Customer Reviews

The Truth About The Differences Between Car Shipping Brokers And Carriers

Posted on 08/01/2019

the-differences-between-brokers-and-carriers 
 

Jump to section:
Introduction
Carriers
Brokers
The main differences between a broker and a carrier
The main similarities between a broker and a carrier
Which should I choose?
Conclusion
 

Introduction

There’s often a lot of confusion regarding the difference between brokers and carriers in the auto transport industry. Many people struggle to understand why brokers are necessary and why it is so difficult to find the right carrier.

The most important thing to understand is that brokers and carriers work together to make the auto shipping process work as efficiently and easily as possible for the customer.

As a very general overview, you can look at it this way: carriers are the companies that have the actual trucks that ship the cars while brokers coordinate shipments and connect customers with the best carrier out of, potentially, thousands of options.

Carriers

Carriers are the companies who actually own the trucks and employ the drivers that make the car shipments. In fact, 80% of the entire car carrier fleet in the United States are single owner operators. This means that each of these carriers are just one person with one or two auto haulers.

So, there are hundreds of these types of carriers out there. Most of them maintain “designated routes” which are certain routes that make them the most money most efficiently and, because of this, these carriers do not divert from these handful of limited routes.

The carriers receive their car shipment orders via brokers or shippers at a price they find sensible through a combination of evaluating their own costs and consulting national dispatch boards. They essentially set the market price for auto transport this way.

Now, that means that 20% of carriers in the country are part of larger companies. In fact, some of these larger carrier companies figured out that if they also acted as a broker and sub-contracted out the orders that they couldn’t fill to smaller carriers they could at least still make some money on those shipments.

The point is that even when you deal directly with a carrier, you might actually still be dealing with a broker and not even be aware of it.


auto-carrier-reviewing-the-load
 

Brokers

A negative sentiment has always existed regarding car shipping brokers. Some people even refer to them as “middle men.” However, the role they play in vehicle shipping is essential to the vast majority of car shipments on the market.

In short, a broker facilitates, coordinates and negotiates the transaction between the customer and carrier. Something that wouldn’t occur, more often than not, if a customer and carrier were dealing with each other directly.

The long version is that brokers are the transport simplification partner to the customer, and a business partner to the carrier. They offer a platform for communication and provide the most accurate quotes based on real-time market conditions in the auto transport industry.

Brokers mediate pricing and conditions on the customer’s behalf and ensure they and the carrier are on the same page throughout the course of shipping.

If customers dealt with carriers directly, they wouldn’t be able to successfully negotiate rates or terms that they wanted. If carriers dealt with customers directly, they wouldn’t be able to maximize the amount of shipments they would be making every day.

Most of the time a broker can offer a slightly lower price because they have multiple carriers competing to under-bid each other for each shipment.

Sometimes, you might hear brokers referred to as non-asset-based carriers or intermediaries. These are just alternate names some people in the auto transport industry use when they talk about brokers.

Imagine, as a customer, trying to find the quickest route at the highest cost efficiency between hundreds of carriers. Just gathering the information about pricing and routes from all these carriers would be a monumental task alone. Then imagine, doing all that work and not saving any money by doing so. That is the difference a broker makes and the job they perform.

You can watch the following video to get a concise idea of how a car shipping broker can help you:

 

The main differences between a broker and a carrier

You might be aware of some of the main differences between brokers and carriers but some of them might also surprise you:

    • A broker finds the best price and most efficient shipping route for a customer from a network of hundreds of carriers while carriers physically transport the vehicles. Many carriers rely on brokers for customers and many brokers rely on carriers to physically ship the customer’s vehicles.

 

    • A broker can work in upwards of twelve hours a day while carriers work days generally tend to be a strictly regulated eight hours.

 

    • A broker can arrange a shipment for a car anywhere in the country whereas many carriers only use specific routes limiting their range of shipment.

