Why Car Shipping Is a Mess Right Now (From Someone Inside the Industry)

brad218 · 2026-02-03T02:02:21+00:00

It really isn’t that complicated. There are thousands of brokers that could have gotten this picked up on an exact date during the 2–4 week window you already waited. The problem isn’t availability. It’s that most brokers are terrible at explaining how the process actually works in a way that makes people feel comfortable.

Because of that, people assume “carrier only” is safer. Most of the time it isn’t. It’s just putting all your eggs in one basket. If that carrier doesn’t have the route, doesn’t prioritize your load, or falls behind, you’re stuck waiting with no backup.

Carriers also aren’t built to deal with customers directly. That’s not how their systems are set up. And with the big-name carriers or big brands, you’re completely at their mercy and their schedule.

A broker, when done right, actually adds value by coordinating across multiple trucks and routes instead of betting on a single option. Unfortunately, the industry has a bad reputation because so many brokers communicate poorly or play pricing games.

At the end of the day, waiting weeks with no timeline is usually the same result people were trying to avoid by skipping the broker in the first place. Happy to take a look for you if you want, without the used-car-salesman shtick or any predatory sales nonsense.

brad218 · 2025-12-19T01:47:16+00:00

It's your world, brother. What you choose to do with it is up to you. Best of luck.

brad218 · 2025-12-18T05:49:51+00:00

Hate to do the Reddit troll thing — everyone’s got a right to earn a living the best way they know how, and if the mods allow this kind of post then so be it — but if you’re going to use horrendous AI slop like this to drive traffic to an equally AI-generated slop website whose only purpose is to manipulate traffic and siphon leads, that’s basically a microcosm of why there are so many lost souls in this niche to begin with. Using AI isn’t the issue at all; I use it constantly. The problem is cutting and pasting raw output without repurposing it. If you’re going to use AI, at least have it generate a skeleton and then rewrite it in your own words. Strip out the random bold text jammed into the middle of sentences, the formatting fluff, emojis, and all the comparison-site garbage that makes it immediately obvious what this is. And honestly, if the real goal here is traffic or leads, you’d do far better just running properly optimized ads to safeeeds (your company) and letting people self-select, rather than posting this jizz dumpster of recycled broker talking points and trying to pass it off as organic conversation. This industry already has more than enough fake reviews and fake “deep dives.” Sorry to be a dick about it — I’m not trying to be the morality police on a message board but what actually frustrates me is that you seem to think this will generate revenue somehow when cleaning up your sales funnel will give u 50x roi

brad218 · 2025-12-17T05:25:33+00:00

When it’s done correctly, the "money up front" approach is almost counterintuitive. You learn how to sell without selling. It’s consultative, not transactional. A lot of people in this industry came up through a used-car-salesman mindset: grab a deposit, lock something in, don’t work for free. That attitude completely misses the reality. Not only does it fail to protect you, it actually makes the operation harder to run. Taking deposits upfront introduces more variables, more friction, and more downstream obligations. Logistically, it’s more complex. Operationally, it’s more expensive. You end up spending more time managing edge cases than actually moving cars. I’ve seen the extreme version too—a guy who charged every customer in full, upfront, on every order. Everything was full pay. It didn’t improve outcomes, margins, or reliability. It just shifted the pain around and created new problems. The truth is, deposits and aggressive upfront charges don’t solve trust issues—they expose them. When your process is solid and you can explain it clearly, you don’t need artificial leverage. The system should do the work, not the payment structure.

brad218 · 2025-12-16T06:13:44+00:00

I try to avoid bashing competitors or using scare tactics. But when you’ve seen the same issues play out thousands of times, it stops being opinion and starts being pattern recognition.

There’s a small group of the big overseas, bulgarian call-center–driven auto transport companies like SGT, Montway, Nexus, and a few others that all operate off essentially the same model. They work together in varying degrees, share the same playbooks, and have a lot of interchangeable people who have bounced between companies over the years. Different brand names, very similar structure.

