How to Obtain Real-Time Auto Shipping Quotes—Without Falling Victim to Lead Aggregator Websites

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If you’re moving across the country, you’ll be spending a lot of time packing, hiring movers and planning how to quickly get settled in your new home. While it may not be the first thing on your mind, you’ll also have to figure out how to move your car. To save time and potential frustration,  you can utilize auto shipping services to help expedite your vehicle transport.

The first step in shipping your car is finding a reputable company to do the job. You could search online and reach out to brokers and carriers directly or use a lead aggregator site. While there are pros and cons to each one, whatever method you choose, you’ll want to compare several important deciding factors: 

  • The size of the company
  • Number of years of experience
  • Online reputation
  • Number of positive customer reviews

Now for the good news—there are large, reputable, qualified companies in the market that can help you ship your vehicle. Now for the bad news—they may be harder to find than you think. Why? Lead aggregator services. 

Lead aggregators for car shipping rates

Lead aggregators are websites that sell your information to several different transport brokers. After sharing your vehicle shipping criteria, these companies will directly contact you to provide a quote and potentially book your transport. 

Customer challenges with lead aggregation for auto shipping quotes

We suggest caution when using these websites as brokers who buy your information will likely be very assertive with their communications in an effort to win your business. Due diligence should still be done. 

Identifying a legitimate company 

Once the calls and emails start coming in from the brokers who bought your information, you’ll still need to figure out how to discern credible auto transport companies from scammers. Use these tips to determine which are trustworthy:

  • Ask for proof of licensing (MC and USDOT numbers)
  • Check their listings on business rating sites like the Better Business Bureau
  • Read customer reviews

This blog post shares additional tips and information for finding a reputable car shipper.

Auto transport brokers for car shipping rates

Alternatively, instead of being contacted by companies you don’t know, you could proactively research, contact and request quotes yourself. This approach allows you to identify legitimate brokers up front based on your own research into each one’s reputation, years in business, customer reviews, etc. Use this criteria to help you compare brokers:

  • At least 10 years of auto transport experience 
  • 10,000+ total customer reviews from top platforms 
  • Large network of auto carriers/haulers
  • BBB accredited business with A+ rating
  • MC and DOT numbers displayed on website

Keep in mind that an auto transport company could be a broker or a carrier. Be sure you know who you’re contacting. 

A carrier operates the trucks and oftentimes is an owner-operator who schedules shipments through a broker, while only serving a few routes. A broker has a large network of carriers serving the entire country. In most cases, a broker can give you a lower rate, since they have multiple carriers competing to transport your vehicle. Brokers also verify the USDOT authority, federal licenses and cargo insurance of each individual carrier in their network. A broker is an expert in the auto transport industry and wants their customers’ cars to be shipped by a quality carrier.

As the largest licensed broker in the U.S., Montway Auto Transport can help expedite your car shipping request. Contact us at (888) 666-8929 to get a customized shipping quote today!

Gathering car transport quotes

You want to get your car transport planned as soon as possible so you can focus on the other details of your move. Lead aggregators sell your information to car shipping brokers, which means you’ll have a high volume of incoming calls and emails. It may take considerable time to sort through each offer and determine if the company is legitimate. Contacting a reputable broker directly will save you time and frustration, as mentioned earlier. 

Is the company a lead aggregator or an actual broker? 

Most people struggle to tell a lead aggregator apart from a broker. And with good reason. Lead aggregators want to resemble an actual broker as much as possible. Does the website advertise a “quote comparison”? Are you being required to provide a lot of personal information, such as first and last name and phone number? Is the company name different from the website address? If you can answer “yes” to a few of these questions, you may be dealing with a lead aggregator. 

Get a car shipping estimate from Montway Auto Transport 

With 14 years of experience and 57,000+ customer reviews, Montway Auto Transport has become the leading car shipping broker in the U.S. We leverage our network of over 15,000 carriers to provide you with the best real-time quote possible. Use our instant quote generator on Montway.com or call us at (888) 666-8929 to speak to one of our auto shipping advisors, available to help you 365 days a year. 

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