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I am close to closing on a 18 C63s to add to the garage, but the car is not local and need to find a good auto transport service. Would love to drive it the 1K miles home, but unfortunately work schedule doesn't permit.
I used Montway (via www.uship.com) with no problems. Basically every company you'll find is a broker though, so good or bad comments likely won't apply to the particular truck that would be bringing your vehicle.
-You can call me. I do all of the cars for Shelby American, as well as dozens of high end franchise and independent dealers and customers all over the country.
Having done this a few times, there are basically four levels of service:
1. point to point, enclosed, non brooked services. Nice, fancy covered trucks, super professional and you pay for it. You deal with carrier directly. if you drive an Enzo - this is what you use
2. Going through brooker, covered transport. Much cheaper, protected, but still you have no idea of who the truck is until you are told be brooker. If you need to transport in winter through northern states, or you care deeply about paint finish, use this.
3. Going through brooker, open transport. Cheaper still, otherwise the same. In the summer or through southern states, OK all year round.
4. Consolidated carriers through a brooker. Cheapest but car may sit in a yard for days and get moved around and on multiple trucks. Only use for run of the mill cars you don;t care about.
I have used all four, but usually default to #3 unless it's winter time. My cars are not nice enough to justify #1, but if money is not object it is 100% the way to go.
Three more things:
I. If you car is a stick - it used to be that all truckers could drive stick (since trucks were manual with lots (16?) gears. Not the case any more. Last time I shipped the older M5, the guy had no idea and I had to drive the car on the truck. Not an issue in my case since he then place the car at the front so not to having to touch it until it was delivered.
2. 90% of drivers are from Eastern Europe - don't be alarmed.
3. Tipping works. I usually give $50 up front and say they will get $50 more if car is delivered well. Seems to have worked so far.
I used Intercity Lines, they were fantastic. Pricey, $2,000 from AZ to NY, but the service was superb. Car arrived perfectly clean, covered, even a seat cover. Just look at the photo of the inside of their trailer.
14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Quick update:
So far, my broker is leaving me in the dark and possibly leaving me hanging. I'm in the window of time I need my vehicles picked up and I'm hearing nothing. I'm thinking of jumping ship on this guy and trying someone else. I'll give it until tomorrow to see if I finally hear anything back.
14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Originally Posted by V-AMG
I used Intercity Lines, they were fantastic. Pricey, $2,000 from AZ to NY, but the service was superb. Car arrived perfectly clean, covered, even a seat cover. Just look at the photo of the inside of their trailer.
Cheapest quote I got for enclosed was $2200, and that's from Colorado to Georgia.
I'm negotiating for a car right now and it will be long distance. I'd love to drive, but it going to be at least 4 - 5 days on the road. Therefore I will be following this thread closely.
Someone posted this from another forum (and this thread is current):
Reliable Carriers, Passport Auto Transport and Fred Allen Transport Service were recommended to me in 2018. I used Reliable and Passport. Passport had 'camera maps' you could log online on their site and see where your hauler is anytime. ps. These 2 carriers were LESS than the 2 random carriers I used previously in 2015. May have been the time of year or route. Also, if there is a wait time to get your car to you, it's worth waiting unless you really need it there quick. You can't even bribe them!
I too have shipped many cars and would HIGHLY RECOMMEND AGAINST USING A BROKER. Each time I have used a broker (all the big ones), I have had issues. While the cost of a tier 1 transport such as Intercity Lines will be ~$700 - $1k more, you will have no damage to your car, their drivers are top notch, and the company is properly insured. Anything else is a shot in the dark and huge risk.
14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Update 2:
Heard back from my broker yesterday morning shortly after posting here (honestly, just a coincidence). He got me lined up with a driver for $100 more than the initial target price. Pickup is today. We'll see how it goes.
I'll chime in again, so everyone can make the best decision for themselves.
As my post stated earlier, I own an auto transportation company. Advantage Auto Transport. Been doing this for 10 years. Have 2 trucks on the road, and move 80-100 vehicles per month. Majority of moves
I 'broker' to other companies I have relationships with, that work different areas of the country.