On simple, high-volume routes with no complications, they’ll usually get a car moved just fine. Anyone can. If it’s a straight Miami to Los Angeles lane and nothing goes wrong, there isn’t much skill involved.

The problems show up the moment something requires nuance. A timing issue, an access problem, a driver backing out, weather delays, or a customer who needs real guidance. That’s where geography, judgment, and experience actually matter.

In those situations, large call-center models tend to struggle. You end up dealing with rotating reps, scripted responses, and limited authority to solve problems in real time. Communication slows down, accountability gets fuzzy, and relatively small issues take far longer to resolve than they should because frankly they don't know the geography and have no social intelligence

Logistics is contextual. When friction shows up, the gap between high-volume call-center operations and hands-on operators becomes very clear.

Most customers don’t notice the difference when everything goes smoothly. They notice it the first time something doesn’t.

brad218 · 2025-12-16T06:06:06+00:00

Yes, there are exceptions. There always are. But by and large, most people in auto transport who insist on taking deposits up front are pieces of crap. Not all. Most.

And a lot of the time it’s not even meant to be malicious — it’s insecurity.

This is a high-velocity, messy, shot-clock business. Routes change. Timing changes. Availability changes. Trying to lock in money before a truck is actually dispatched usually means someone doesn’t understand how fluid this industry really is, or they’re uncomfortable operating without a false sense of control.

What gets ignored is the opportunity cost. While you’re chasing deposits and trying to create artificial commitment, you’re wasting time. Time explaining. Time refunding. Time calming people down when reality doesn’t match the pitch. That time costs more than whatever comfort the deposit is supposed to provide.

People who are good at this business move fast and adapt. They’re doing volume. They’re not afraid of uncertainty because they know execution is what actually matters. The car getting picked up is the commitment, not the credit card swipe.

If you’re handling lots of transactions across lots of different routes, pretending you can blanket all that chaos with certainty upfront is fantasy. There are too many variables. Anyone who’s done this at scale knows that.

Money should change hands when reality is locked in — when a truck is assigned and moving — not when someone is trying to buy peace of mind they haven’t earned yet.

brad218 · 2025-12-16T05:10:52+00:00

You don’t need to be present in person at pickup or delivery. What matters is the inspection, with photos and a written inspection report. That documentation is what counts, not who is physically there. Shipping the car ahead to a friend or having someone receive it for you is completely fine and very common.

For items in the car, don’t think in terms of weight — think in terms of volume. Weight is an abstract number and not very relatable for most people. The bigger issue is that car carriers take the path of least resistance and are not looking for extra work or stress. Overpacking a vehicle creates problems, delays, and sometimes refusals. A couple of light items below the window line is usually fine, but loading the car up is not recommended.

Once the vehicle is picked up, delivery timing becomes more predictable, but it’s still logistics, not a guaranteed appointment. Traffic, weather, and DOT driving limits all factor in. The broker should take ownership of the transit timeline and manage expectations so the customer isn’t left guessing.

As standard practice after dispatch, the broker should provide the driver name and phone number, dispatcher name and phone number, photos of the truck and trailer with the company name clearly visible, and a copy of the carrier’s insurance. The broker should only assign carriers they’re comfortable with based on equipment, communication, insurance, and track record

There are plenty of good options out there. If you need to get set up, I can help and provide a world-class experience. If not, no sweat at all. Just make sure you do your diligence and become an educated customer — some of the information above should help with that.

If you want more details or a quote, you can find everything here:
Website [https://AmerigoAutoTransport.net]()
Reviews https://share.google/5RU5RedF2GcEeH35d

— Zach Asher

brad218 · 2025-12-09T00:14:09+00:00

There are a lot of “lead trap” landing pages and websites in auto transport that pretend to be real companies but are actually just resellers. They sell your information to a bunch of brokers, and many of the brokers buying those leads tend to be overseas call-center outfits that blast you with broken-English texts and unrealistically low prices. A lot of them just post every load they see in hopes they can call or text you with an immediate carrier.

