket. Usually, you find yourself being asked to put a deposit down. That "deposit" is nothing more than a broker fee that the broker will end up keeping, and taking a deposit allows them to put your vehicle on the vehicle dispatch website (per the standard practice) where truckers look to see what vehicles are on their route. Some routes are better than others. For example, LA to/from NYC and LA to/from south Florida are some of the easiest routes to be taken care of on if you need a vehicle shipped.
Choosing a company who's quote was too low will only waste your time/money and wreck your nerves. But paying too high may just put more money in the broker's pocket and not help entice a driver to pick up your vehicle.
Steps you can take:
- Ask the person on the phone how much the deposit is (this is a broker fee and will likely not help your vehicle move)
- remember: the quote they list to a driver is always less than the quote you were quoted because the logistics person is trying to keep as much of that total amount to themselves —> unless you nail them down to a specific deposit amount (aka their broker fee) so that's why it's good to ask them how much the deposit is.
- Ask how much the driver is getting when you receive the vehicle (that payment to the driver plus the deposit should equal the total quote)
- Ask if they know which trucker will be moving your vehicle and ask for the trucker's insurance.
- It's all good if they say they don't have the trucker's info yet because they have to contract a driver (that's how this usually works so they are being honest).
- Maybe even small talk them about how long drivers typically take to respond to a listing on the board (dispatch website) and ask how your vehicle compares to the other vehicles being listed. Then they will realize you are no dummy. Save those numbers that are provided and ask the same questions to other companies you talk to too see if folks you are talking to are being truthful.
- If they say they do have a driver ask them for that driver's insurance and ask if you should make out the check to the name of the company who you are speaking with on the phone. They will likely say no and that their drivers have their own names on the trucks, but then say "ok do you know the name of the truck that will be on it then for the check?" They will likely say no they don't know yet...and this is how you know they are full of shit. They don't have a driver yet and are only posting a quote on a board and hoping a driver will pick it up.
- It's all good if they say they don't have the trucker's info yet because they have to contract a driver (that's how this usually works so they are being honest).
- Get and review the trucker's insurance before the truck picks up your vehicle.
- Make sure the amount is enough and that it's not expired.
Treat it like choosing a mechanic. Sure you can be a fucking moron and get taken care of if your mechanic is honest, but if your mechanic isn't honest you are surely going to pay a premium for your ignorance. The same logic applies here, and it's still mostly an unregulated market afaik.
Some drivers do repetive routes and will take care of you, so it's worth looking into. Jerry's situation seems to be one of those great situations which is more awesome and abnormal than I can properly convey.
There are also good logistics folks who care about doing things honestly (by far the minority due to greed).
Short of finding a unicorn, the reasons above provide why I will almost always drive a vehicle myself unless it's on a good route where there will be many options for drivers (more leverage on my end).
Edit: It's possible to have a good experience, but sadly there are a lot of folks out there who get taken advantage of.
Edit: words
Hope that helps.
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Great info. I get that it is a service ripe with bait and switch techniques and less than scrupulous folks.
That's why this forum is such a helpful resource to find the needle in the haystack...the one or two or three companies who are decent.
Drivers will charge for longer vehicles (not applicable here) and vehicles with larger tires if the overall height of the rig won't fit on the lower deck and also requires time to rearrange the assortment to fit your vehicle. Thus, the charge could be bs or legit and depends on the trucker's setup.
edit: words
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Exactly.... Do not enter you phone # for a quote. I very briefly worked for one of these companies.
Reliable carriers, amongst the best in business. Not cheap, but the drivers work directly for the company and there is zero ambiguity as to when your will get your car once it's picked up. I refuse deal with middle men brokers for car transportation and deal with the bs that ensues. I have used them three times and pleased with the service.
Uship is good if you can find someone that will directly transport the vehicle for you. Take your time to read the reviews.