ADTS AutoTransport

sounds good bonniemac0223@yahoo.com 727-484-4815 I am currently in Spring Hill FL but home is Mooresville NC. I have been spending more time here in FL lately

Great pictures! Your comments about Brokers has merit but that is not how I did business. I think being a carrier for so many years and then becoming a broker I came in knowing what it took for a carrier to survive and I did my best to always get them the best rate possible. The biggest problem for me was trying to compete with the scum brokers and when I wasn't doing that I was constantly defending my honor as a broker. It is not an easy business to be in when 90 % of them suck. As for the "you people" stuff - those are the "damn broker" type. I was never one of those. I always asked my carriers to tell me pick up and delivery dates. If I thought they were cutting it too short I would always add a day to it to be on the safe side. It has been very difficult to convince my customers that things have changed drastically with the electronic logs but they don't want to hear it. I bid things medium high all the time. Getting my customers to accept that was another story. It hurt to give up after all these years but I have some serious health issues and stress is a huge trigger and this business is ALL stress if you give a damn about what you are doing.

I haven't posted in awhile but still get notifications from here. I spent over 15 years in the business as a carrier and broker and was very good at what I did. I took a lot of pride in my job as a broker but was constantly having to defend myself because of all the companies that were just in it to collect their part of the payment and didn't give a darn if the job got done or not. I have always taken pride in our company and gave each customer 100%. Unfortunately, my health has taken a turn for the worse and I am no longer able to work. It killed me to shut the doors on my business but it won't kill me to have to defend my company anymore. It sucks to be a good, honest person in a business where the majority are crooks or just don't care. I want to leave you with some good information that you can use to check out any carrier or broker you want to use. First and foremost, get their DOT number. That is the number that you need to check them out. Used to be the MC number but DOT is phasing that out. Once you have the DOT number go to these websites to check them out: 1. https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/ If you only use one check point this is the one. This is FMCSA/DOT website. When you go there go down the page on the left and put in the DOT number for any carrier and it will give you a boatload of information including safety rating, accidents, etc. If their numbers are higher than the national average I wouldn't use them. You can see every time they were stopped and inspected and what their problems were as well as any accidents. If it is a logbook violation it isn't so bad but if it is a mechanical infraction you know to avoid them. If they show an OOS infraction that means the DOT officer parked them and put them Out of Service either to get their logs straight or to fix a mechanical problem. Those are serious and you don't want your car sitting on a trailer that is unsafe or going to be parked for up to 11 hours. 2. https://www.transportreviews.com/ This site is the biggest Review website for carriers. This will show CUSTOMER complaints where the FMCSA will show the DOT complaints. Good luck to you all. There are still some good brokers out there who will work hard to make sure your vehicle is handled right. Don't be quick to write them off because of all the bad ones. I still have this thread on my notifications. If there is anything I can do for you or any questions I can answer about car hauling I would be happy to help. Bonnie Walker

Ted how did you find that broker that took your money and never transported your car? My guess is you went online and went to a website that is a quote collector site, they sold your quote to other companies that have to buy leads, and they bid it at a price they knew would get you but a price that there wasn't a chance in hell they could move it for. They give all us legitimate companies a bad name. There are QUOTE COLLECTOR BROKERS and then there are LEGITIMATE AUTO TRANSPORT BROKERS. Quick way to tell the difference is to look at the URL for the website you are at before requesting a quote. If the url is different than the company name run like hell.

Shaking my head. I rest my case. PLEASE click on this link! Once you get there go up top and look at the web address. This is one of those clearing house bullcrap sites that entices you to get a quote from them and then they sell that request to a minimum of 10 other companies for a minimum of 1.00 each. You will be bombarded and harassed and pressured and promised the world if you go with them right now..blah, blah, blah. Would someone in here please follow through getting a quote from this company so I can finally convince you that I know what I am talking about. Just one more tip for you - when you get to the page where you are asking for the quote check the website url. If it doesn't say the name of THAT company it is a quote collector and nothing more. Someone please be brave and ask them for a quote and then report back.