 

    • A broker is highly experienced at reaching customers while carriers tend to sit and wait for orders to come in. Carriers invest most of their time on fulfilling actual shipments rather than looking for customers.

 

 

The main similarities between a broker and a carrier

Before we jump into the list, something important to note is that neither a carrier or broker can guarantee pick-up or delivery dates (If you come across a company that says they can – it’s a scam). Some carriers may claim to be able to guarantee a specific date for pick up or delivery but in reality, they know that weather, traffic or customer-related delays can easily cause shipments to be late.

    • Both can deal directly with customers although it makes more sense for brokers to do so.

 

 

    • Both can offer you a quote for your shipment before you book it

 

  • Both can offer door-to-door shipment, but local restrictions might apply.

 

Which should I choose?

It can be quite difficult doing all the work necessary to find a carrier yourself. Carriers tend to have the same difficulty finding customers. Remember, there could be hundreds of options for you to choose from – all with multiple facets of auto shipping to consider like price, transit time, reputation and more.

When you book with a broker, they do all that work for you. Yes, a broker adds a small fee to the price but that’s after they find you the carrier willing to ship your vehicle in the time frame you want for the lowest price relative to what other carriers are charging.

In short, these carriers will need to lower their prices to a more reasonable rate in order to get your business when you book through a broker.

If you were to try and book direct with a carrier, odds are they have no reason to lower their initial rate. So, when you book through a broker you actually end up with a lower rate even with the broker’s fee added on top.

It’s also much more difficult to find all of these carriers. We said earlier that many carriers are just an individual with one or two trucks. Many of these types of carriers don’t even have any sort of web presence. That’s because they use brokers the vast majority of the time to find customers and invest their time and money into making the shipments rather than any sort of marketing or advertising for themselves.

In the end, it’s completely up to you to figure out what’s best for you and your car shipment. However, our recommendation is that you ship with a broker so that you don’t end up wasting any time, effort or money.


woman-choosing-roadrunner-auto-transport
 

Conclusion

Brokers would not exist without carriers. Carriers could exist without brokers but would only do a fraction of the business and many would cease to exist quickly.

Brokers and carriers are separate parts of the auto transport industry and play different roles, but they are both integral to the industry as a whole.

You can choose to book with a broker or directly with a carrier. Both play necessary roles in the auto transport process. There are pros and cons to doing either.

We recommend booking with a broker because it takes almost all of the leg work out of finding and coordinating with a carrier. Plus, the price could even be lower if you go with a broker because several carriers might be competing to give the broker the lowest price for a particular shipment.

If you would like to know what it might cost to ship your car you can use our free quote calculator or you can always give us a call at 888-777-2123.

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1Shipment Details

The Truth About The Differences Between Car Shipping Brokers And Carriers

Posted on 08/01/2019

the-differences-between-brokers-and-carriers 
 

Jump to section:
Introduction
Carriers
Brokers
The main differences between a broker and a carrier
The main similarities between a broker and a carrier
Which should I choose?
Conclusion
 

Introduction

There’s often a lot of confusion regarding the difference between brokers and carriers in the auto transport industry. Many people struggle to understand why brokers are necessary and why it is so difficult to find the right carrier.

The most important thing to understand is that brokers and carriers work together to make the auto shipping process work as efficiently and easily as possible for the customer.

As a very general overview, you can look at it this way: carriers are the companies that have the actual trucks that ship the cars while brokers coordinate shipments and connect customers with the best carrier out of, potentially, thousands of options.

Carriers

Carriers are the companies who actually own the trucks and employ the drivers that make the car shipments. In fact, 80% of the entire car carrier fleet in the United States are single owner operators. This means that each of these carriers are just one person with one or two auto haulers.

So, there are hundreds of these types of carriers out there. Most of them maintain “designated routes” which are certain routes that make them the most money most efficiently and, because of this, these carriers do not divert from these handful of limited routes.

The carriers receive their car shipment orders via brokers or shippers at a price they find sensible through a combination of evaluating their own costs and consulting national dispatch boards. They essentially set the market price for auto transport this way.