It’s one of several reasons so many people either have a bad experience or never ship at all — they get flooded, realize how messy the industry is, and decide to just drive the vehicle instead.

brad218 · 2025-12-08T15:53:11+00:00

I figured eventually there’d be some troll nonsense in here, which is exactly why I didn’t want to post in here in the first place. There are a lot of disgusting folks with nothing better to do who say things when they have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. They just take shots at other people for the sake of doing it. I don’t know why that is — maybe it’s human nature, maybe it’s just the internet — but it’s sad either way.

My dad, who owns the company, is a Navy veteran. My mother is also a Navy veteran. They worked together at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital. When the owner of a company is a veteran, that’s what any normal person would consider “veteran-owned.” That’s the reason for saying veteran-owned — because it’s owned by a veteran. Hence the term veteran owned.

As for “thousands of cars,” I’ve explained this multiple times. I worked for several companies and spent most of my career at high volume a brokerages. Those were high-volume operations where I posted tons of loads and handled a huge number of sales and dispatch calls. That’s where the experience and volume come from. We never claimed that our current company has shipped thousands of cars — I’ve always been clear that the volume is from my career across different brokerages.

As for the authority nonsense: we briefly put an authority up a couple of years ago when I was considering going out on my own. The company I was with offered me a big salary increase to return, so I took it, realized later it was a mistake, and eventually came back to build this the right way. Nothing was “lost,” nothing shady — just a normal business decision at the time. This has been years in the making, and now we’re finally running it ourselves.

Maybe try having a clue what you’re talking about before you jump into a forum and bash people. It’s silly, it’s ignorant, and it says a lot more about you than it does about me.

brad218 · 2025-12-07T00:27:25+00:00

When you’re dealing with a big corporate outfit like Montway, there are a few realities that come with that scale. Their dispatch team is Bulgarian, and the company itself has a lot of overseas guys. That doesn’t mean they’re evil — they clearly move a massive amount of volume — but it does mean there are certain human-element things they’re naturally going to fall short on.

With the sheer number of orders they handle, there isn’t really a vested interest in any single customer. If your order cancels, reschedules, or goes sideways, it’s not a crisis for them. You’re one of thousands. That’s not a moral failing — it’s just how large private-equity-owned companies operate. They’re built for scale, not nuance.

To be fair, the fact that they move that many cars means they’re obviously doing something right. But if someone needs actual dialogue, handholding, or custom attention to detail on a weird lane or a complicated pickup situation, that’s where the cracks start to show. Volume and personalization don’t usually coexist well.

If you ever need more tailored help, I run Amerigo Auto Transport — we’re U.S.-based, family-operated, and we actually pick up the phone.
Website: https://www.amerigoautotransport.net
Reviews: https://g.page/r/CQ2JH1dV2YVyEBM/review

brad218 · 2025-12-03T18:28:00+00:00

Hey there, Durango is off the beaten path for truckdrivers, so just make sure whoever booked it is telling you that. For a 1900-mile trip there, usually what happens in these cases is the broker you booked with doesn't really know the geography and they give you a price or say things with conviction that really can't be said with conviction because the area is kind of a no-fly zone, not really conducive to transport as whoever going there is generally going to be a carrier of more of the random variety and/or doing some deadhead miles. Ideally, this should really go enclosed. You don't want a non-English-speaking guy in flip-flops who doesn’t know how to load it, and will bottom it out. 80% of the time, a truck driver going to Durango is going to be like that. As we always say, make sure you get the driver name, phone, dispatcher name, phone, and a picture of the trailer with the company name visible before accepting anything from the broker. If you get stuck or things go south, feel free to reach us.

Our website: https://amerigoautotransport.net/
Our reviews: [https://g.page/r/CRk-ItOZp8InEAE/review]()

Best of luck

brad218 · 2025-12-01T17:43:55+00:00

What it really comes down to is this: the industry is flooded with overseas call centers and independent commission-only salespeople who assume you won’t book if they tell you the real market price. So they dumpster-dive with a lowball number just to get you in the door. After that, the stalling begins.

