Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call us.
Brokers work for Shippers (Customer)
Dispatchers work for Carriers (Trucks)
Shippers: Individuals or businesses needing to transport vehicles. The customers, the Client, maybe you? They initiate the transport process by hiring brokers or carriers. Shippers could be private car owners, car dealerships, or manufacturers.
Carriers: Companies or individual truck owners who physically transport vehicles. They own the trucks and equipment necessary for vehicle transport. Carriers can be single-truck owner-operators or larger companies with fleets. Carriers provide the physical service of transporting vehicles, essential for the actual movement of goods.
Brokers: Intermediaries who connect shippers with carriers. Brokers do not own trucks. They leverage their network and expertise to find available carriers, negotiate rates, and handle logistics. They play a crucial role in ensuring the transport process is efficient and legally compliant.
Dispatchers: Agents who coordinate the details of vehicle pick-up and delivery between brokers and carriers. They manage schedules, communicate with drivers, and ensure that the transport runs smoothly. Dispatchers can work for carriers or independently, often helping owner-operators find loads.
While brokers are essential for connecting shippers and carriers, there can be friction:
- Carriers might prefer to work directly with shippers to avoid paying broker fees, which can reduce their profit margins.
- Brokers can sometimes misrepresent carrier capabilities, leading to service issues and mistrust.
The petty distrust between each other. Carriers feel most brokers are taking advantage of them. Brokers feel most carriers do not do their job reliably well.
Yes, and No. Car shipping is generally door-to-door. Brokers will ask for your specific pickup and delivery addresses. If the carrier can access your location, they will pick up and deliver directly to your addresses. But if the location is not accessible for large carriers, you'll need to arrange a nearby meeting spot where the carrier can safely get in and out. Most often it is at the discretion of the driver and they have to make the decision to prevent damage to their equipment, or get stuck.
However, brokers may not be necessary when clients have established relationships with carriers or possess the skills to negotiate directly. For short-distance or local moves involving single vehicles, working directly with a carrier might be simpler and sometime cost-effective.
Despite their benefits, some carriers shun brokers to maintain control over their operations and maximize profit margins, as brokers take a portion of the payment. There are concerns about miscommunication, misrepresentation, and the illegal practice of double brokering, which involves brokers passing jobs to other brokers, leading to potential legal issues and distrust.
However, carriers can't always fulfill every load, so they might have to turn the load away or double broker it themselves, which is illegal unless they obtain their brokerage authority, effectively making them brokers too. This creates a real dilemma of labels and makes the argument against brokers seem somewhat foolish. The industry's complex nature means that both brokers and carriers have vital roles, despite the occasional friction between them. Understanding these dynamics can help clients navigate the auto transport landscape more effectively.
Officially, no. Often times, brokers and carriers will use this as an excuse to charge an extra fee. While some carriers might allow small items, it's not legally permitted to transport household goods in your car. The Department of Transportation (DOT) does not license car carriers to move household items across state lines. This is to ensure safety and compliance with regulations. Overloading vehicles can affect the carrier's ability to safely transport your car and can lead to fines for the carrier. Some carriers might overlook small items, but it is not something we can include in your contract. Please ask your transport brokers or carriers about it.
However, brokers may not be necessary when clients have established relationships with carriers or possess the skills to negotiate directly. For short-distance or local moves involving single vehicles, working directly with a carrier might be simpler and sometime cost-effective.
Despite their benefits, some carriers shun brokers to maintain control over their operations and maximize profit margins, as brokers take a portion of the payment. There are concerns about miscommunication, misrepresentation, and the illegal practice of double brokering, which involves brokers passing jobs to other brokers, leading to potential legal issues and distrust.
However, carriers can't always fulfill every load, so they might have to turn the load away or double broker it themselves, which is illegal unless they obtain their brokerage authority, effectively making them brokers too. This creates a real dilemma of labels and makes the argument against brokers seem somewhat foolish. The industry's complex nature means that both brokers and carriers have vital roles, despite the occasional friction between them. Understanding these dynamics can help clients navigate the auto transport landscape more effectively.
