The short answer
The most common car shipping scam is not theft — it is bait pricing. A broker quotes far below market, takes a non-refundable deposit, then cannot find a carrier at that rate and either raises the price or leaves the vehicle sitting. Protect yourself by verifying the company's USDOT and MC numbers with the FMCSA, refusing upfront deposits, and rejecting any quote that is dramatically below every other quote you received.
- A quote 30%+ below the others is a bid for your deposit, not a price a carrier will accept.
- Every legitimate broker and carrier has an FMCSA-searchable USDOT/MC number.
- You should owe $0 before your vehicle is physically picked up.
- Wire transfers, Zelle-to-a-person, and gift-card requests are hard stops.
The seven red flags
- A price far below every other quote you received, with no explanation of what changed.
- A deposit demanded before a carrier is assigned — you are paying for a promise.
- No USDOT or MC number on the website, invoice or email signature.
- A 'guaranteed' exact pickup date on a standard shipment. Carriers build routes; honest companies quote windows.
- Payment by wire, Zelle to an individual, crypto or gift card.
- Refusal to send written terms, a cancellation policy or proof of insurance.
- Pressure tactics: the price expires today, the truck is leaving in an hour.
Two-minute verification anyone can do
- Search the company's USDOT or MC number at the FMCSA SAFER site and confirm the name and address match.
- Check that the operating authority is active and that insurance is on file.
- Read the 1- and 2-star reviews specifically, looking for repeated 'price went up after booking' complaints.
- Ask directly: is this quote based on live carrier market data, and what happens if no carrier accepts it?
How honest pricing behaves
A real quote is built from what carriers are actually being paid on that lane this week, plus the company's fee. It moves with fuel, season and truck supply — so it may be higher than the bait quote, but it is the price a carrier will accept, which is why the pickup actually happens. If a company cannot explain where its number comes from, that is the answer.
How we structure it
Our pricing comes from live carrier market data on your exact lane, and you pay $0 today. The card on file is charged the full order total at the moment your vehicle is physically picked up — never at booking, never as a deposit. If we never pick up, you are never charged, which removes the entire mechanism the deposit scam depends on.
Frequently asked questions
- Should I pay a deposit to book car shipping?
- No. A deposit before a carrier is assigned is the core of the bait-pricing scam. Our customers pay $0 upfront and are charged only when the vehicle is physically picked up.
- How do I verify a car shipping company is legitimate?
- Look up their USDOT or MC number on the FMCSA SAFER database and confirm the legal name, address, active authority and insurance on file. Anything that does not match is disqualifying.
- Why is one quote so much cheaper than the rest?
- Usually because no carrier will run it. Lowball quotes exist to collect a deposit; when the load sits unclaimed on the dispatch board, the price is 'revised' or the shipment never moves.