How car shipping works, and driving a truck: questions and answers

That is the carrier's plan, not yours. The driver who brings your car works for the carrier that accepted the load, or for a company that carrier uses. How that person gets back, by another truck, a ticket, or a return load, is their employer's problem. You should not pay the driver a side fare for the ride home, and you should not be asked to. If someone at the curb demands extra cash before they will release the car, stop and call the company on your contract.

The company you paid may be a broker. A broker, for compensation, arranges transportation by an authorized motor carrier. The driver works for the carrier that took the car. You can pay the broker and never meet that company until the curb. Federal rules say a broker may not advertise as the carrier. Before pickup, get the carrier's legal name and MC or USDOT on the dispatch and look them up. The broker must keep that registration number, and you may ask to see the record.

That can be a normal handoff. A broker finds a carrier, and the driver works for the carrier. It is a problem when nobody will give you the carrier's USDOT or MC number, or when that number does not match the legal name on the truck and the contract. Check the dispatch before you share a gate code. Do not load the car for a driver who will not identify the carrier. A quote with no carrier name can be normal early. A demand to hand over the car with no name is the point to stop.

No. A load board is a tool carriers and brokers use to offer freight. You do not need an account there to ship a car you own. You need a price range, then a company you can check, then a contract. FMCSA has said that merely publishing information about potential shippers, even for a fee, is not brokerage by itself if the publisher is not otherwise in the deal. RideShipper shows a range and can request quotes. It does not post your car on a load board for you to manage.

The broker offers the lane, the vehicle, the dates, and the pay the carrier would earn. Carriers accept or pass. Dispatch is the acceptance. Everything before it is a search. Your quoted price is real only when a carrier agrees to haul for that money. You should see the carrier's name and registration number before pickup. A property broker must have a $75,000 surety bond or trust fund. That bond pays if the broker fails its contracts.

Interstate for-hire auto transport starts with FMCSA registration, the insurance filings that registration requires, and a USDOT number. The guide on becoming a car hauler walks through those authority steps. Pay, equipment, and who will hire you come from carriers and from FMCSA. If you are shipping a car you own, you see a price range first. A quote request uses your name, email, phone, and a ticked consent box. Licensed auto transport companies that serve the route then contact you.

Drivers and owner-operators find freight through carriers and through load boards, under a carrier's authority. A customer who wants a car moved does not open a load-board account to do it. You see a price range for the lane. A quote request uses your name, email, phone, and a ticked consent box. Licensed auto transport companies that serve the route then contact you. The company you hire names the truck. Recruiting and home time are that company's figures, and this page has no driver-pay table.

No. Pay, home time, and whether a driving job is a good fit are the employer's figures. This page is for someone shipping a car. Check a company you might hire by its legal name and its MC or USDOT number on the federal record, then read the contract. A company profile can show licence data and reviews. It is not a ranking of driving jobs. If you want the work, ask carriers that operate the trucks.