How to Pick an Auto Transport Company Without Getting Burned

• April 8, 2026

Last updated on April 8, 2026

Auto transport scams are real, they’re not rare, and they cost people hundreds to thousands of dollars every year. The good news is that the legitimate companies are easy to verify. Here’s how to tell the difference.

Start Here: FMCSA Verification

Every legitimate auto transport broker and carrier in the United States is licensed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Before you hand a deposit to anyone, spend two minutes at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov and look them up.

Search by company name or MC number. A legitimate broker will show:

• An active MC (Motor Carrier) number
• Active operating authority for “property broker” (for brokers) or “common carrier” (for carriers)
• A physical address (not a P.O. box)
• Insurance on file

If a company has no MC number, an inactive authority, or doesn’t show up at all — stop there. No exception.

Transcar’s MC number is 402602. DOT number is 2227505. Look us up. That’s exactly what you should do before trusting anyone with your vehicle.

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Brokers vs. Carriers: Know Who You’re Dealing With

When you get a quote from an auto transport company, you’re almost always talking to a broker, not the actual carrier. Brokers are the companies with websites, call centers, and sales reps. Carriers are the people with trucks.

Brokers post your shipment to load boards (Central Dispatch is the main one in this industry), carriers bid on it, and the broker assigns a carrier to your load. This is the standard model across the industry. It’s efficient, it’s legal, and it works.

Both brokers and carriers must be licensed with FMCSA. The difference matters because when something goes wrong, you need to know who to talk to:

• Billing issue? Talk to the broker.
• Damage to your vehicle? The carrier’s insurance is what covers cargo claims. The broker can help you navigate the claim.
• Vehicle not picked up? The broker is responsible for finding a carrier — that’s literally the service they’re providing.

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Red Flags That Should End the Conversation

No MC number. Already covered. Non-negotiable.

Quotes way below everyone else. If you get five quotes and one is $300 cheaper than the rest, that company is either planning to raise the price later or they won’t find a carrier at that rate. The cheapest quote almost never results in the best experience.

No physical address. A legitimate company has an office. Check Google Maps. If the address is a vacant lot or a UPS Store mailbox, walk away.

Pressure to book immediately. “This price is only good for the next hour” is a sales tactic, not a market reality. Carrier rates don’t change by the hour. Take your time.

No reviews anywhere. A company with zero Google reviews, no BBB profile, and no presence on Transport Reviews or Trustpilot either just started yesterday or has been scrubbing their reputation. Neither is a good sign.

Won’t provide a written contract. Every legitimate broker sends you an order agreement before pickup. It spells out the price, the vehicle details, the pickup window, and the terms. If they won’t put it in writing, don’t hand over your car.