When you’re trying to arrange to have a car shipped to a new location, it’s important to understand the difference between a broker and a carrier.
Auto shipping brokers do not have their own trucks, but instead, find local trucking companies to pick your car up. Carriers do have their own trucks and will send one of these trucks to pick up your car.
It might seem like the obvious choice is to use a carrier – after all, they have their own trucks. But that isn’t always a good thing, as what happens if their entire fleet is our delivering a thousand miles away? What if the truck breaks down?
A broker has a better chance of finding a truck that is local to you and is in full working order, which means your pick up time can be a lot sooner than it would be if you chose a carrier instead. But that’s not all.
Benefits of using Auto Shipping Brokers instead of Carriers
By locking yourself into the services of a single carrier, you place yourself at their mercy. If a truck breaks down on its way to pick up your car, that’s it – your shipping is likely to be canceled. However, if this happens with a broker being involved, they can simply find another carrier to pick up for you.
Of course, this will rarely happen, but do you want to take the risk, and then have to spend the time and money trying to find another carrier?
Using a brokerage also means that there is no obligation to ship with them. Carriers often provide quotes and want to book the job immediately, whereas with a brokerage you can obtain multiple different quotes and choose which ones best suit your needs.
Prices given by carriers can be estimates, and so may not include hidden fees or additional surcharges. With a brokerage, you’ll pay the price you are quoted – and that’s it.Brokerages also include the cost of insurance in quotes, something that carriers sometimes neglect to do. Even though offering carriage without insurance is illegal, the initial price will seem lower, but can’t necessarily be trusted.
The individual attention you will receive from the customer service representative (CSR) at a brokerage is worth noting too. Carriers will be looking after every one of their trucks at once, splitting their attention to deal with you. The CSR at a brokerage works with you, the customer, and is not distracted by other things.
Experience the difference and let us quote you today.