Auto Transport Without A Broker: Hiring A Carrier

Shipping a car can be a complicated business, especially when you approach it from the outside. If you’ve done an online search for auto shippers or services, you’re likely familiar with the abundance of options out there. What’s not always clear is whether you’re dealing with a broker, a carrier, a freight forwarder, or some combination of the three. For many customers, the idea of shipping a car with a carrier, rather than a broker, is the preferred route.

Why Not A Broker? Even though they account for a sizable chunk of revenue not all clients favor working with brokers. There are a variety of reasons for this but the most prevalent one is that they want to avoid going through a middleman. It is an easy-to-grasp idea that touches on a universal experience. After all if a broker is just someone who connects you with a carrier then going straight to the source in this case an auto carrier seems like the most efficient option.

Car Carriers - Car carriers are the part of the industry that does the heavy lifting: they’re the ones that physically move the vehicle. As mentioned above, many customers would prefer to speak to and deal with the person who will be handling their vehicle, rather than a third party that is not as close to the physical work being done. Given the high value of vehicles and the importance in our daily lives, this is understandable.

Is It Easier To Ship A Car Without A Broker?

The answer to the question posed above is that it depends. In some cases, yes it can certainly be easier to have a vehicle transported without a broker. This is especially true of shorter trips and car shipping in a local area or region. In these cases, it’s often easier to find a local option with a documented track record. When you’re looking to ship a car across the country, or to another country, it gets a little more complicated.

As you might expect, operating a car carrier service means that much of your labor costs are tied in paying drivers and dispatchers to keep everything operating smoothly. What that doesn’t always allow for is the time to properly manage things like marketing and advertising that will bring in more customers. This is where the relationship between brokers and carriers starts to make a little more sense, at least in terms of the transport industry.

Since brokers play a major role in coordinating shipments, carriers and customers alike tend to rely on them to keep things operating smoothly. In some cases, a car shipping company may operate as both a carrier and a broker. In these cases, they usually accept requests that that they can handle or fit their service area, and parcel out the other assignments to other companies.

Have questions about shipping a vehicle without using a broker? Call us today at the number at the top of the page or send us an email through our online contact form! Our staff of experts is happy to answer your questions & all cost estimates are FREE OF CHARGE!