Auto Shipping Brokers Versus Auto Shipping Carriers
And in this corner of the ring is the auto shipping broker, his opponent in the opposite corner is the auto shipping carrier. May the best fighter win. Let’s get it on.
Competitors in the ring
The auto shipping carriers are as numerous as baby bunnies. These businesses provide a convenient service for vehicles on the move, for car dealers and for customers with specific requirements. Most find that contacting one of these carriers online may be the only way to go as they are all over the place and a face-to-face contact with them is unlikely. Even so, it is not very difficult to obtain quotes and rates either online or by telephone. Excellent customer service is usually their stock in trade. The rates quoted to you will include the cost of insurance which is imperative for the well being of your vehicle. The auto shipping carriers will offer you several options by which to ship your vehicle or equipment of any sort. Your vehicle can be transported in an open or enclosed environment, by truck, rail, freight or boat, and these are just some of the services they offer.
Auto shipping brokers are specific individuals who work as the middleman between you and the shipping company. They are the most widely used in dealing with auto shipping for both parties. This being due to the fact that they make the customers life easier and they bring more clientele and revenue to the shipping companies. They allow the curious customer much freedom in that they never have to be tied down to one company. Brokers give the patrons a variety of companies and prices to choose from, as well as direct communication.
Who is the winner?
The main difference between broker and carrier is brokers do not have their own trucks or transportation systems. Carriers have their own shipping utilities, and the cost is somewhat less expensive. Brokers are the people that find the companies for you, and get your vehicle picked up and delivered. A major problem for carriers is that their transportation services are far away from the customer and you can only use their services, but with a broker you are allowed full disclosure to a multitude of options without being tied down to any one company; as well as the benefit of relying on your broker to get the carrier to your destination quickly and easily.
If you choose a broker instead of the carrier itself, you will get various quotes and rates and select the one you want. The broker also can take advantage of immediate interaction with the carrier’s drivers. Or so the promise goes. In reality, this is not always true. Most carriers do not have the equipment to communicate directly to the driver. Brokers, if they can communicate, are working with one shipper at a time. Contrast this to the carrier/shipper companies who have a huge supply of trucks or other drivers domestically, internationally or both, which hampers communication significantly.The carrier will most often drop off the vehicles at a terminal expecting you to pick it up there. A broker gives you door-to-door service as an added convenience.
The fight was a good one, but it all depends on your standards of competition. The one you pick will be the winner, so choose away!
Visit JMN Logistics for more information on Auto Transport or follow JMN Logistics on Twitter.