The Perils of Shipping with a “Direct Carrier”
Auto transport companies come out like new Hollywood movies – way too many, way too fast. It’s not surprising; estimates put the auto transportation industry at over $5 billion a year, and more and more people are wanting a slice of that (rather large) pie.
But the problem is that there are only so many customers to go around, and there’s a system in place that some people want to circumvent in order to make money.
These are called “direct carrier” companies, and they’re the ones that advertise that they own and operate their own auto transport trucks so that you can “skip the middleman” and avoid paying a broker to help find you a carrier.
Except it’s just not true. Some auto transport companies may operate their own trucks, but do you really think they’re going to send one of their three trucks a thousand miles to pick your vehicle up?
Not without a ton of money being pumped into the order, they won’t – which means that they’ll likely contract with another car shipper to get your vehicle moved, essentially acting like the broker that they told you they were helping you avoid.
This stems from a general lack of oversight in the industry; sure, it’s a multi-billion dollar industry, but that doesn’t mean that the government is watching everyone like a hawk.
They don’t have time for it, so it comes down to companies like us to self-police this burgeoning industry of ours. Luckily, a lot of things have changed in the past few years…all but the “Direct Carrier” B.S. that’s still floating around.
Beware of companies claiming to own their own trucks. More often than not they not only broker your load to another shipper but they also tend to charge more for their loads because they have trucks to maintain.
Most auto shippers work with brokers to find loads, as that helps them maintain a stable bottom line and gives them ready access to customers across the U.S. Brokers can then find carriers in the areas their customers are shipping from, which makes it easier to get vehicles picked up.
To get a free quote to ship your vehicle, fill out our free quote request form. It only takes a minute and you can rest easy knowing that we only work with top-rated, licensed, and insured carriers. You can also contact us any time at 800-930-7417. You can speak to a representative, get a quote, get questions answered, book an order, and more. So call or go online and see what American Auto Shipping can do for you.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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