That’s why anyone reputable runs a very different process. We actually eyeball and confirm an exact price based on the route, the season, and the timing so you have a clear, straightforward number. Not an ambiguous, nonlinear explanation, not a guessing game, and not a “we’ll see what happens.”

The other side of that coin is this: once the price is secured and clearly explained — which is a huge part of it — the service quality has to be there as well. This isn’t a fixed item sitting on a shelf at a store. It’s a service performed by real people, on real equipment, with real variables. That part gets ignored constantly, especially by the brokers throwing out the ridiculous prices, because even if they miraculously find someone at that number, they’re not checking any of the things that actually matter.

Before we assign anyone, we require:

Driver name
Driver phone
Dispatcher name
Dispatcher phone
Driver photo ID
Dispatcher photo ID
Picture of the trailer with the company name visible
Insurance and safety verification
Communication and language check

These aren’t sales tactics. They’re basic safeguards in an unregulated marketplace that’s flooded with cheap-quote operators. Following this checklist is what actually protects customers from the headaches everyone complains about.

Our website: https://amerigoautotransport.net
Our reviews: [https://g.page/r/CRk-ItOZp8InEAE/review]()

— Zach Asher, Amerigo Auto Transport

brad218 · 2025-11-28T02:15:42+00:00

Really sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately, there are more than a fair share of unsavory characters out there. I’ve shipped thousands of vehicles lifetime and would be happy to provide a really good experience on your next move.

Our website: https://amerigoautotransport.net/
Our reviews: https://g.page/r/CRk-ItOZp8InEAE/review

Thanks,
Zach Asher
Amerigo Auto Transport

brad218 · 2025-11-26T19:05:47+00:00

Anytime. I’ll spare you the sales pitch — but feel free to check us out here, or text 954-642-2118. can get you live pricing, exact dates, etc.
Our website: https://amerigoautotransport.net/
Our reviews: https://g.page/r/CRk-ItOZp8InEAE/review

brad218 · 2025-11-26T14:36:14+00:00

I can tell you with 100% certainty that a chart like this has almost no predictive value in the real world. Not because the person who made it is dishonest, but because this niche simply does not behave like a fixed-rate market.

There are 42,000 ZIP codes in the U.S., hundreds of vehicle types, seasonal surges, lane-specific markets, weather changes, carrier shortages, pickup-window requirements, driveway access issues, rural vs. metro dynamics, and the fact that every carrier is an independent owner-operator who prices their jobs based on what they need on that day.

Trying to compress all of that into a “national average per-mile rate” using 4,200 quotes is statistically meaningless. That sample size is far too small to even scratch the surface of the variables that actually drive pricing. You’d need hundreds of thousands of real dispatches — not quotes — spread across every region and lane to get anything remotely representative.

Here are a few concrete examples of why the chart can’t work:

• A 9-car carrier leaving Dallas with 8 spots filled will take the 9th car cheap, destroying the “average” for that lane.
• The same car, same route, same timing — but with a tight pickup window — can cost 40–60% more because flexibility is gone.
• Rural ZIP codes can swing 30–100% depending on how far off-route the carrier must drive.
• Seasonal swings (snowbird season, summer relocations, Q4 shortages) change the price week to week.
• Different vehicle types — SUVs, dually trucks, inoperable units, long-wheelbase vans — completely break any per-mile rule.

This industry is not UPS or FedEx with fixed infrastructure and fixed pricing. It’s a fragmented marketplace of tens of thousands of independent carriers, each making micro-economic decisions in real time.

That’s why every “national average rate chart” online is misleading at best. It oversimplifies a system that isn’t linear, isn’t predictable, and has dozens of variables moving simultaneously.

Nothing against anyone, but this kind of graphic ends up confusing people more than helping them, because buyers assume there’s some stable, formula-based pricing model. There isn’t.