Now, that means that 20% of carriers in the country are part of larger companies. In fact, some of these larger carrier companies figured out that if they also acted as a broker and sub-contracted out the orders that they couldn’t fill to smaller carriers they could at least still make some money on those shipments.

The point is that even when you deal directly with a carrier, you might actually still be dealing with a broker and not even be aware of it.


auto-carrier-reviewing-the-load
 

Brokers

A negative sentiment has always existed regarding car shipping brokers. Some people even refer to them as “middle men.” However, the role they play in vehicle shipping is essential to the vast majority of car shipments on the market.

In short, a broker facilitates, coordinates and negotiates the transaction between the customer and carrier. Something that wouldn’t occur, more often than not, if a customer and carrier were dealing with each other directly.

The long version is that brokers are the transport simplification partner to the customer, and a business partner to the carrier. They offer a platform for communication and provide the most accurate quotes based on real-time market conditions in the auto transport industry.

Brokers mediate pricing and conditions on the customer’s behalf and ensure they and the carrier are on the same page throughout the course of shipping.

If customers dealt with carriers directly, they wouldn’t be able to successfully negotiate rates or terms that they wanted. If carriers dealt with customers directly, they wouldn’t be able to maximize the amount of shipments they would be making every day.

Most of the time a broker can offer a slightly lower price because they have multiple carriers competing to under-bid each other for each shipment.

Sometimes, you might hear brokers referred to as non-asset-based carriers or intermediaries. These are just alternate names some people in the auto transport industry use when they talk about brokers.

Imagine, as a customer, trying to find the quickest route at the highest cost efficiency between hundreds of carriers. Just gathering the information about pricing and routes from all these carriers would be a monumental task alone. Then imagine, doing all that work and not saving any money by doing so. That is the difference a broker makes and the job they perform.

You can watch the following video to get a concise idea of how a car shipping broker can help you:

 

The main differences between a broker and a carrier

You might be aware of some of the main differences between brokers and carriers but some of them might also surprise you:

    • A broker finds the best price and most efficient shipping route for a customer from a network of hundreds of carriers while carriers physically transport the vehicles. Many carriers rely on brokers for customers and many brokers rely on carriers to physically ship the customer’s vehicles.

 

    • A broker can work in upwards of twelve hours a day while carriers work days generally tend to be a strictly regulated eight hours.

 

    • A broker can arrange a shipment for a car anywhere in the country whereas many carriers only use specific routes limiting their range of shipment.

 

    • A broker is highly experienced at reaching customers while carriers tend to sit and wait for orders to come in. Carriers invest most of their time on fulfilling actual shipments rather than looking for customers.

 

 

The main similarities between a broker and a carrier

Before we jump into the list, something important to note is that neither a carrier or broker can guarantee pick-up or delivery dates (If you come across a company that says they can – it’s a scam). Some carriers may claim to be able to guarantee a specific date for pick up or delivery but in reality, they know that weather, traffic or customer-related delays can easily cause shipments to be late.

    • Both can deal directly with customers although it makes more sense for brokers to do so.

 

 

    • Both can offer you a quote for your shipment before you book it

 

  • Both can offer door-to-door shipment, but local restrictions might apply.

 

Which should I choose?

It can be quite difficult doing all the work necessary to find a carrier yourself. Carriers tend to have the same difficulty finding customers. Remember, there could be hundreds of options for you to choose from – all with multiple facets of auto shipping to consider like price, transit time, reputation and more.

When you book with a broker, they do all that work for you. Yes, a broker adds a small fee to the price but that’s after they find you the carrier willing to ship your vehicle in the time frame you want for the lowest price relative to what other carriers are charging.

In short, these carriers will need to lower their prices to a more reasonable rate in order to get your business when you book through a broker.

If you were to try and book direct with a carrier, odds are they have no reason to lower their initial rate. So, when you book through a broker you actually end up with a lower rate even with the broker’s fee added on top.

