Because from what I've seen for non-exotics, there are no actual transport companies. You have brokers who connect to the actual truck drivers via software called Central Dispatch. There is no company that does it all. Random truck drivers log in and see what is going where and they sign up for it. If no one does, the broker raises the price for that vehicle unit a match is made

There actually have been several threads about this, but I'll tell ya what I know. We ship cars all over the world every day, and often have multiple trucks on-site coming and going.

Your first option is to hire a specialized carrier to haul your car - that includes Passport Transport, Reliable Carriers, Horseless Carriage, Intercity, et.al. You work directly with the company, the company has a fleet of trucks and (reasonably) skilled drivers who understand how to properly handle rare/special/classic cars. You pay for this service, but trucking is one of the industries where you directly get what you pay for. If you have any issues, you are in direct contact with the company that owns the trailer, insures the job, and has processed the transaction.

The other way to go online and look for "car transport" and you'll get a bazillion different entities called U-Ship-It or Weshipyourcar dot com or whatever. They'll have photos of pretty ladies standing by to take your call in telephone head seats and smiling truck drivers next to gleaming, brand new equipment. None of this is true. When you call, you'll reach a broker who will toss your job out onto central dispatch and the first available/cheapest driver will come, more often than not, unannounced.

Method B isn't always bad... but it isn't always good, either. You often get guys with shoddy equipment, bad attitudes, or both. We see it all the time... a customer spends all the money on a great car, then wants to save $500 on shipping so they book their own. On many occasions we've turned drivers away for things like dodgy trucks, refusing to fill out inspection reports, showing up 14 hours late (yes), or not knowing how to drive a car with a manual transmission. I once watched a guy absolutely SMOKE a clutch on a big block 66 Corvette trying to get it onto his ramps. Had another guy miss the ramps entirely with a 70 Mustang Mach 1.

If you go with option B and you have problems, you could find yourself stuck between the broker and the trucker. The broker plays "I'm just the broker here" while the trucker claims "hey, talk to the guy you paid." It is rarely a pleasant experience. If you do go with a broker, make sure the insurance policy is clearly stated in writing, take photos of the loading process, including of the truck, his CDL, and DOT numbers. Take photos or video of the car being loaded.

I'm not saying you will be guaranteed to have problems if you go with a broker - we've had plenty of guys show up and be respectful, courteous, and prompt. But you should be very aware of how the process works and make sure you have ALL information in advance of giving the green light.

Above all, you get what you pay for.