I agree ClickClack - don't EVER go to one of those sights that offer 10 quotes because they are just a clearing house so to speak. They are paid to get quote requests and then they sell those to at least 10 different companies and those companies will normally bombard you. Their only interest is getting your deposit and their job is done and then it is up to the company to get it done for that low ball bid. It's a racket. Ready Auto Transport is a major auto transport broker. If you go to their website (see the link below) you can get an instant quote right there. I would recommend anyone getting their quote first and then comparing the price you got from them with what else you get. They are usually medium high to high but a really good company and you know when you get the quote there it won't be sold. I always tell my customers to go there and get a rate and then compare it with mine and go from there. We do the same thing, they are just on a MUCH larger scale. http://www.readyautotransport.com/Default.aspx?DealerID=32&WT.svl=m_prod_tools_trans_ratorangebutton

I had their name and put them on my do not load list but think their name should not be shared at this time. My point with the photo was that these priceless cars were parked and left in a truck stop parking lot and left unattended. Even if this carrier was paid to haul them in an open trailer this is inappropriate to do with a customer's car, in my opinion. It isn't illegal but if those were my cars sitting there I would be ticked off. As for DAS, you should check their status. They are going down fast. All my carriers sign a contract giving me permission to withhold their pay if there is a damage claim until all damage has been recovered. Answers to your other questions: No I don't check to make sure the cars I book have insurance. That is their risk to take. My job is to make sure the carrier is covered sufficiently. I do tell my customers that they are not permitted to put any personal belongings in their car and that if there are any the carrier has the option of taking the vehicle or refusing it. If a vehicle was not booked as an inop and it is one when the driver arrives it is up to the driver to tell me if they want more to pick it up and I bring that back to the customer and he can either pay the additional fee or cancel the booking altogether. I don't expect a carrier to do anything other than what they booked for. As for prepping the car for transport, I expect my drivers to be experienced enough hauling classics to know how to do their job. Prepaying on a vehicle is always an option for any broker but it is not something I do. My rates vary based on my customer's needs, current truck availability, time of year, whether or not my customer is in a hurry, and other criteria. I work FOR my customer so I am looking to get them the best rate without going too low so as to not be able to get a good carrier. If my customer wants it as cheap as possible I go cheap as possible with them knowing what that means. If they want the best carrier then I go high. My standard rates are medium high because that is what my carriers expect. If we are talking about a single car for a one time customer I charge a $100.00 deposit and the balance COD. The COD amount is what the carrier gets paid. FYI everyone, that is how this works. What your broker asks for as a deposit is normally what they charge you and the COD amount is what the carrier makes. If your deposit is higher than 100 - 150 then you are paying too much. My regular customers pay less. Like I said, I work for my customer and want their business. I mostly work with dealerships and specialty cars. I want them to come back to me if they need another car moved and to refer their friends to us. It would be stupid of me to overcharge them. I have enjoyed our conversation and it is good to educate people on how this industry works, what to avoid, what to ask for, etc. We are doing them a service here. I respect your knowledge and opinions. You asked me before for my DOT information. I trust you looked me up and found that my company has no complaints against them and only positive feedback and that I do have a 5 star rating?

One more thing to mention here - DAS (Dependable Auto Shippers), the huge broker/carrier that was mentioned above - be forewarned, they have taken a major turn for the worse. Bigger is NOT always better. http://www.transportreviews.com/company/Dependable-Auto-ShippersThey have had over 50 complaints filed against them in the last month on Central Dispatch and I have been informed that their bond has long been depleted by carriers that have not been paid. So be careful. It is always good to come here and ask people who they have used or look up the ones (like me) that claim to be good. Check them out always on TransportReviews.com and from there you can click on the links that take you right to their licensing info. This is definitely a buyer beware business and I have to fight off the opinion that ALL brokers are bad every day. We aren't. If you find the right one that has your best interest in mind and works FOR you and WITH you then hang on to them for dear life because that carrier that you know and love may not always be able to get your vehicle to where you want to go.

