Shipping your auction win
You won the car. Now get it home without getting burned. Here’s how to tell a broker from a carrier, look any company up on federal records in a few minutes, and spot the warning signs before you pay. Shaguar doesn’t arrange shipping and isn’t paid by anyone on this page.
Ready to ship? Try the transport finder.Enter pickup, drop-off and vehicle to see carriers and brokers we checked on FMCSA records, with red flags → Not bought yet?Check the listing for scam red flags first →Owns the trucks
A carrier hauls your car with its own trucks and drivers. Interstate carriers have a USDOT number and an MC number from FMCSA, the federal trucking regulator.
Books someone else’s truck
A broker only arranges the trip and hands it to a carrier. Brokers need their own MC number and a $75,000 bond (form BMC-84) or trust fund (BMC-85) on file. That money covers all claims against the broker if it fails its contracts. It isn’t insurance for your car.
FMCSA’s advice: be wary of any website that doesn’t make clear whether it’s a broker or a carrier, and avoid any company that doesn’t show its MC number.
Look a company up yourself
- Get both numbers. Ask for the USDOT and MC numbers of the company you’re booking, and, if it’s a broker, of the carrier that will actually haul your car.
- Search FMCSA SAFER. Open the Company Snapshot and enter the USDOT or MC number. Look for USDOT Status: ACTIVE and Operating Authority Status: AUTHORIZED FOR (brokers should show broker authority). NOT AUTHORIZED means no interstate for-hire authority. For a carrier, Motor Vehicles should be checked under cargo carried.
- Match the details. The legal name, address and phone should match what you were given. FMCSA warns that scammers borrow real companies’ numbers, so if the phone number differs, call the one listed on SAFER.
- Check the bond and insurance on file. From the snapshot, follow “For Licensing and Insurance details,” or use the Licensing & Insurance search. A broker should have its $75,000 bond or trust on file. A carrier should have liability insurance on file with no cancellation pending.
- Get the cargo insurance certificate. Federal records don’t show cargo coverage for car haulers. Ask the hauling carrier for a certificate of insurance with cargo coverage at least equal to your car’s value. FMCSA notes certificates can be faked, so call the insurance company listed to confirm it.
Got burned? You can file a complaint with FMCSA’s complaint database or call 1-888-368-7238, and report scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Red flags
- Full payment before a driver is assigned. A legitimate broker usually takes a small deposit only after a carrier is booked, with the rest due at delivery.
- A quote far below the others. The classic bait-and-switch: a cheap price to get your deposit, then a higher one once you’re committed, or no truck at all.
- You paid for enclosed and an open trailer shows up. Don’t let the car be loaded. Call the company you booked before anything is signed.
- No insurance certificate, or a carrier that won’t say who’s hauling your car.
- No MC number on the website, or numbers that don’t match the name on the truck.
- Payment by wire, cash app, gift card or prepaid card. Pay with a credit card so you can dispute the charge.
- Paperwork with blank spaces for the price, dates or signatures, or pressure to “book now” before you can compare quotes.
Enclosed or open?
For the car you’d never park outside
Walls keep out weather, road debris and curious eyes. Many enclosed carriers load with a liftgate and soft straps. It costs more, and with fewer enclosed trucks on the road, pickup can take longer to schedule.
Cheaper and easier to book
The usual, cheaper choice. It can make sense for a driver-quality car, but the car rides exposed the whole way. Put “enclosed” in writing if that’s what you’re paying for.
The Bill of Lading, twice
At pickup
Walk around the car with the driver. Every existing chip, scratch and dent should be marked on the Bill of Lading before anyone signs. Take dated photos and a short video, and note the mileage. Keep your copy.
At delivery
Inspect before you sign, in good light, with your pickup copy and photos in hand. Write any new damage on the delivery Bill of Lading, photograph it, and have the driver initial it.
Why it matters
Signing a clean delivery Bill of Lading says the car arrived fine. Once you sign, a damage claim gets much harder.
Can’t be there? Send someone who knows the car, and tell the shipper ahead of time who will sign.
How long it takes
Expect a pickup window of a few business days after you book, then the drive itself. Coast to coast takes longer: one enclosed carrier tells customers to plan on 10 to 14 days, at least. Shorter trips take less time. Check the seller’s or auction’s pickup deadline and any storage fees before you book, and leave room for weather and routing.
Start here, then check them yourself
These companies say they haul cars in their own enclosed trucks, and FMCSA lists each one as a carrier. On Oct 28, 2026 we looked each one up on FMCSA’s SAFER site, one company at a time, and copied the numbers below from it. That only tells you they’re registered and allowed to haul. It isn’t a recommendation, we haven’t checked their insurance or reviews, and no company pays to be here. Status can change, so run your own lookup before you book.
-
Enclosed carrierFMCSA checked Oct 28, 2026Warren, MA
Intercity Lines
USDOT223672MCMC-159611FMCSA lists INTERCITY LINES INC as active and authorized to haul property, with motor vehicles among the cargo it carries.
-
Enclosed carrierFMCSA checked Oct 28, 2026Canton, MI
Reliable Carriers
USDOT242599MCMC-172994FMCSA lists RELIABLE CARRIERS INC as active and authorized to haul property and household goods, with motor vehicles among the cargo it carries.
-
Enclosed carrierFMCSA checked Oct 28, 2026Lebanon, MO
Passport Transport
USDOT2043860MCMC-716593FMCSA lists PASSPORT AUTO LOGISTICS LLC (DBA PASSPORT TRANSPORT) as active and authorized to haul property, with motor vehicles among the cargo it carries.
-
Enclosed carrierFMCSA checked Oct 28, 2026Indianapolis, IN
Velocity Logistics
USDOT4494211MCMC-1777008FMCSA lists VELOCITY LOGISTICS LLC as active and authorized to haul property, with motor vehicles among the cargo it carries.
-
Enclosed carrierFMCSA checked Oct 28, 2026Milwaukee, WI
HAULBIKES
USDOT971094MCMC-412723FMCSA lists DAILY DIRECT LLC as active and authorized to haul property, with motor vehicles among the cargo it carries.
Sources
- FMCSA: Consumer advisory about automobile transporters
- FMCSA: Broker registration ($75,000 BMC-84 bond or BMC-85 trust)
- 49 CFR 387.307: Property broker surety bond or trust fund
- FMCSA: Broker and carrier fraud and identity theft
- FMCSA: Which insurance forms are filed (cargo filings are for household goods movers)
- FMCSA SAFER: Company Snapshot search
- FMCSA Licensing & Insurance public search
- FMCSA: National Consumer Complaint Database
- BBB Scam Alert: vehicle transport scams
- FTC: Avoid scams when you hire a moving company
- FreightWaves Checkpoint: Common car shipping scams
- Intercity Lines: coast-to-coast shipping time (a carrier’s own estimate)
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Shaguar isn’t a broker or carrier and doesn’t arrange shipping.