First time shipping a car, on one page

The first time you ship a car, do these things in order. A range is not a booking. A booking is not a truck until a registered carrier accepts the load. RideShipper shows the range and sends a quote request. It is not a carrier and not a broker. It does not take a deposit or insure the car. Companies that get the request may pay RideShipper. That is on how we make money.

Before you pay anyone#

• [ ] I have the pickup city, the delivery city, and the earliest day the car can leave. That day is a first available date, not a clock time.
• [ ] I said whether the car runs, steers, brakes, and rolls. If it does not, I said which part failed.
• [ ] I said open or enclosed, and I measured anything low, tall, or added on.
• [ ] I compared the quote with a range, not with the cheapest ad. The quote checker takes a number I already received.
• [ ] I have the company's real name, and its MC or USDOT number. I looked it up. FMCSA says interstate brokers and auto transporters must be registered. The company check is the lookup.
• [ ] The name on the federal record matches the name that asked me to pay.
• [ ] I am not sending a deposit by a wallet app to a person I cannot identify. The BBB's 21 July 2023 alert describes that pattern, including a $50 PayPal fee and no pickup.
• [ ] I know whether a broker arranged this and a carrier will haul it. I will see the carrier's name before I hand over the key.
• [ ] I read the cancellation line and the line that says when the price can change.

More on comparing numbers: how to compare three quotes. More on a price that looks too low: when a quote is too cheap.

Pickup day#

• [ ] A person who can sign will be there, with the key and a working phone.
• [ ] The car is empty of clothes, documents, and anything the contract forbids. See personal items.
• [ ] I photographed every panel, the roof, the glass, and the odometer, in daylight.
• [ ] The condition report on the bill of lading lists the scratches that are already there. I did not sign it blank.
• [ ] The name on the truck matches the dispatch. If it does not, I call the company I booked before I release the car.
• [ ] I kept a copy of the paper and the photos.

Delivery day#

• [ ] I walked around the car before I signed.
• [ ] New damage is written on the delivery paper first.
• [ ] I know the claim deadline in the contract. RideShipper does not decide the claim.
• [ ] I still have to insure, title, or register the car if this was a move or a purchase. The truck did not do that.

A sample sedan range, so the first number you see has a date on it:

Put the real cities and the real condition in the request when you use the quote form on the site. If the car does not run, say so. If the route is Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico, read that process page first. The table above is a road range, not an ocean fare.

One more pass before you send the request. The form shows a price range before it asks for your name, email, or phone. You can have that estimate emailed and stop there. That email does not request quotes. If you do request quotes, you give your name, email, and phone and tick a consent box. Licensed auto transport companies that serve the route then contact you. You can also ask for quotes by phone, 24/7, at (800) 989-8833. Nothing on that screen is a locked price, a promised day, or insurance from RideShipper. If a caller later says they are "with RideShipper" and asks for a deposit, they are not collecting a RideShipper fee. RideShipper does not take one. Pay only a company you looked up, under a contract you read. The complaint path for an unregistered auto transporter or broker is the number on FMCSA's advisory, 1-888-368-7238.

Keep the paper for as long as the contract says a claim can be opened, and a little longer if you are still arguing. You want the dispatch with the carrier's MC number, the photos, both sides of the bill of lading, and the receipt for what you paid. A text that says "driver is 20 minutes out" is not that file. If the car is late, call the company on the contract. Do not pay a second person who texts a new number and asks for more money to release the car. That pattern is in the same BBB alert. The company you booked is the one that has to explain a delay.