No, dates are typically estimates. Broker and Carrier may sell you a guarantee, but nobody can predict the future, every event has to be measured in probabilities. What they are selling you is a small bet. If its late, we pay customer a small fee, therefore we can offer this guarantee. Many factors like traffic, weather, late customers, break downs and road conditions can cause delays. Carriers may offer guaranteed dates for an extra fee, but it’s best to have some flexibility. We suggest a date and time window is best, with earliest possible date you can release your vehicle, even if it's not your preferred date. This helps accommodate any unforeseen delays.
Yes, and No. Car shipping is generally door-to-door. Brokers will ask for your specific pickup and delivery addresses. If the carrier can access your location, they will pick up and deliver directly to your addresses. But if the location is not accessible for large carriers, you'll need to arrange a nearby meeting spot where the carrier can safely get in and out. Most often it is at the discretion of the driver and they have to make the decision to prevent damage to their equipment, or get stuck.
However, brokers may not be necessary when clients have established relationships with carriers or possess the skills to negotiate directly. For short-distance or local moves involving single vehicles, working directly with a carrier might be simpler and sometime cost-effective.
Despite their benefits, some carriers shun brokers to maintain control over their operations and maximize profit margins, as brokers take a portion of the payment. There are concerns about miscommunication, misrepresentation, and the illegal practice of double brokering, which involves brokers passing jobs to other brokers, leading to potential legal issues and distrust.
However, carriers can't always fulfill every load, so they might have to turn the load away or double broker it themselves, which is illegal unless they obtain their brokerage authority, effectively making them brokers too. This creates a real dilemma of labels and makes the argument against brokers seem somewhat foolish. The industry's complex nature means that both brokers and carriers have vital roles, despite the occasional friction between them. Understanding these dynamics can help clients navigate the auto transport landscape more effectively.
Yes, your service fee should be refundable if your car did not get shipped. Brokers should not ask for payment until they have confirmed your pickup with a safe, reliable, fully insured carrier. However, carrier fees (usually paid upon delivery) are not controlled by the broker - unless they collect the total costs on the carrier’s behalf, typically for insurance liability reasons. Any refund requests for carrier fees must be addressed directly with the carrier.
However, brokers may not be necessary when clients have established relationships with carriers or possess the skills to negotiate directly. For short-distance or local moves involving single vehicles, working directly with a carrier might be simpler and sometime cost-effective.
Despite their benefits, some carriers shun brokers to maintain control over their operations and maximize profit margins, as brokers take a portion of the payment. There are concerns about miscommunication, misrepresentation, and the illegal practice of double brokering, which involves brokers passing jobs to other brokers, leading to potential legal issues and distrust.
However, carriers can't always fulfill every load, so they might have to turn the load away or double broker it themselves, which is illegal unless they obtain their brokerage authority, effectively making them brokers too. This creates a real dilemma of labels and makes the argument against brokers seem somewhat foolish. The industry's complex nature means that both brokers and carriers have vital roles, despite the occasional friction between them. Understanding these dynamics can help clients navigate the auto transport landscape more effectively.
The average transit time for a vehicle going coast-to-coast is 7-10 days. Shorter distances take less time. For example, transporting from either coast to the Midwest might take 3-7 days. Northeast to the South routes takes about 3-5 days. Factors such as route, weather, customer delays, maintenance, break downs, and traffic can affect transit times.
Carriers: Companies or individual truck owners who physically transport vehicles. They own the trucks and equipment necessary for vehicle transport. Carriers can be single-truck owner-operators or larger companies with fleets. Carriers provide the physical service of transporting vehicles, essential for the actual movement of goods.
Brokers: Intermediaries who connect shippers with carriers. Brokers do not own trucks. They leverage their network and expertise to find available carriers, negotiate rates, and handle logistics. They play a crucial role in ensuring the transport process is efficient and legally compliant.
Dispatchers: Agents who coordinate the details of vehicle pick-up and delivery between brokers and carriers. They manage schedules, communicate with drivers, and ensure that the transport runs smoothly. Dispatchers can work for carriers or independently, often helping owner-operators find loads.
Yes, your vehicle is insured by the carrier during transport. Part of the broker service includes verifying that the carrier has proper insurance coverage. There is no additional cost for this insurance, and the carrier's insurance is primary. You should request a certificate of insurance (COI) from the brokers upon dispatch. Brokers are not liable for the vehicle damages, the carrier/truck company is. Seldom, but brokers may offer contingent cargo insurance policies to further protect your vehicles.