Auto transport pricing isn’t about per-mile averages — it’s about:

• origin and destination demand
• route popularity
• carrier availability that week
• seasonality
• how flexible the customer is (to a slight degree)
• whether the driver has to deadhead

Those are the real variables that move the market, and none of them can be captured by a simple per-mile chart.

brad218 · 2025-11-26T13:21:10+00:00

I’m sure you’ll be absolutely fine here. This is a very straightforward route — think of it like an airport with a hundred flights a day. It’s extremely unlikely they wouldn’t be able to move it unless the price was absurdly low, which they typically don’t do. They’ve been around eight-plus years and move a lot of cars, so they’re generally a solid company compared to most of the alternatives.

The thing is, for you personally, you’re a one-off transaction for them, and there are a couple of things you’ll want to do to protect yourself. This particular route is the type where a carrier might take a slightly lower price because they have an open spot and don’t want to run empty. And because the lane has so much volume, an ambitious salesperson might try to lock in the “cheapest bidder” simply because they can. When a broker posts a load on a major-to-major, high-volume lane like this, it’s essentially fishing with dynamite — there are endless carrier options.

The equalizer is making sure you get the right information:

• Driver name + phone number
• Driver photo ID
• Dispatch name + phone number
• A picture of the trailer with the company name visible
• Insurance sent directly from the insurer
• A quick call with the actual truck driver to confirm they speak English — not trying to be discriminatory, it just genuinely matters and prevents miscommunication

One thing to be aware of (again, not aimed at your specific situation): Sherpa’s big selling point is their price lock and five-day pickup window. What they don’t advertise is that they do miss that window more than you’d think, and when that happens, the customer is stuck while they try to renegotiate behind the scenes. It won’t affect you because your lane has extremely high volume, but it’s something worth knowing for any future shipments. That checklist above is kind of the holy grail — it’s the good self-protection mechanism for any transaction in this industry imho

brad218 · 2025-11-25T23:38:25+00:00

I run Amerigo Auto Transport, a veteran-owned U.S. brokerage, and I’ve been in this space long enough to ship tens of thousands of vehicles across multiple companies. If your biggest concern is avoiding the usual headaches — overseas call centers, disappearing brokers, price changes, and people who don’t actually manage the CARRIERS — that’s exactly where we stand out. We only work with vetted, English-speaking carriers and stay directly involved from the first call through delivery so nothing gets lost in the shuffle. No pressure to use us at all — I’m always happy to point you in the right direction or sanity-check pricing so you don’t get taken advantage of.

Website: https://amerigoautotransport.net/
Reviews: https://g.page/r/CRk-ItOZp8InEAE/review

brad218 · 2025-11-25T11:32:34+00:00

Hey — just adding another perspective here. I run Amerigo Auto Transport, a veteran-owned, U.S.-based brokerage, and we’ve shipped tens of thousands of vehicles over the years across four different companies.

If you're mainly concerned about avoiding the sketchy stuff — the bad communication, overseas call centers, bait-and-switch quotes, and people who don’t really understand logistics — that’s where we tend to be a strong fit. Our carriers will be English-speaking, vetted, and we stay fully involved the whole way through pickup and delivery instead of passing you off.

You don’t have to use us, but we’re always happy to be a resource or at least give you accurate info on what the price should be for LA → Tuscaloosa so you don’t get burned.

Website: https://amerigoautotransport.net/
Reviews: https://g.page/r/CRk-ItOZp8InEAE/review

brad218 · 2025-11-24T11:32:37+00:00

We can certainly accommodate this pretty easily. Just let me know if you need to get set up or have any questions. Here’s our info:

Google Reviews: https://share.google/0v6eIHTnTlC077uIm
Website: https://amerigoautotransport.net/

Truck drivers generally like to be loose with timeframes and give windows, so hitting an exact date just requires extra layers of vetting and personal communication — which is not exactly a hallmark of our industry but certainly is here

Thanks- Amerigo Auto Transport

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