I absolutely NEVER pay my carriers when they pick up a vehicle. If you do that you really DO lose control. It is in my contract with all my carriers (who I screen well) that I will withhold their pay until all damage claims are paid if any. With the high deductibles that some carriers have on their cargo insurance policies that is the only leverage I have to make sure that deductible gets covered. Not to mention that if you pay them up front they have no incentive to get the job done on time. I also have a clause in my contract that I will deduct a percentage of their pay if they are late delivering my vehicles without good cause. If they tell me they had mechanical problems they are required to show me a work order receipt. I run a tight ship with my guys and the good ones have no problem signing my contract. The ones that won't don't work for me. To work with me your company would have to be in business a certain amount of years, not have had your authority revoked at any time, no constant changes in insurance, have no complaints on Transportreviews.com, have above average DOT safety rating (love the new system), no OOS shutdowns in the past 12 months, and a performance rating on CD of 98% or higher. Their insurance has to meet my requirements and cargo insurance high enough to cover the number of cars they are able to haul. I must be a certificate holder on their insurance so I get notified of any lapse in coverage. Now I can't guarantee that nothing will ever go wrong with my carriers but with the screening I do, problems are at a minimum. I intentionally have kept my company at a size where I still have control over the day to day operations of both the NC and FL offices. I require phones to be answered at all times and each transport to be monitored closely and everyone kept up to date on what is happening at any time. My name is on the line with every car that gets moved through us. You know well that it doesn't take but a few bad transports to ruin you in this business. You can go 5 years with no problems and have a few that get away from you and your ratings go to hell. I have a 5 star rating with Transportreviews.com (http://www.transportreviews.com/Company/American-Dream-Transport-Services) and work hard to maintain it. I have the link to TransportReviews.com on my front page of my website and include it in all my correspondence so if ever anyone had an unresolved issue with us they had full access to blast us on there. Click on the link and check us out. All my DOT info is right there. I have nothing to hide. There is always going to be a difference of opinion as to whether to go with a broker or carrier and I will admit that "broker" is a 4 letter word a lot of the time. I just don't want to be lumped into that category. I work hard, pay my carriers well and word of mouth is about all the advertising I need. If you want to check my business references I will provide you that information privately and you can feel free to contact my biggest customers to see what they have to say as long as you agree to report back here on the results. And for the record, that photo did not come from the internet. My husband, who has been transporting for well over 20 years, was at the 595 truck stop in Davie Florida and was appalled at what he was witnessing. He took the photo and sent it to me along with the name of the carrier so I could look them up and make sure they never hauled for us.

I beg to differ. Look at the cars in that photo. They were LEFT in the parking lot in the rain period and there is no way anyone in their right mind would have shipped those vehicles in an open trailer. I DID NOT get the picture from the internet. I don't need to pump my business up on here. I do just fine thank you and have many references to back that up. My interest here is only to put facts out there and let the customer decide what is best for them. If they know a carrier and have done their homework, then go for it. If they don't, then find a good broker (like me - small company with live people that answer the phone) and let them help you get your vehicle moved. I have no problem letting my customers speak for me and what I do for them. Once you are my customer you won't go back to risking your car to a stranger.

