Auto Shipping Secrets
You may find it easier and cheaper to ship a small car because more can fit on the same truck.
If you’re considering shipping your vehicle across the country, you may be wondering how to choose the right auto transporter. Sometimes, to find the right auto transport service, you have to know some of the auto shipping secrets.
Auto Shipping Secrets: Brokers
One of the many auto shipping secrets is that you should ask auto transport companies if they are an “auto transport broker” or an “auto transport shipping company” who handles all the shipments that they are bidding on. Brokers do not actually transport your car themselves, but, instead, hire the work out to other transport companies.
All auto shippers share a universal load board. This is a national inventory of vehicles that are waiting for shipment. This is where brokers list automobiles, along with the details of origination and destination, desired mode of transportation, and your requested dates for transit.
When a customer is looking for a transport from, for example, New York to California, and the company that you receive that quote from doesn’t have a carrier making that route during the desired move dates, they post it along with the type of vehicle and what the payment for service is. If there is a truck waiting to be loaded in New York, a search can be done looking for vehicles going to California. This is how carriers are able to keep their trucks loaded and drop off locations within a few hundred mile radius. At this point, several hundred auto transporters will see the job posting and can contact the company that issued the quote if they have interest in this transport.
This is known as “brokering” in the auto transport industry. Many brokers may have no trucks of their own. There are also some companies that won’t “broker” transports out. They will work with the fleet of vehicles within the company, and only accept the transports that they are able to manage themselves.
Brokers give fair quotes to ensure that your vehicle’s transport will be picked up quickly. If the price is too low, then carriers will choose a vehicle that is offering to pay more for transport than yours. Auto shipping secrets like this explain why choosing the lowest quote may not be your best bet for getting prompt, reliable service.
Broker fees, or commissions, are paid to the broker out of your transport charges. All parties must get paid out of your fee: the brokering company, the auto transport company that accepts the transport, and the driver. There may not be as much to go around as you might think. Some brokering companies charge upwards of 30% of the total shipping cost. You may want to ask the brokering company what their percent of the commission is, as higher commissions drive up prices on what you pay.
More Auto Shipping Secrets
Another of the auto shipping secrets seldom told is how your vehicle’s size and weight may play a factor in promptness of shipping. Weight is a factor with the transport carriers because auto transporters can fit more smaller vehicles on the transporter than larger SUVs or trucks. The more vehicles they can fit on the trailer, the higher gross pay they will receive.
You may want to consider asking the brokering company what their hours of operation are. Some companies work only 6-8 hours a day, relying solely on the national board to find placement for your transport. When an auto shipping company is loading a truck, he can’t wait for a broker to call back the following day. There are several people waiting for their shipment to arrive. This may be a huge consideration for you when choosing an auto transport broker, and company.
With these auto shipping secrets in mind, you should better understand how the industry works and what factors play in to shipping a car.
