Uncovering a Car Transporter Scandal

[@thetoppingshow]

Doug what are your thoughts on AI powered semitrucks? Imagine a computer controller truck would transport your car with 0 human interaction.

[@VikramKrishnan404]

Who would you recommend I use for transporting my daily driver, a 10 year old Lexus ES350? From Texas to Michigan. It doesn't have to be enclosed, it doesn't matter if it gets a bit dirty...as long as it makes it without damage.

[@thetoppingshow]

That transport truck/trailer definitely had BAE energy.

[@robertstahl8835]

This is all 100% true. I have used Uship a bunch and no longer do, this is exactly the truth

[@betterwithrum]

A car of that value I’ll move it myself

[@gsmith207]

dude you could start a 2nd channel on transporters alone. friggin awesome.

[@nes999]

How did I just find out Doug has a channel?

[@17blaqsho52]

I bought a ‘94 Lightning from Alabama, never seen in person. Did a small bit of research that took me to Reddit. I used a broker that charged me $250 on a card, then another $750 cash on delivery to the driver. Got a COI, felt comfy. Took a bit more time to get the truck here(Illinois)…Truck issues before pick up, during delivery etc.. broker can’t get a hold of the driver, etc…the broker kept in constant contact with me, I give him a 💯 on that, I was nervous as could be. Showed up a day late,no damage, everything fine. Won’t lie. I was seriously wondering if I goofed. But at the end of the day. 🤝 If I could afford a private type, I would opt next time for it.

[@MikeRay1978]

No matter the condition of the truck and trailer it’s the filth that did it for me. I’ve had trucks damaged. I’ve had trailers damaged. Sometimes you gotta finish the job. But you do NOT show up with a months worth of dirt on your rig. That shows me you don’t inspect. If you don’t clean you don’t inspect. If you dont inspect you don’t see problems. If you don’t see problems you don’t fix them. That truck and trailer was a hazard. I wouldn’t ship my golf cart in it. Hell I wouldn’t park my golf cart near it.

[@DomAnthony89]

I've never had to deal with car transportation. But the problems with flatbed truckers is very similar. I've seen several companies loose their license just to restart under a new name even though everything else was the same. Still same bad service and bad trucks just a new DOT number and new llc. Shipping in general is super sketchy.

[@vegasxventures]

I don’t think the hate was so much regarding wanting a reputable company vs a broker that is the lowest bidder, but instead it looked like you were looking and talking down on the people that watch your content and could only dream of buying a second hand super car.

[@vladimirantonenko6840]

Watched that video for times. First was a full podcast. I agree with Doug, a driver who drives for a living. I have to have a nice truck and trailer. The truck is his office and his visit card.

[@danielsummey4144]

It appears to me that the issue here stems from Central Dispatch covering for these guys. You should build an alternative.

[@bhunt919]

My buddy owns a car lot and he is so cheap its pathetic. Ive seen him get transports for so cheap that there was no way they were making money. He had one guy run under a bridge and total his car a half a mile away from his car lot. No insurance

[@patrickstephenballing5618]

Broker here, listen I’m not covering for the bad actors in this space. But please for the love of God stop grouping us in with the trash. Any brokerage worth anything has a vetting process, we verify insurance, that the truck hauling the load is actually on the policy, the amount of coverage they have, who the insurance provider is, we verify their history and records across 4 different platforms that all but ensure a smooth delivery. Any brokerage that moves more than 100 loads in a week will also have an in house claims dept in the event of an accident. The Central dispatch platform is notorious for trash carriers and brokers just like the other handful for smaller load boards that are available.

[@switchcars]

I have yet to encounter a brokerage firm that actually does what they say they will. They all claim to have a vetting process and great insurance, and then once they get your business they post it for pennies on Central Dispatch.

[@patrickstephenballing5618]

@@switchcars well it seems like there’s only one way to settle this then. I hate that you have had bad experiences, would love to prove we are not all scum of the earth. Happy to provide of list of references, one you may know of from the Amelia Concourse event. Regardless, love the content on here and VinWiki. Cheers

[@switchcars]

@@patrickstephenballing5618 I'm all ears. shoot us an email through switchcast (dot) live, maybe there's an opportunity here if you guys TRULY are different, as we're constantly getting asked for transporter referrals.

[@patrickstephenballing5618]

@@switchcars email sent! Appreciate any opportunity

[@switchcars]

@@patrickstephenballing5618nothing received, try again! Switchcast.live and submit an inquiry

[@evanw5594]

There seems to be demand for smaller transports that do good work. Why aren't smaller upstarts trying to occupy this space in the transport market? Is there just not enough money to do it right on the lower end? Or is it possible, but brokers just suck and don't look into transporters?

[@evanw5594]

* brokers meaning transport brokers, when they're looking for a driver on central. What if a smaller transport broker vetted his drivers and was transparent with both parties in a car purchase about who they're subbing it to? Forgive my ignorance, I'm genuinely curious but well outside my wheelhouse

[@bryanachee7133]

I found similar games and name changes when buying a cheaper cargo trailer/car hauler. All built within a mile of each other in South Georgia and change names every other year. The employees just bounce from place to place.

[@justintaylor9458]

Can you look into what's going on at the Tacoma port? A bunch of people's vehicles have been stolen, as well as some people having parts stolen, all roughly in the same timeframe.

[@Boostedm3nace]

I’m going to be sending my car to a shop to get a built engine. The shop is 266mi away. What is the best website for the average person to find a transporter? I’m located in Northern Va.

[@switchcars]

There isn't one. However, if you're in VA use Applewood Motorcar Transport, based out of WV.