Lead
A lead is a quote request that companies can buy so they may contact you. It is not a booking, not a dispatch, and not a review. You have not hired anyone, and you have not chosen a carrier.
A lead is the information in a quote request: the route, the vehicle, the dates, and a way to reach you. Selling that introduction to auto transport companies is not a contract to move the car. It is not a list of companies you pick from.
What a lead is not
It is not a booking. No carrier has agreed to a date. It is not a review. A company that buys leads is not, for that reason, a company other customers praised. It is not dispatch. You may get texts with prices before any truck exists for your lane. Compare those numbers with each other. A price far under the rest is a reason to slow down, not a reason to send a deposit.
FMCSA has said that merely making information about potential shippers publicly available does not, by itself, require broker authority, if the publisher is not otherwise involved in the transaction. Handling the freight, assigning the truck, or taking the shipping charges is a different business.
How RideShipper uses a lead
RideShipper is not a carrier and not a broker. You see a price range first, without giving contact details. You can have that estimate emailed without requesting quotes. If you ask for quotes, you give your name, email, and phone and tick a consent box. Licensed auto transport companies that serve the route then contact you. RideShipper does not show a list of those companies beforehand, does not let you pick them, and does not say how many will respond. Companies that receive a request may pay RideShipper. You can refuse every offer. Quotes by phone are at (800) 989-8833, 24/7.