How car shipping really works: brokers, dispatch and load boards
Behind most car shipping bookings is a marketplace where brokers post cars and carriers choose loads. Understanding it explains pricing, timing and delays.
To understand why car shipping prices and pickup times vary so much, it helps to see what happens after you book.
Step 1: You book, often with a broker
Most customers book through a broker, a company licensed by FMCSA to arrange transport but not to haul cars itself. See broker or carrier.
Step 2: Your car is posted to a load board
The broker posts your shipment on one or more load boards: online marketplaces where car haulers look for vehicles to fill their trailers. The listing shows the route, vehicle, dates, and what the carrier will be paid.
Step 3: A carrier accepts it
Independent carriers, many of them small companies with one or a few trucks, plan routes that keep their trailers full. They pick the loads that fit their route and pay enough. That's why:
- Popular routes get picked up faster.
- Low prices can sit unaccepted.
- Out-of-the-way locations take longer.
Step 4: Dispatch
Once a carrier accepts, the broker sends a dispatch sheet with the pickup and delivery details and the payment terms. You should get the carrier's name and contact details. Ask for the carrier's USDOT number and check it.
Step 5: Pickup, transport and delivery
The driver collects your car within the agreed window, inspects it with you on the bill of lading, and delivers it, usually after stops for other customers' cars.
What this means for you
- A realistic price gets your car moving sooner.
- Flexible dates help a carrier fit you in.
- Knowing which carrier has your car helps if anything goes wrong.
Compare companies by what their customers say about timing and pricing: search companies.