Auto Transport, What is it?

In this industry, there are two types of companies: car shipping carriers and car shipping brokers. When looking for auto shipping, it’s best to stick to brokers, as they are the ones that will actually organize your car shipment and handle all the money and paperwork. Not only that, but the car transport brokers tend to keep the prices lower, and here’s why: in the auto transport industry, car shipping carriers basically set the prices. They are in control of how much the auto transport service ends up costing, and if they had their way, you would be paying thousands of dollars per car shipped. Brokerages, however, keep the prices low by being competitive with one another. Since most car shipping carriers must take car shipping loads from brokerages, they won’t price gouge customers because a customer can just go with a different broker. Finding good auto shippers starts with car transport quotes; from there, you book your order with a car transport broker and the broker will then find a good auto transporter or car shipping carrier to move your vehicle.

Auto Transport brokerages focus on cars, trucks and SUV’s, but many auto shipping companies can move more than just those. Always check with the auto shipping company handling your auto transport to see what they ship, as many auto shipping companies can move oversized vehicles such as vans, dually pickup trucks, box trucks, and some companies can ship even larger vehicles on flatbeds and lowboys. Make sure that you have the dimensions of any oversize vehicle available as many auto transport brokerages will require the dimensions before giving you a quote. Usually the length, height, width and weight of the vehicle moved are required.

What is a Carrier?

Some auto shippers are known as auto transport carriers. These auto transport companies are the companies that actually move the vehicle on their own trucks. Other auto transporting companies are known as brokerages, and they are the ones that will be arranging the vehicle transport between you and the carrier. When you fill out our free car shipping online quote request form, you will receive an estimate of how much it will be to ship your vehicle on one of our carriers. All American Auto Shipping carriers are fully insured for $750,000. Auto transport carriers are required by federal law to carry $750,000 worth of insurance on their truck to cover any and all damages that occur. We can ship from anywhere to anywhere in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, and all United States Territories. Our auto transport quote request form has makes and models from not just all the top automobile companies but many automobile manufacturers that are no longer in business. When it comes to car transport, we know that people have vehicles from all different companies, so we make sure that we have as many vehicles as we can find so we can assist you.

If you’re not into filling out forms on a random website, give us a call! The right auto shipping companies can be tough to find, and if you’re new to the industry finding a good auto shipper can be a hassle. Our friendly vehicle shipping specialists are standing by twenty four hours, seven days a week to help you with your vehicle transport needs, so if you have any questions, give us a call and we’ll help you out. Many car shipping carriers will tell you to eliminate the car shipping broker, but you should always use an auto transport brokerage because the carriers like to hike the prices up and charge you hundreds more than you need to be paying. Auto transport brokerages that find you a car carrier help to keep the prices lower than what independent car shipping carriers charge because the carriers like to keep prices higher than they need to be – everyone likes more money right? It’s best to shop around before selecting an auto shipping company – and we are one of the best places to start.

Read reviews by our Customers telling the Real Life Stories of What to Expect After the Quote Process

My husband and I needed auto transport for our car because we were moving from Atlanta west to California. We found American Auto Shipping as our fifth and final quote. After reviewing all five quotes I picked the one I liked, that one was the quote I got from Sarah at American Auto Shipping. It was right in the middle of all the other ones I received but was definitely in my price range. More than that, Sarah not only called me to talk about my auto shipping needs, but her quote was detailed, especially when talking about the services they offered. My husband and I agreed that Sarah’s auto shipping company was the right one for us.

I ended up booking with Sarah right over the phone and she told me that she could find an auto shipping carrier by the end of the week. But I didn’t need it shipped for a month and a half. She told me that my auto transport price may change in that time and I was okay with that. While my husband and I got busy preparing for our move across the country, Sarah would call periodically with offers from different vehicle transport companies on the road, and about two weeks before the movers were to show we eventually accepted a booking with Rus-Al Inc and their driver, Sunny. It was $50 more but Sarah said he could guarantee that he’d get there on the day we needed him, so we said sure. A guaranteed car shipping date was big for us.

Sunny the driver called us early on the day he said he’d be in our area. Sure enough, Sunny and his auto transport rig were there before noon. I was really impressed with Sunny and how professional and courteous he was. I asked a lot of questions that he was happy to answer and he was very thorough in his explanations. We did the auto shipping inspection and signed the reports. The movers showed up not long after he did, but I can say that Sunny was a lot faster in getting our car out of there than the movers were getting our stuff out of there.

It took Sunny eleven days to get to California, but Sarah told me that well beforehand. The auto shipping delivery inspection went well, there was no damage, and Sunny showed up with my car almost a week before the movers did. I was very impressed with both the auto transport broker and Sarah as well as with the car shipping carrier company and Sunny. Everything went well and I am happy to say that I had a great vehicle shipping experience.

~ Laurel L / Livermore, CA

For excellent customer service please call Sarah at 1-800-930-7417

When I needed an auto shipping quote to get my car from Michigan to Oregon I went to American Auto Shipping and filled out their free car transport quote form. I was able to see my price estimate right away. This ended up being a good thing because I saw quite a few that were really expensive and I was on a budget. When I got a call from Sarah, she told me that she could get me enclosed car shipping services for $1800, which I thought was really high. I really wasn’t prepared to spend that much, but Sarah told me that enclosed auto transport is more expensive than open shipping and the route to Oregon isn’t popular with the truck drivers.

Though I saw several quotes that were lower than Sarah’s, I ultimately booked with her because of how honest she was. I needed my vehicle shipped fast and she said she could do it if the price was right, and that $1800 was the right price, so I booked. Sarah was friendly and polite and made booking the shipment really easy. She explained what would happen and read me their terms so I knew who was responsible for what during the shipment.

After the booking process, which was really easy, Sarah told me everything I needed to know about what was going to happen with my auto transport services. Despite the somewhat high price (at the high end of my auto shipping budget, in fact) I found the service was exemplary. She found a truck for me within just a few days, and she found me Ben with OK Carriers. Sarah definitely knew what she was talking about! Both Ben and Sarah were a huge help considering my busy schedule. My work has me going all over the place and I asked her about a vehicle shipping terminal since I likely wouldn’t be able to meet Ben to accept the car at delivery.

Sarah instead asked if there was anyone who could meet with Ben for me, as it would probably save me money. Also, she said that there were no secured terminals in my area, and that if I were shipping enclosed it would definitely be better to have someone actually receive the Subaru, for security reasons. I eventually took my Subaru to my mother’s, who said she could meet the vehicle shipping truck for me.

After I was in Portland settling in I got a call from Sarah saying that my Forester was loaded without issue and that it was on its way. I was glad I chose an enclosed car transport truck, too, as the Forester arrived without any damage. I was very happy with her services and the services of Ben the truck driver. I feel like they made my entire car shipping experience that much better and I cannot thank them enough.

~ Susan L./ Portland, OR

For excellent customer service please call Sarah at 1-800-930-7417

Read Additional Reviews HERE

Auto Transport Tip of the Day

If it’s easier for you to pay the entire auto transport cost up front, make sure to speak to an agent about it. They should be able to help you do that, but not all of them will take payments up front.