The Auto Transport Industry is Changing! Are you Ready!

The broker bond is increasing to $75,000 in July 2013. All brokers must comply and must have a 3 year history in a relevant business or certified training. This will cause many small and financially unsound companies to go out of business. Our biggest concern is that carriers are going to get stuck with bill of ladings that will never be paid and broker bonds that are already maxed out.

As you already know High End Transport, Inc. pays its carriers within 2 business days of delivery. This means that we don’t use your money to pay OUR bills. We pay you first then wait sometimes 30, 60, 90 or more for the shippers to pay us. Be careful about which brokers you choose to pick up vehicles for, especially when we get closer to that July 31st deadline.

Another thing changing is severe penalties of $10,000 for EACH violation for BROKERING WITHOUT A LICENSE and UNLIMITED liability for payments. ANYONE brokering transport without a license including carriers will now be subject to those penalties.

If you would like a copy of the bill or the “cheat sheet” with the things that apply to our industry please email me. The team at High End Transport, Inc. values Carriers as partners in the Auto Transport Industry and we look forward to our continued relationship.

Auto Transport Makes Top 10 Complaints for BBB

Auto Transport Makes Top 10 Complaints for BBB SE Florida!
So why doesn’t it make Top 10 Inquiries?
Every month in the “New Trends @ BBB” you will see Automobile Transporting Services listed under the “Top Ten Complaints.” Rarely do you see it listed under the “Top Ten Inquiries.” Collectively we as consumers do a good job of policing industries. For the most part we can rationalize that a company can’t be 100% perfect but if a company has multiple complaints over and over we steer clear! What does it take to get consumers and businesses checking every vendor or company they are about to work with on the BBB first? I can’t answer that question but I can tell you why you should.
Auto transport has had its share of “bad apples:” brokers who have taken orders to move customer cars but never get the job done and carriers illegally brokering your transport to a “buddy” who never picks up the car. This can be financially devastating to a person who is moving and doesn’t have a vehicle, maybe starting a new job with no transportation etc. Also, if you just bought your car from a dealership or an online company you would like to receive it before you have to make your first payment! There are several ways to check out an auto transport company before you lose:
1. CHECK THE BBB! Make sure they have some type of “A” rating anything lower is not a good sign. They have not been verified as a legitimate company. They don’t respond, resolve or care about customer complaints or they just have so many complaints something is not right!
2. Ask for their “MC” number and verify it with www.fmcsa.dot.gov . If they are broker their broker status should say “Active.” If they are a carrier or a contract carrier their status should be “Active” and the truck picking up your car MUST have the same name and MC number on the side as the company you hired. No Exceptions No Excuses it’s a federal regulation period!
3. Google the name of the company! Just like employers Google new hires you should Google anyone you are about to do business with. Find their reviews, complaints and kudos all over the internet and make an educated decision. If something makes you uncomfortable ask them about it, sometimes the issue was a misunderstanding but you can judge by the auto transporters response.
4. Insurance – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration changed in 2011 and NO LONGER REQUIRE CARGO CARRIERS TO HAVE CARGO INSURANCE! Good brokers deal directly with the carriers’ insurance company to avoid fraud. The broker will provide you with an insurance certificate in their name for the carrier dispatched to pick up your car. If you are getting the insurance directly from the carrier you need to turn around and contact the insurance company and request the information from them directly. Insurance can lapse and since the FMCSA is no longer requiring cargo (your automobile is considered cargo) then you need to be on top of this issue.
When transporting a personally owned vehicle (POV) the toughest part is that consumers are entering into a very commercial transaction. This is not like moving your household goods (which have better consumer protections). Knowing the process is the key! Do your inspections with the carrier when the car is picked up and delivered and note any transport damage on the final inspection. Understand that you are not reserving an entire truck to yourself and there may be 2-9 other customers involved in the load. You will have pick- up and delivery windows and sometimes those change because of delays with cars before you, weather, traffic, weigh stations, DOT stops…..you see where this is going right! The only thing guaranteed in auto transport is that something will change!
Check out any company and understand the auto transport process and you will have a better and safer experience. It’s a green decision to transport your car. Every carrier you see on the road with 10 cars is 10 less cars on the road. It’s cheaper than driving it yourself, paying for fuel, hotels, tolls and giving up all of that time out of your wonderful life. Transport just transport smart!
Melissa Carbonell
Marketing Manager
High End Transport, Inc.
[email protected]

Welcome to Miami for the new members of the Miami Heat

High End Transport Inc would like to formally welcome all the new members to the Miami Heat!!! We have transported a few vehicles for some of your new team members here to South Florida and are very excited about the upcoming NBA basketball season! We are also excited to see the new additions on the Miami streets, more exotic vehicles for an exotic and expressive city!