How this actually works.
Straight explanations of the things shippers, dealers and individuals ask us on the phone, written so they are useful whether or not you ever hire us.
What does it cost to ship a car?
The real cost of car shipping in 2026: per-mile ranges by distance, the seven things that actually change the price, and how to read a quote that looks too cheap.
8 min readCar shipping scams: 7 red flags
How car shipping scams work and the seven red flags to check before you book: missing DOT numbers, lowball quotes, big deposits, gift card payments and more.
7 min readHow to check a DOT and MC number
How to check a car shipping company's USDOT and MC number on FMCSA SAFER, step by step: what each field means, insurance, and how to spot a cloned number.
6 min readeBOL checklist: pickup and delivery
What a car shipping eBOL should record at pickup and delivery, the photos to insist on, and what to check before you sign so a damage claim rests on evidence.
6 min readThe fake shipping company scam
How fake car shipping and fake escrow scams work in Facebook Marketplace and other online car sales, the warning signs, and how buyers and sellers stay safe.
6 min readDealers: double brokering and fraud
How double brokering, cloned carrier identities and fake pickups hit car dealers, and the release, verification and payment controls that keep units safe.
7 min readOpen vs enclosed transport
A straight comparison of open and enclosed car transport: cost difference, real risk on an open carrier, ground-clearance limits, availability, and the four cases where enclosed is genuinely worth it.
6 min readHow to vet a carrier
A five-step check on any carrier or broker with free FMCSA SAFER data: authority type and status, insurance at source, safety scores, history, re-brokering.
8 min readDealer trade checklist
What a dealership should have ready before a car hauler arrives: keys, paperwork, condition photos, lot access, and the three causes of most failed pickups.
5 min readDamage claims
What Carmack liability covers, why the bill of lading decides the outcome, the deadlines that matter, and the five steps to filing a claim that gets paid.
6 min readAuction vehicle transport
How auction pickup works at Manheim, America's Auto Auction, Copart, IAA and ADESA: releases, Gate PINs, storage clocks, and salvage versus wholesale.
7 min readThe bill of lading
What a bill of lading is, the three jobs it does at once, what an electronic BOL adds, and the specific things to check before you sign one at pickup or delivery.
5 min readDedicated lane vs spot
When a dedicated trucking lane beats buying spot capacity: the volume and frequency thresholds, what a dedicated agreement should contain, and the fuel-surcharge mechanism that makes it work.
6 min readCar hauler or broker?
How an auto transport broker listing works, what changes when a dealer books the car hauler directly, when a broker makes sense, and how to tell them apart.
7 min readHigh-mount, stinger or wedge
The three open car-hauler types explained: how many cars each carries, where each fits, and what to tell dispatch so the right truck turns up at your lot.
6 min readA unit on the lot costs you every day it sits there.
Tell us where the units are, where they are going, how many and when. A written quote comes back the same business day, from the carrier that will haul them.