Companies like Reliable, InnerCity, Passport, etc are all top tier and run excellent equipment. I have used them as well. Drawback is their contractual commitment to Barrett Jackson, as well as other nationwide events, can have you waiting weeks to fit your vehicle into their schedule.
The idea of brokering is not a bad one, but mention the word broker and auto transport in the same sentence, and a slew of nightmares and horror stories start flowing. Yes, there are some real ****bags out there!
The riskiest way to expose yourself to them is to go online, and fill out your information for a 'free' quote. These are not trucking companies.. It's just a lead generation site that farms our your info to several hundred
phone rooms. Whatever quote you get, your vehicle is bid out at that number, to the cheapest trucker who will take it for that amount, less the brokers fee. The cheaper the quote, the more likely your car wont get moved.
Most of them entice potential clients with low quotes, and up front deposits, only to change the price last minute, to what the real price should've been.
NEVER pay ANYTHING until your vehicle is on that truck!
I am happy to serve any of the MB World members needs here. As mentioned, I ship all of the cars for Shelby American out of Las Vegas, MB of Manhattan,, Lokey Mercedes of Clearwater Florida, and dozens upon dozens of franchise and independent car dealers, collectors, and performance shops all over the country. Check our references.
Also if you have something listed with another company, let me know and we can see where you stand, if it's not getting moved.
14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Update 3:
Holy cow what a 180 this experience has been in a very positive way!! Once my broker got me set, communication has been awesome!!! He got me an 18 wheeler with Bengals. The driver and I just got done loading both the cars up. Very thourough inspection. We both have each other's numbers. Good times will be had by all. Next hit time is the 31st when I recieve them.
14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Final update: Just took delivery of my cars. Everything went smooth and I didn't drain the bank doing this.
I brokered through Moverjet Logistics. They did all of the negotiating on my behalf. It ended up being $100 over their initial estimate, thus costing me $1600 from Denver CO to Hinesville.
The trucking company is Bengals, who was ****ing awesome!!!! Highly recommend them. If you want to deal with them directly, they do their dispatching through Bach Logistics.
All in all, I'd work with any of them again if the need arises.
Related side note, Bach Logistics posted this pic one day after my initial pickup.
Juan Carlos Bonitto was superb in customer service. Transported my ML from the west coast to MN in open carrier for under $1K while others wanted way more (a few said it's because it's a mercedes and a big SUV). Truck arrived to my door step in 5 days.
Intercity all the way. Expensive, yes. But these are not cheap cars. Last thing I’d do is drop tens of thousands on a car and then try to save a few hundred bucks on some unknown shipper. I used them to ship my car from NY to STL and it was 1500.
Intercity all the way. Expensive, yes. But these are not cheap cars. Last thing I’d do is drop tens of thousands on a car and then try to save a few hundred bucks on some unknown shipper. I used them to ship my car from NY to STL and it was 1500.
Looks to be a broker based out of Cali, which in of itself is not a negative thing. I am a broker, so there are a handful of good ones out there. All depends on their relationship with the carriers they select.
Old thread, I know. But I've shipped on a cars, it's always been a frustrating experience.
It helps to understand the system, and that way you will be able to make a better decision.
The short version, basically every single transportation companies actually just a broker.
They simply submit a bid to dispatch, and any trucker Can pick it up if they think it's worth their time. Brokers make their money in the difference between what they charge You versus how much they bid.
Example, I used u-ship, which hook me up with SGT. They gave me a special rate of 1500 bucks open on my last car. After 10 days it never got picked up, I got frustrated and called another company I found. Turns out SGT only put the bid out for 700 bucks.
: Edit:
I had previously recommended a company based on their honesty and upfront pricing. And then after shipping 5 cars and recommending them all over the internet, they screwed me... Lied, quadrupled their rate etc
It's a cut throat business, I guess. Maybe someday I'll find another decent broker
07-14-2019 | 01:25 PM