It’s also much more difficult to find all of these carriers. We said earlier that many carriers are just an individual with one or two trucks. Many of these types of carriers don’t even have any sort of web presence. That’s because they use brokers the vast majority of the time to find customers and invest their time and money into making the shipments rather than any sort of marketing or advertising for themselves.

In the end, it’s completely up to you to figure out what’s best for you and your car shipment. However, our recommendation is that you ship with a broker so that you don’t end up wasting any time, effort or money.


woman-choosing-roadrunner-auto-transport
 

Conclusion

Brokers would not exist without carriers. Carriers could exist without brokers but would only do a fraction of the business and many would cease to exist quickly.

Brokers and carriers are separate parts of the auto transport industry and play different roles, but they are both integral to the industry as a whole.

You can choose to book with a broker or directly with a carrier. Both play necessary roles in the auto transport process. There are pros and cons to doing either.

We recommend booking with a broker because it takes almost all of the leg work out of finding and coordinating with a carrier. Plus, the price could even be lower if you go with a broker because several carriers might be competing to give the broker the lowest price for a particular shipment.

If you would like to know what it might cost to ship your car you can use our free quote calculator or you can always give us a call at 888-777-2123.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about the vehicle shipping process.


When determining your car shipping cost, there are a few factors that we take into account in order to provide you with an accurate price quote. The mileage between the origin and destination is the biggest factor that contributes to your total rate. In addition to the distance of your relocation, another factor is the type and condition of the vehicle being shipped. The final factor is the date that your vehicle will be ready for transport. There are also additional options, such as enclosed carrier and top-load service that can be added to your shipment at the time of booking for a higher level of service. Read more about how much it costs to ship a car.

To get a quote for shipping your vehicle, you can either use our instant online car shipping quote calculator or you can call (888) 422-7584 to receive a quote from one of our car transport pricing specialists. In order for us to calculate your quote we will need to know the location you are shipping from and to, the type of vehicle you would like to ship, and the date your vehicle will be ready.

The transit time for your shipment is based mostly on the mileage between the pickup and delivery location. Generally, every five hundred miles will add one day to the transit time - so for a 1,000 mile transport, the transit time would be 2-3 days. Check out our estimated transit times for a detailed view of approximate delivery times.

Yes, online tracking is available to you 24 hours a day and is updated in real time. Upon scheduling your shipment, you will receive a unique booking number that will allow you to track the status of your shipment online. Your tracking portal will also give you the ability to live chat with a shipping agent that can answer any questions you may have regarding the status of your shipment.

All shipments include basic liability coverage during transit. Comprehensive insurance options are available for an elevated level of shipment coverage during transit. You will be able to select a level of coverage during the booking process. If you have further questions regarding insurance options give us a call.

We accept all major credit cards, electronic transfer, postal money order, and bank/certified check for the deposit or full pre-payment of your shipment. If a balance is due upon delivery, it can be paid directly to the driver and can be paid in either cash, bank/certified check, or postal money order.

Yes, there must be someone present to release and accept the vehicle, provide keys to the driver and sign the initial and final inspection reports. This person can be anyone over the age of 18 that you trust with releasing or accepting your vehicle.

You may transport personal belongings in your car, as long as their total weight does not exceed 100 pounds and they are stored in the trunk or back seat (below the window line). Please keep in mind that personal belongings are not covered by insurance if they are reported as damaged or missing.

To get a quote for shipping your vehicle, you can either use our instant online car shipping quote calculator above or you can call (888) 422-7584 to receive a quote from one of our car transport pricing specialists. In order for us to calculate your quote we will need to know the location you are shipping from and to, the type of vehicle you would like to ship, and the date your vehicle will be ready.

The further in advance you schedule your shipment, the more likely we will be able to meet the time requirements you desire. For best results, we suggest scheduling your transport at least 2 to 3 weeks in advance. Expedited shipping options are available in order to accomodate shipments that require . You can always give us a call and ask one of our car shipping experts what your options are in terms of the schedule for your car transport.