Most brokerage offer both Open and Enclosed Carriers. Most long-distance moves use 7-10 car carriers, similar to those used for new cars. Smaller 2-3 car carriers are typically used for shorter, local or time sensitive direct shipments. The type of carrier used depends on your specific needs and the distance of the move.
Here at Signal Auto Movers, we utilize and focus mainly on Enclosed Carriers. We will tailor to your needs.
Damage is rare but can happen. If your vehicle is damaged, it’s crucial to note this on the Bill of Lading at delivery. This report, which also notes any pre-existing damage at pickup, is vital for processing damage claims. Inspect your vehicle thoroughly upon delivery and ensure any new damage is documented on this report to avoid issues with your claim. Please contact your broker if you are unsure, and they should strongly recommend this to you before signing the Bill of Lading. If you are still unsure, call us, Even if we didn’t help move your vehicle. No one should be shipping a vehicle without understanding this.
Damage Free Guarantees? Read the fine print. Impressionable untrue, but in practical they pay a fee if damaged. Again, Broker and Carrier may sell you guarantees, but nobody can predict the future, every event has to be measured in probabilities.
For a personal vehicle, someone must be present to sign the Bill of Lading during pickup and delivery. It can be you or a trusted person, like a friend or dealer. This person will verify the condition of the vehicle and sign the document, which is essential for your insurance coverage. This is what we recommend in general.
There are no standards in pricing. These estimates are based on market conditions and carrier availability. Each company has different strategies, costs, and overheads, leading to varying quotes. It’s important to understand that the prices given are not guarantees but estimates of what it might cost to move your vehicle promptly. Unfortunately for the industry, quite often, brokers will low ball prices to get customers signed and booked in hopes they can match any carrier within the time frame. These are bait and switch tactics, that customers end up paying way more than quoted. These companies go out of business quickly because of treacherous services, but restart again as a new business and repeat the patterns over and over. Beware of unrealistic prices.
Yes, your service fee should be refundable if your car did not get shipped. Brokers should not ask for payment until they have confirmed your pickup with a safe, reliable, fully insured carrier. However, carrier fees (usually paid upon delivery) are not controlled by the broker - unless they collect the total costs on the carrier’s behalf, typically for insurance liability reasons. Any refund requests for carrier fees must be addressed directly with the carrier.
However, brokers may not be necessary when clients have established relationships with carriers or possess the skills to negotiate directly. For short-distance or local moves involving single vehicles, working directly with a carrier might be simpler and sometime cost-effective.
Despite their benefits, some carriers shun brokers to maintain control over their operations and maximize profit margins, as brokers take a portion of the payment. There are concerns about miscommunication, misrepresentation, and the illegal practice of double brokering, which involves brokers passing jobs to other brokers, leading to potential legal issues and distrust.
However, carriers can't always fulfill every load, so they might have to turn the load away or double broker it themselves, which is illegal unless they obtain their brokerage authority, effectively making them brokers too. This creates a real dilemma of labels and makes the argument against brokers seem somewhat foolish. The industry's complex nature means that both brokers and carriers have vital roles, despite the occasional friction between them. Understanding these dynamics can help clients navigate the auto transport landscape more effectively.
Your total cost is mainly divided into two main parts: the broker's fee (also known as the 'deposit' or ‘service’) and the carrier's fee (your COD amount). It’s important to know that most companies contacting you will broker your move. Brokers might try to appear as actual Carriers, and some Carriers may claim to handle everything but actually outsource most jobs. This practice, called double brokering, is illegal without a brokerage license. Typically, a company asking for an upfront fee, regardless of the term used, is a broker.
Legitimate Carriers usually require payment upon delivery since they have your car as collateral. However, if double brokering occurs, the carrier who does the actual transport might collect fees on behalf of the original carrier that you contacted (now acting as a broker), making it hard to detect. You can try to match the DOT & MC numbers on the truck, and your Bill of Lading, to the original transport company’s details, but by then, the vehicle is ready to load. With this knowledge, you can ask the right questions and choose brokers or carriers who are transparent from the start.
