Carriers and Brokers, Whats the dif and why does anyone care? Car carriers

How do car carriers differ from shipping brokers and why does it matter? The main difference is that car carriers own their equipment—trucks and trailers—and employ their own drivers while brokers do not. Car carriers actually transport cars while brokers arrange for the transport.

So if a person needs to ship his vehicle, why would he use a broker instead of a carrier? At first glance, it would seem to make more sense to work directly with a carrier. After all, why use a middle-man?

While some people might prefer to work directly with a carrier, there are valid reasons to use a broker instead. A broker generally has access to a much larger fleet of trucks because the broker works with multiple car carriers. In other words, the broker has a network. Pickup and delivery of the car can usually be expedited because the broker isn’t tied down to a limited number of trucks and drivers as a single carrier would be.

Many carriers also only provide terminal-to-terminal service. Instead of delivering to the vehicle owner’s specified location, the carrier may require the owner to pick it up at a terminal in the destination city. Or the vehicle will sit at the terminal until other vehicles arrive that are destined for the same delivery area. The broker’s network allows it to access carriers that are headed the owner’s way, thereby expediting the delivery.

Because of this network of multiple carriers, a broker can usually also find the best price for the transport. And the broker can find a carrier that specializes in moving the owner’s particular type of vehicle.

So using a middle-man may actually save time and money. But, as with any other aspect of auto transport, the vehicle owner should research and determine the best option for him.


Source:
http://www.americanautoshipping.com/auto-s...car-carrier.asp
http://www.aaat.com/transport/2009/01/auto...rs-vs-auto.html