[s-cars] Car transport

Mon Aug 10 08:07:21 PDT 2009

That's all good info, and certainly makes it seem like they are transparent 
and willing to explain the nuances of what to do and not do.

Transport is simple really. There is one site (you need to be registered 
dealer or transporter and they check carefully) called 
www.centraldispatch.com. All the shippers and truckers go there. The 
truckers post their openings and schedules, and the shippers post their cars 
and price they are offering for the transport.

Then the site hooks the two sides up showing when trucks will be in the area 
and allowing the two sides to talk to each other. For example I post a car 
from PA to IL, offer .60 per mile, and 10 minutes later I get three or four 
calls from truckers telling me they can take my car and will be in my area 
within 48 hours for pickup.

It's great because 99.9% of the truckers up there are the actual truckers, 
not brokers. All a broker is going to do is give you a price, take a cut, 
and then post the available car with the price they're willing to pay on 
centraldispatch. Depending on popularity, time of year, etc rates are 
usually .50 to $1 per loaded mile and you'll get someone to move the car.

But if a broker is greedy, they can charge you $1 per mile, then post the 
car at .30 per mile. The problem is that they have to wait and see if anyone 
"bites", and if not then they re-post at a slightly higher rate. This can 
take weeks while they fish around, which is why sometimes cars take forever 
to move. For example, if I post my PA to IL load at .30 per mile, my phone 
will not ring. Then I wait five days, edit it to .45 per mile, and wait 
again. If not response, I go up to .50 per mile, etc etc.

Bruce
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Theodore Chen" <tedebearp at yahoo.com>
To: <s-car-list at audifans.com>
Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 4:53 AM
Subject: [s-cars] Car transport

>
> I need to get a car moved from Louisiana to California.  I went to a 
> website (forgot which), entered some information, and got
> quotes from a bunch of companies.  Some were much lower than others,
> which made me nervous.
>
> I've gotten a quote from Dependable Auto Shippers, which is eBay's 
> recommended auto shipper, for $850.  This quote appears not to include any 
> insurance, and it is terminal to terminal.  Extra cost for pickup or 
> delivery at my specified location  The reviews on epinions.com aren't all 
> that good - 2.5 stars out of 5.  www.transportreviews.com gives them 3 out 
> of 5.
>
> Is there a reliable source of reviews of auto transport companies?  I went 
> to www.transportreviews.com and it appears to be legit, but I wonder how 
> many of the reviews are shills.  Right now I'm looking at a quote from AA 
> Automovers, which seems to check out using the transportreviews.com, DOT, 
> and BBB websites.  The quote was for $725, and they say it includes 2 
> forms of auto insurance at no cost.  It's door to door.
>
> I think a lot of problems arise around timing of pickup and delivery in 
> conjunction with a relocation.  That doesn't apply in this case.  The 
> timing is not critical, though I don't want to have weeks of delay. 
> Getting the car delivered without damage is more important.
>
> Any thoughts or recommendations?
>
> Below is an email I got from AAA Discount Auto & Truck Transporters, which 
> quoted $799 door to door with insurance included:
>
> "Before you consider any company, check to see how long they have been in 
> business. Ask them for their MC# and go to 
> http://li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov/LIVIEW/pkg_carrquery.prc_carrlist. Enter 
> their MC# (our's is 425579) in the field that says DOCKET NUMBER and click 
> SEARCH. On the next screen click on HTML, then at the bottom of the page 
> click on AUTHORITY HISTORY. You will see the date they started business. 
> Is it a company with less than a couple of years experience? If so, they 
> don't have the expertise to properly quote, let alone get your car moved. 
> They typically quote low prices, not knowing what it takes to get your 
> vehicle moved.
> Also check their rating with the Better Business Bureau. Here is the link 
> for our rating http://www.labbb.org/BusinessReport.aspx?CompanyID=13178590
> ...
> Here are a few important  things you need to know about shipping your 
> vehicle.
>
> 1.  DON'T PAY ANY MONEY UNTIL A TRUCK IS ASSIGNED.  DON'T LET THE BROKER 
> CHARGE A SERVICE CHARGE FOR USING A CREDIT CARD.  DON'T PAY A 
> NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT.  MAKE SURE YOU CAN CANCEL AT ANY TIME WITHOUT 
> PENALTY.
> Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover regulations states to the 
> merchant that they are not permitted to charge a card until the service 
> has been performed.
> We don't charge your credit card for the deposit until a truck commits to 
> picking up your vehicle.
> If the company is charging an additional fee disguised as a service charge 
> for using a credit card, that is also against merchant regulations. THEY 
> CAN'T LEGALLY CHARGE YOU EXTRA FOR USING A CREDIT OR DEBIT CARD.
>
> 2.  Is the broker offering you different levels of service?  Why are they 
> charging you a higher deposit for each level?  They are keeping the extra 
> money.
> If you want your vehicle to ship faster, make sure the broker is offering 
> ALL of the extra money to the truck.  More money to the truck is the key.
>
> 3.  Is the broker or trucking company promising you a specific pick up or 
> delivery date?  If they are, be careful.  It is obvious that a specific 
> day or time is impossible to promise due to the nature of the business, 
> i.e., road  conditions, delays with other pickups or deliveries, detours, 
> driver illness or mechanical problems.  If someone is making a promise or 
> guarantee to you, have them put it in writing!
>
> 4.  The trucking company carries the insurance, not the broker.  All of 
> our truckers are licensed, fully insured and have a ZERO DEDUCTIBLE to the 
> customer.
>
> 5.  If you get a rate lower than ours, or the rate is the same but the 
> deposit is higher, be careful.  A higher the deposit leaves LESS money for 
> the truck.  A truck must get a certain amount of money per mile.  Some 
> brokers quote prices that are way below the amount a truck needs.  They 
> hope for a trucker that is in need of one last car   to complete his load. 
> Trucks will rarely accept a car that is priced too low.  That means your 
> car just sits.  The key is HOW MUCH IS GOING TO THE TRUCK!  DON'T EVER, 
> PAY THE FULL AMOUNT TO THE BROKER.
>
> We don't charge your credit card for the deposit until we have dispatched 
> your order.."
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