Interstate Car Transport Business

Interstate car transport, involves hiring an independent driver, broker or auto transport company to ship your car to any destination throughout the USA, Canada & Mexico, even overseas if necessary. Being retired from the auto transport industry, my experienced from a company driver, to an independent owner operator, to owning my own small trucking company, I’m sure I can give you a few tips, and help you better understanding about the car transport business, and what to expect when shipping your vehicle.

Larger Interstate Car Transport Companies

At one point in time, some larger trucking outfits stayed away from the privately owned vehicle sector (POV), and strictly possessed major contracts with auto manufacturers, rental car chains, government and military entities and so on. It seems to me now; many are getting into the private sector because of the drop in freight, especially the new car industry, due to the economy. With that said, there are many options when shipping your car because of the mass amount of interstate car transport companies to choose from. Transport rates can be a little steep with major shipping companies due to their overhead, but their service can be a lot more trusted as dependable auto shippers.

Interstate Car Transport Owner Operators

The owner operator is a core part of this whole car transport network in general. Most owner operators are leased to the larger companies and act as contractors. The difference between an owner operator and an independent owner operator is that the independents have the same operating authority and insurances just like the larger companies hold. This enables them to obtain loads at the same high rate as the larger companies, and sometimes from the same sources. An owner operator leased to a company can only get freight from that company, and at a much lower rate. Rates can be a lot cheaper when dealing with independents, but they are much harder to find than larger companies and brokers who have ads and websites drawing you to them.

Interstate Car Transport Brokers

Now some brokers work on high volume freight just like larger transport companies, but the difference is they don’t own any equipment to transport you vehicle with. Brokers outsource 100% of all their customers’ vehicles to other transport companies and the independents at a reduced rate. Brokers are supposed to carry a bond for $10,000 while in business, which has absolutely nothing to do with insurance coverage on your vehicle. It is the brokers’ responsibility to check and verify all contractors’ credentials before dispatching your vehicle for interstate car transport.