The driver will get the car transporter as close to your door as he can legally and safely get. In most cases, the driver will be able to pickup and deliver directly at your door. Some cities may have restrictions on large trucks that prohibit them from driving into residential areas. Auto transport trucks are large and need lots of room to maneuver and turn around, so if access to the pickup or delivery location is restricted by narrow streets, low-hanging trees or tight turns, the driver may ask that you meet at a location nearby with a large parking lot, such as a grocery store.

Open transport is the most common car shipping method. There are two types of open-air transporters. The Majority of shipments are be made with 8-10 car carriers. Smaller carriers which hold 2-3 cars are used for shorter more local moves. There is broader network of carrier availability for open-air carriers since they are used more often. We suggest choosing enclosed shipping methods when shipping classic, luxury or exotic vehicles. Enclosed transporters guarantee maximum protection from exposure to any open-air elements on the road. We suggest booking your enclosed transport in advance since there is limited carrier availability. Read more about the difference between open and enclosed transport

RoadRunner Auto Transport specializes in shipping all types of vehicles such as sedans, SUVs, pickup trucks, minivans, oversized vehicles, antiques, classic cars, motorcycles, construction vehicles, inoperable cars and boats. If you are not sure whether or not we can ship your vehicle, you can give us a call to find out what we can do for you.

You should have about a quarter of a tank of gas in your car at the time of shipment. This leaves enough for the car to be loaded and unloaded but doesn't add much additional weight.

The Bill of Lading is a very important document used by car shipping companies that documents any pre-existing damage on the vehicle during the time of pickup. It also serves as a record of your contact info and the official agreement for transport. If you want to file any insurance claim regarding your shipment you will need the Bill of Lading.

Top load service is when your car is placed on the higher deck or level of an open auto transport trailer. This is considered to be preferable to the bottom load because the cars on the lower deck are at risk of possibly having fluid from the cars above leak on them.

Make sure your car has been completely cleaned, both inside and outside. This is particularly important because this will help the driver conduct their inspection in order to assess any pre-existing damage on your vehicle. You will also want to make there are no additional personal items in the vehicle unless you intend to ship those with the vehicle (remember those items must total less than 100 pounds combined and be kept below the window-line of the vehicle). Be sure to inform the driver of any special circumstances concerning the vehicle. Finally, make sure there is a quarter tank of gas in the car at the time it is picked up for shipment. Visit our car shipping checklist to make sure you are prepared for your vehicle shipment.

Yes, we can ship vehicles that are in non-running/inoperable condition. When inoperable cars are shipped, a special auto carrier is required that makes use of a winch which is connected to your car and slowly and safely pulls your vehicle onto the carrier. There is an additional fee for inpoerable vehicles because of the special equipment and extra work involved with securing the vehicle onto the transporter. You can select the inoperable option on the online booking form or inform your shipping agent if you make your reservation by phone so that the proper arrangements can be made to accomodate a non-running vehicle.

We offer open car shipping and enclosed car shipping services. Open car shipping is used much more frequently and is the type of auto transport that you see on the highway where carriers are hauling vehicles on two decks that are exposed. Enclosed car shipping is when your vehicle is shipped in a trailer which has walls and a roof, they look like a larger version of a regular eighteen-wheeler. This method is recommended for luxury, exotic or classic cars.

Door-to-door car transport is the full service delivery of your vehicle directly from the door at the pickup location to the door at the delivery location. Our drivers do their best to get as close as physically and legally possible to the pickup and delivery locations, but in certain instances there may be restrictions preventing them from being able to safely reach your door. Our transporters need ample space to maneuver and load/unload your vehicle. If your street is too narrow, or if there are hazards such as low lining trees or power lines, drivers may ask that you meet them at a location nearby where they can safely load or unload your vehicle, such as a large parking lot or shopping center nearby.