Auto shipping rates/ Brokers?

In 2018 when I came back from Hawaii I had to get my Promaster van from Oakland to Nebraska. Went online, did a quote, and booked it. Was quoted $1500 and that’s what I paid. I put the pickup date for the morning after it was unloaded off the boat and that’s when it was picked up. The driver text when he left Oakland and was in NE the day he said he would be.

 

I happened to be talking to a car hauler at dinner on Friday. He said he got $750 to move an F150 from Phoenix to Boise. Seemed rich to me. The revenue for moving cars was less than half that.

 

I don’t think hidden fees would be much of s concern. It’s s different commodity but really no different than a shipper getting a quote from a freight broker. You pay the broker and they try and make their money on the other end of the deal.

You’re probably getting a decent rate from KC because there are a ton of auto haulers there at any given time.

 

@brian991219

 

An F-350 would take 1 to 1.5 slots on a car carrier so it will probably pay the trucking company about .30 to .50 per mile with today's conditions. A few years ago it would have paid about $1 per mile to the truck.

As for hidden fees, there are likely not to be any unless the vehicle does not run and you didn't disclose that up front or it is being picked up or delivered to someplace that a large car carrier can't get into. Then there may be a fee for a local wrecker to move it to/from a big parking lot or winch it on/off the car carrier.

Auto transport rates are a dumpster fire right now. We used to make $6-7 a mile for full loads that were one pick one drop and up to $10 a mile for 8 or 9 car loads that were mutliple stops. Now we are lucky to get $3-4 miles for a full truckload with multiple stops.

Brokers are really bad in the car haul industry now as are the hotshot haulers with no clue how to do the job, poor insurance and questionable drivers.

 

When I bought my motorcycle 7 years ago. Google had 3 choices.

#1. Haulbikes. Enclosed trailer. 3 weeks deliver. Anywhere in the country. Straight to my house. $750.

#2. Uship. No enclosed trailer. Up to a week for pickup. 6-8 weeks delivery. Straight to my house. $1500.

#3. Don't remember the name. They'll pick it up and deliver when they can. Required a dock to load/offload. $2100.

#1 was clueless as to where my bike was on any day. On day 20. I was given the warehouse location. And my bike should arrive within 3 days.
2 hours later the driver called for directions. And delivered in the morning. Day 21. 3 weeks as promised. -- customer service was worthless. But I'd use them again.

 

Here’s some ideas…

 

I was going to say $800. Spot market going rate for car haulers is about 50 cents per mile per car, add a little extra for your pickup truck and there you have it.

I bought few cars from auctions before and (through a car dealer) and I couldn't believe how little it costs to ship a car. For example it was $400 from Albany, NY to Detroit or $150 Columbus, OH to Detroit.

The car hauling hotshot business is a very nasty one. Way nastier than semi trucks. Illegal immigrants, not properly registered, insured and maintained pickup trucks that constantly run overweight. New MCs being opened up every day on stolen identities, running without paying tolls, all kinds of illegal crap goes on there and that helps to keep prices low.