Car hauling dispatch that respects your trailer, not just the load

Car hauling dispatcher questions, answered first

Car haulers ask the same few things before they sign up, so here they are in plain terms. The fee is 5% of gross for one truck with authority older than six months. There is no setup fee and no contract. You approve every load. The rate confirmation comes from the broker to you, and you sign it. We never sign for you.

We do not handle vehicle inspections at pickup or delivery for you. The condition report is yours to do and sign, and it is the most important piece of paper on any car load. Take the time and the photos.

The full questions and answers are at the bottom of this page.

Car hauler dispatch service: the loads we look for

• Dealer transfers. Vehicles moving between dealerships, often in multiples on popular routes.
• Auction freight. Vehicles leaving auction lots, which can fill a trailer quickly when timing lines up.
• Private relocations. Single vehicles for people moving, often to residential addresses.
• Inoperable vehicles. Higher-paying work when your trailer has a winch and the space to load them safely.

The best car hauling weeks combine these, filling the trailer with vehicles going roughly the same direction. That takes a lot of calls and careful timing, which is the part we take on.

Filling every slot on the trailer

The money in car hauling is in full loads. A three-car trailer with one car on it is paying for fuel and wear with a third of the revenue. So we work loads as a set: find an anchor load, then look for vehicles picking up nearby and dropping along the way.

Each vehicle comes to you with its pickup, delivery, condition and pay. You approve them one at a time or as a group. If the set changes, a dealer runs late or a car is not ready, we tell you and adjust the plan before you leave.

Weight, not just count

A full-size pickup weighs far more than a compact car, and a trailer that can carry four small cars may only carry three heavier vehicles. Overloading an axle or the combination puts you at risk at a scale and on the road.

We ask for your trailer's ratings and your truck's, and we check vehicle weights before we build a load. If a set would put you over, we say so and suggest a different mix. Our guide on truck weight limits covers the federal limits and why states differ.

Condition reports and payment

Car hauling lives on paperwork: the condition report at pickup, the bill of lading, and delivery sign-off. Damage claims are decided on what was written and photographed at pickup, so take the time even when a dealer is rushing you.

Payment terms vary more in car hauling than in general freight. Some loads pay on delivery, some pay by broker terms. We note the terms on every offer so you know when the money arrives before you say yes.

Routes, home time and the trip back

A load of cars going one way is only half a week. The other half is getting the trailer back toward home with something on it. We look at the return before we pitch the outbound set: which dealers and auctions ship from the delivery area, and how long a full trailer usually takes to build there.

Tell us how often you want to be home and which regions you prefer. Some car haulers like long coast-to-coast runs; others want a tight regional loop. Both can work, and the plan should match the life you want, not just the best rate this week.

New to car hauling?

Car hauling has a steeper start than most equipment. Cargo coverage needs to match the value of the vehicles, many shippers want references, and the gear has a learning curve: loading order, tie-down methods for different vehicles, and how to work a deck without scraping a bumper.

We can help with the freight side from the first week, setting up packets with brokers that accept newer car haulers and starting with loads that suit your trailer. The insurance, the gear and the loading skill are yours to get right, and they matter more than any dispatcher.

When the truck or trailer goes down with cars aboard

A breakdown with vehicles on the trailer is more complicated than with boxed freight. The cars need to be secure, and the owners or dealers waiting on them need to know. Get safe first, then call the desk. We make the broker calls, explain what happened and what the shop is telling you, and work through the options for the load. What is possible depends on the broker, the vehicles and the repair time, so we give you straight answers rather than promises.

When we are not the right fit

If your trailer deck is shorter than 26 ft, we cannot dispatch it; that minimum has no exceptions. If you already have steady dealer contracts that fill your trailer every week, you may not need us. We are most useful to car haulers who spend more time building loads on the phone than driving them, and who want their trailer upkeep taken seriously in the plan.

A car hauling week on our desk

An EXAMPLE week for a single three-car wedge on a long regional loop, not a real result. Monday we line up an anchor: two dealer transfers picking up in the same metro, and the owner approves both. By noon we have a third vehicle from a nearby auction heading the same direction, priced to fill the last slot. Tuesday and Wednesday the trailer runs full.

Wednesday afternoon we offer a return set out of the delivery city: one operable truck and one inoperable car that needs the winch. The owner takes the truck, passes on the inoperable car because the winch cable is due for replacement, and we find a lighter third vehicle instead. Friday is a shop day for the hydraulics, already on the calendar.

Busy and slow seasons in car hauling

Car hauling has its own calendar. Moving season, model-year changeovers and snowbird routes push volume up on some lanes and down on others. Slow weeks are the right time for shop work on the hydraulics and ramps, and we will help you find those windows instead of sitting idle waiting for a full trailer.