Yes, and No.
Majority of brokers collect up front, at the booking stage. This is normal and practical as it serves 2 main purposes.
- Filter and qualifier. To make the customer is an actual shipper, legitimate and serious. This protects the Carrier because the shipper is commited with the down payment. Carriers do not want to show up only to find out the shipper is a dud, costing valuable time and money.
- Reduces untimely and unreasonable cancellations, which inconveniences the broker and the carrier after work has been performed. The Broker may split the fees to cover “dry runs” from the cancellation.
As for payments, the broker may have an agreement with the Carrier to collect their fees, by including their portion to the total COD payment (at delivery).
Very established and reputable Brokers (only a handful) may also collect full payment from you, typically after booking or dispatched stages, instead of direct payment to the Carriers. Given the context, this practice is also normal and practical.
Established brokers may pay high insurance premiums for extra coverages to protect their customers and is required by the insurances for them to handle ALL payments, hold it until delivery confirmation, to protect you the customer, hold carriers’ accountable and to prevent fraud. They deal with larger accounts, fleets and corporation, so everyone they serve would have to comply under those terms.
Yes, and No. If you are familiar with a good carrier and they happen to be servicing the exact lane or route and are available at the right time for you, then a Yes could be recommended. Majority of carriers bounce around routes and lanes depending on the season, and are less likely to be available. They may offer a much later available pick up date, or they often will broker your vehicle out to another carrier for a profit. Carriers typically know how much brokers are charging, so they will quote customers more than they would typically pick the load up from a broker. Majority of the time, you will be quoted a higher price from a Carrier. Also, when a Carriers pretends to service your transport but brokers it out to another carrier, it may not be in your best interest from an insurance liability stand point. Majority of carriers do not obtain a property brokerage authority, thus legally cannot do so and insurance frowns upon it. This is called double brokering.
Unless you contact a carrier and they so happen to be servicing your route conveniently, almost always, your vehicle will be brokered out. Even if you contact a carrier directly, they may still broker it out discreetly if their trucks aren’t available. All companies, both brokers and carriers, use a platform called Central Dispatch at some point to post and find transport jobs. The main service you pay for is access to this site and managing the carriers. Fees to post your order may vary, but the platform is universal. The primary difference between companies is their service, support, and reliability. We tell you the industry’s generalized raw truths.
Signal Auto Movers argue that the primary difference is made in the brokers Carrier Network. We organically cultivate our own network over the decade as our first and second line of dispatch. We utilize load boards at a minimal.
Stages in logistics are Quote > Order > Dispatch!
Generally, No! Not in the Quote stage to avoid potential scams, it's better to wait until your request is at the stage of being booked right before being dispatched. All brokers shouldn’t ask for their fee/deposit until they are ready to provide you with the Carrier's details shortly after. Paying upfront without a discussion of a matched carrier can be risky. After Quote stage, they should to go work on your Order, and then contact you again to present a matched Carrier to confirm Dispatch schedules. This is the stage when your order is being booked or dispatched. Only then they may ask you for payment.
The main exception to this rule of course unless if the brokerage is highly reputable or you may have previous business dealings, but rarely they will ask for upfront payment.
Yes and no, it depends on what you are asking specifically. Can brokers track our vehicles in transit, like a GPS location of the truck? For a broker, it's highly unlikely. Drivers generally do not want brokers or customers to be tracking them. Would you? Brokers may sell you the idea that there is an online portal 24/7 with a unique booking number to track your car, creating an impression of a GPS system in place. However, more often, when the customer requests the location of their vehicle, the broker then reaches out to the carrier, dispatcher, or driver to get an answer. Brokers are at the mercy of the carriers for that response. The carrier, on the other hand, often does have GPS locators on their equipment, although it isn’t standard practice yet. Some drivers use certain Transport Management Software apps that ping their locations when they use their Bill of Lading to pick up and deliver. Sometimes brokers do have access to those stamped location details, allowing them to estimate the truck's progress. To summarize, if you have direct contact with the carrier, you can probably get a real-time location from them, but it's likely via text or call, and you're unlikely to have access to their GPS interface. The broker may help you get a location, but it is at the carrier's discretion as to when they respond and their willingness to comply.