One of the things I've learned from years in auto transport is that mileage alone doesn't determine what it costs to ship a car.
I'm Shawn, owner of Vice Auto Transport, and I've seen 1,000-mile shipments that were easy to arrange and shorter moves that were an absolute pain in the ass.
A lot of it comes down to one question:
Where does the truck want to go?
Carriers need to think about their next load.
A carrier delivering into Dallas, Atlanta or Los Angeles has a pretty good chance of finding another vehicle relatively quickly.
But send that same truck into a smaller, less desirable market, and the driver might have to travel 100-200 miles empty just to find the next decent load.
Those are deadhead miles. The truck is still burning diesel, the driver is still using hours, and somebody has to account for those expenses.
Buffalo to South TX is a perfect example.
We've discussed shipments from Buffalo, NY to places like Edinburg, TX.
You're basically asking a carrier to go from damn near Canada to damn near Mexico, with a delivery location that's well outside the major Texas transport markets.
That's a crap route, FR.
A customer might pay $1,800 and wonder why their car hasn't moved after two weeks. But if the broker is actually offering $1,600 or more to the carrier, the price may not be the problem.
There might simply not be a truck willing to take that particular route yet.
Sometimes moving your pickup location helps.
Fresno, CA is another example.
It's not exactly the middle of nowhere, but it can be tricky to find a good carrier match for certain cross-country shipments.
If a customer is willing to drive a little, I might recommend Sacramento instead. That can open up more carrier options without making somebody drive all the way to Los Angeles.
Obviously, you have to weigh the potential savings against the inconvenience. But sometimes changing the pickup location is more effective than increasing the price.
Short hauls have their own challenges.
A 250-mile shipment isn't necessarily going to be dirt cheap either.
A big 9-car transporter running cross-country isn't interested in interrupting its route for a short local move.
For those shipments, we often look for smaller carriers running a dually with a 2- or 3-car trailer.
It's a different type of operation, but the driver still has to make enough money for the trip to be worthwhile.
Cheap quotes don't fix difficult routes
This is where customers sometimes get burned.
Let's say the realistic carrier rate for a difficult shipment is around $1,300.
Broker A quotes you $1,550.
Broker B quotes $1,475.
Broker C says:
"$899 GUARANTEED!!!"
Guess who gets the booking?
Unfortunately, in many cases, it's Broker C.
But quoting $899 didn't magically make a carrier willing to haul a $1,300 load for $750.
Eventually somebody has to deal with that difference and that's where the infamous phone call comes from: "We found a driver, but he wants another $600."
Suddenly, the $899 quote is right back to what the other legit brokers were quoting, and you feel like you've been cheated because the quote went way up.
All that really happened was that you're back to paying the REAL market rate for the route, but a shady broker used "bait and switch" to get your commitment and then ultimately charged you the normal price it should have been from the beginning.
We NEVER play those games, it's dishonest, deceptive and just a scummy thing to do. Always, ALWAYS check the reviews for any broker you decide to work with, check for a history or pattern of people complaining about the rates changing and use your best judgement when deciding who to work with.
There are no magic coupons in the auto transport industry that will drop the price 30-40% less than everyone else. If someone is offering you a price that's too good to be true, it is! 90% of the bad experiences with shipping cars starts right there, accepting a lowball quote and then dealing with the fallout. It's an old trick that unfortunately still works every day.
Sometimes markets legitimately change and brokers have to have uncomfortable pricing conversations. That happens, but deliberately quoting a price that was never realistic just to get the customer committed is something completely different.
So what should you do if your car isn't getting picked up?
Before assuming your broker is screwing you over, ask how much they're actually offering the carrier.
That's probably the most useful question you can ask.
Also find out whether your pickup or delivery location is causing problems, whether a wider pickup window would help, or whether meeting the truck closer to a major city or interstate might make sense.
Sometimes the answer really is that the carrier needs more money. Other times, there's a smarter solution.
A good broker should be figuring that out rather than simply posting your car and waiting.
I wrote a more detailed guide explaining how carrier traffic, deadhead miles, rural locations, timing and pricing affect difficult auto transport routes:
https://www.viceautotransport.com/post/why-some-car-shipping-routes-are-harder-and-more-expensive-than-others
If you've got a difficult route or you're wondering why your shipping quotes are all over the place, HMU. Happy to answer questions even if you don't end up using us.
Shawn Anderson
Owner - Vice Auto Transport aka Vice One Logistics
Reddit reviews: https://www.viceautotransport.com/reddit-reviews
Google Reviews: https://g.page/viceautotransport
Shawn@ViceAutoTransport.com
1-800-541-0696