Why Did My Car Shipping Quote Increase? An Insider Look at How Auto Transport Works

Stop me if this sounds familiar: You got quotes from several car shipping companies and found one that fit your budget. You put a credit card on file with the company and gave them the green light to find a carrier. Later, a company spokesperson said you actually needed to increase your budget to book a carrier. You reluctantly agreed. And when your car was finally delivered, the driver demanded extra cash. Did you just get scammed?

We've read hundreds of similar stories over the years from irate car shipping customers who ended up paying more than expected. It happens with every single car shipping company.

The price difference usually isn't a scam, but a byproduct of the broker-carrier relationship. Brokers estimate one price (your quote) and carriers may estimate another (your final bill). It's a confusing dynamic that isn't always clearly explained by car shipping companies. We'll share some insider insight to help you understand what's going on. 

One of the main reasons why your final car shipping price may be higher than your initial quote is that the quote came from a broker and the final price came from a carrier. 

Car shipping companies like Navi Auto Transport are known as brokers. They don't own a fleet of trucks or dispatch their own employees to transport vehicles. Instead, they maintain a network of independent carriers.

Carriers are the people who actually drive the transport rig and deliver your vehicle. Carriers can be sole proprietors or larger corporate fleets. The main thing to know is that carriers aren't employed by the broker. 

Instead, carriers partner with brokers to get more jobs. Brokers spend time talking to customers and collecting details about the route, schedule, and vehicle — the kind of thing a busy carrier can't do while driving. 

Although a broker may do their best to give accurate estimates, carriers may believe the estimate is too low. It's really up to the carriers to decide the final price. 

Continue reading: Brokers vs. Carriers in Car Shipping

Each customer request is posted to the broker's job board along with a starting bid. Often, this bid is the same quote the broker gave to the customer. 

Approved carriers can log in and view the job board. They tend to look for vehicles that need to be picked up along an existing route, but they may make a detour if the price is right. 

Each carrier bids a lower price than the previous carrier. If you're shipping a car along a popular route, you may get lots of bids and end up paying less than the quoted price. 

But if there aren't any carriers willing to bid on your job, that means the price is too low. If you're not on a popular route, carriers have to spend extra money on gas just to get to you, and every mile adds wear-and-tear to their rig. Carriers carefully weigh the pros and cons of taking on a job, and they'll look for jobs with fair payment first and foremost. 

If no one is bidding on your job, the broker will raise the starting bid in an attempt to attract carriers. 

Carriers like to plan their routes in advance as much as possible because a full trailer maximizes their income. Securing a carrier within 24 to 48 hours can be a tall order. You may only find an available rig in a major city, where the supply of carriers is greater than the demand for transport. 

On the other hand, you may need to sweeten the pot to convince a carrier to go out of their way to pick up your vehicle on short notice. Carriers expect to be paid for their total miles, which includes travelling to the pickup location. Rush fees may also apply, as they do in many other industries. 

A good broker will take all of this into account when giving you an estimate for quick pickup, but sometimes they miss the mark. They can either raise the price to increase the likelihood of securing a carrier or risk failing to book any carrier at all.

Here's one that's on the scammy side. 

Many carriers are only allowed to transport vehicles across state lines. They can be fined for transporting household items and other cargo, even if it's inside a vehicle. The fine is relatively low, and many carriers are willing to risk it as long as the customer keeps the cargo below a certain weight, packs it out of sight, and pays extra to cover the potential fine.

It's common courtesy to disclose personal items to the carrier before they agree to transport your vehicle because some carriers don't allow personal items, period. Good brokers will ask about personal items and stress the importance of disclosure during your initial consultation.

We've seen some stories where carriers have asked for extra payment for personal items upon delivery — which really should be discussed well ahead of time. It should be factored into the bidding price or disclosed during pickup, not sprung on the customer during delivery. Some people say they felt like their car was held hostage until they paid. That's definitely not how it's supposed to work.  

If you're researching the best way to ship a car and want to avoid an unexpected price hike, the most important thing to do is choose a reputable broker. 

The best car shipping brokers have their finger on the pulse of the industry. They know prices fluctuate based on the season (snowbirds ship cars in late fall and early spring, and summer is the most popular time to move) and that factors like gas prices can affect final bids. They study past fluctuations and real-time data, and they know how to think like a carrier. All of this adds up to a more accurate quote that's unlikely to be dramatically different from your final price.

For instance, here's how Navi Auto Transport delivers fair prices:

"Our pricing is tech-driven and data-backed. We analyze real-time market trends and historical shipment data to generate the most accurate and competitive quotes possible." 

A good broker will never ask for a deposit. A common car shipping scam involves asking for a nonrefundable deposit, which means you won't get your money back even if they never deliver on their promise to ship your car. That said, many brokers do ask for your credit card information. If you back out of the deal after a carrier is already on their way to get your car, you'll be charged a cancelation fee. 

Here are some other tips to keep in mind:

1. Book well in advance. The experts at Navi Auto Transport tell us their customers typically save up to 20% by booking two weeks in advance instead of last-minute. It gives carriers more time to work your vehicle into their route, which may attract more bidders and lower the final price. 
2. Make the carrier's life easier. Door-to-door shipping is really convenient for customers, but carriers may be more willing to bid on your job if you can meet them near a major highway. 
3. Don't pay in cash. Many brokers offer a slight discount if you pay part of the bill in cash to the carrier upon delivery. When the carrier is paid solely through the broker, you may be less likely to deal with scammy payment disputes.

Car shipping brokers do their best to give accurate quotes, but they can't force a carrier to transport your car. Sometimes a higher price is necessary to get the job done, but any changes should be clearly communicated with you before you agree to dispatch the carrier. Choosing one of the best car shipping companies can increase your chances of having a positive experience.

Would you like to learn more about the car shipping industry? Check out How Car Shipping Prices Work.