How to Read an Auto Transport Quote: 7 Lines to Check Before You Book

We've been in auto shipping since 1999, and the question we hear most after 'how much?' is 'how do I know this quote is any good?' It's a fair question. Two quotes for the same car on the same route can look nothing alike — one is a single number in an email, the other is a page of terms — and it's hard to compare them until you know what to look for. So here's how we read one: seven lines, in order, and what each one should tell you.

Line one is who you'd actually be dealing with. FMCSA's consumer advisory on automobile transporters says both auto transport brokers and carriers that operate interstate must be registered with FMCSA; transporters and brokers get a six-digit MC docket number, and transporters also get a seven-digit USDOT number. The same advisory says to be suspicious of any website where it isn't clear whether the company is a broker or a transporter. Take the number off the quote and look it up on FMCSA's free SAFER Company Snapshot, which searches by USDOT number, MC number or company name. The name on the record should match the name on the quote.

Line two is the total, and what's inside it. A clear quote gives one number and says what it covers: open or enclosed trailer, door-to-door or terminal, and whether fuel and insurance are included. Hagerty's guide to choosing a transporter puts it simply — ask whether there are any additional charges when you get your estimate, such as fuel surcharges or insurance fees. If a quote leaves those blank, it isn't really a total yet.

“A quote is a list of promises. The price is only one line, and it's the one that means the least if the other six are blank.”

Line three is how and when you pay. Payment terms vary a lot between companies: some take part up front and the rest at delivery, some take everything at booking, and some want the balance paid to the driver by a set method on delivery day. None of that is wrong in itself, but it should be written down before you agree — how much, when, and how. If you pay by card, FMCSA's advisory recommends watching your account closely and making sure the amount you authorized is all that's taken.

Line four is the pickup window. Car hauler drivers work under federal hours-of-service rules — no more than 11 hours of driving after 10 hours off duty, and no driving past the 14th hour on duty — and they're loading and unloading other cars along the way. That's why honest quotes give a pickup window of a few days and an estimated transit time, not an appointment. Be wary of a quote that promises a fixed date at the lowest price; a firm date usually costs more, and a cheap price that no driver will take just means your car waits.

Line five is your vehicle, described the way it really is. Check the year, make and model, whether it runs, whether it's open or enclosed transport, and anything unusual — a lift kit, a roof rack, a lowered suspension. These aren't small details. In our own published estimating method, enclosed transport is a 1.50 multiplier and an inoperable vehicle is 1.20. If the quote describes a running sedan and the driver shows up to a non-running truck, the price you were quoted won't hold.

Line six is insurance. 'Fully insured' tells you almost nothing. Ask the company for its certificate of insurance and ask what the deductible is and who pays it. As we explained in our insurance guide, a carrier's cargo coverage is often written for the whole load rather than your one car, and personal items left inside the vehicle are almost never covered by anyone. Call your own auto insurer too — one phone call tells you whether your policy fills any gaps while the car is on the truck.

Line seven is cancellation and changes. What do you owe if your plans change a week before pickup? What happens if the price needs to change because no driver accepts the load? A good quote answers both in writing. If the only answer is a phone promise, ask for it in an email before you book.

One more thing that isn't on the quote but decides a lot: the Bill of Lading. That's the inspection report you and the driver sign at pickup and again at delivery. Our delivery-day guide walks through it step by step — look the car over in good light, make sure every existing mark is written down, take dated photos from all sides, and note any new scratch on the Bill of Lading before you sign. Hagerty gives the same advice: photograph the car from all angles before loading and note any damage on the paperwork at delivery.

Put the seven lines side by side and quotes start to make sense. One that's a little higher but spells out the company, the total, the payment, the window, your vehicle, the insurance and the cancellation terms is often a better deal than a lower number with half of that missing. Our post on why quotes vary explains where the spread comes from in the first place.

Here's how it works with us. We put your shipment in front of vetted, licensed auto transport companies, they compete with their best offers, and you choose the one whose price, dates and terms fit you best. You book directly with that company — the transport agreement and the price are between you and them — and you never pay us a cent. Get your free estimate, then read every offer with these seven lines in hand.