Colt45sa I would like to address the issue of using a broker over a carrier. My husband and I have over 25 years experience in this business - 15+ as a carrier and 6 as a broker. As with any business you choose on the internet there are good ones and bad. If you google auto transport and you click on any of the first ones that pop up whose web address isn't their company name you are going to get one of those large conglomerates who sell your lead to whomever will pay for them. If you go down further and select a real company you have a better chance of getting a real company, such as mine. I am a true broker, much like an insurance agent. I work FOR you and my livelihood depends on me doing a good job for you. I will tell you exactly how this works. I give you a quote based on the route, the size of your vehicle, whether or not it runs, open or enclosed and truck availability. I do use that board you are talking about to help find out if that lane you are going in is active or not (such as trucks coming out of Florida from late March through April with snowbirds going home). There are a lot of things to base a price on. With that said, if you accept my price I then check with carriers that are already contracted with my company who are pre-screened extensively. In order to work for me they have to have been in business at least 1 year, have sufficient insurance (for 3 car we require $150,000 and $250,000 for anything larger), we check their DOT safety rating and it has to be satisfactory, we check the current status of their license, and they have to have a 95+ performance rating on that board you are talking about. Once they clear that hurdle they have to sign my contract stating they will not drive your vehicle, they will not drop it in a terminal for someone else to deliver, and that the trailer It is loaded on is the one that will deliver it. They must agree to top load any convertible as well. Once they are approved to move your vehicle I am on their ass daily to make sure they are where they are supposed to be and picking up and delivering on time or if they run into a delay I know about it and report to the customer. My customers also have the driver's name and number and are free to contact them. That "bump" you are talking about is my fee for doing all that, paying for that very expensive board, my 75,000.00 bond, etc. The deposit you pay is the amount that goes to your broker. The average broker fee is $100.00 but should NEVER be more than $200.00. Now you know how much a good broker actually does for you. Unless you personally know a carrier, know how to check their license, insurance, DOT safety rating, and their performance rating AND they are going exactly where you want then find a GOOD broker and let them work WITH you. NEVER EVER use the ones on google whose link doesn't match their company name and NEVER EVER click on one of their quote requests or you will be bombarded with 30 companies trying to get your business - those are the guys that buy those leads. Finally, before using any carrier or broker check them out on TRANSPORTREVIEWS.COM. That is the leading company for customers rating their experience with either. Here is a link to my rating. Feel free to check me out: http://www.transportreviews.com/company/american-dream-transport-services.asp. I'm not here trying to get business, just trying to educate on how to safely maneuver your way through finding a good transport company.

Matt, I agree wholeheartedly! If you KNOW a carrier and have good experience with them then that is the way to go. If you DON'T know a carrier and need your vehicle moved and are looking blind, THEN you want to look for a company like mine that IS a broker but like Matt, my company is small and I am responsible for every car moved so I am going to make sure to match you with a carrier that I have had experience with and has an opening going your way. Stay away from the big companies. Once I match you with a carrier and you have a good experience with them I fully expect that you will call them first next time you need your car moved. If he isn't available and I did a good job finding him for you, then you call me and I match you up with another good carrier. Stay small and know what you are looking for and you can have a good experience with a carrier AND a broker. Save this link and look up ANY company you are considering going with: http://www.transportreviews.com

Jim, I smiled at your last two sentences. My husband hauls high end enclosed vehicles and he would do exactly that. He is a rare bird and takes pride in what he does. As a broker, when I get a vehicle like yours to move I go straight to my best enclosed carriers that handle white glove enclosed freight. I wish I could get them to let my husband be the driver on any of my loads but I know the rest of their drivers are good. The other thing to watch for when getting a quote for an enclosed transport is to know whether you are getting a "hard side" trailer or a "soft side". They are both considered enclosed transport but the soft side is a trailer with a hard top but the sides are canvas. Avoid those because your car will be no more protected than if it was in an open trailer. The dirt still gets in the bottom and if there is any tears in the canvas your car gets even more dirty AND in winter the salt from the road comes up through the opening in the bottom of the canvas onto the cars. Just one more thing to look out for.

I'm not saying if you go with me everything would be perfect but you can bet your butt that I am going to work hard at making sure your experience with our company is a good one because I am not a large conglomerate. I am a decent sized broker who still answers the phone and my livelihood depends on my name and my rating. That is why I protect my 5 Star rating with my life...because it is. I don't hide anything and even send you a link with your quote so you can check us out at TransportReviews.com, which is the main go-to review site for carriers and brokers. Here is the link I send all my quotes: http://www.transportreviews.com/company/american-dream-transport-services.asp. Even if you don't use our company, make sure you stay away from the very large companies that offer 10 quotes because they are nothing more than a clearing house that has bought your lead and their job is to complete the sale at all cost and get your deposit. They will price it very low to get you and then once they got you sell it to one of the 100 companies that they work with. Choose a smaller company who has a good rating and who answers the phone.

I HIGHLY disagree with using a carrier over a broker! I have been a carrier since 1997 and an auto transport broker for 5 years. Unless you are skilled in detective work or know your carrier personally you are taking a HUGE risk hiring a carrier. As a broker it is my job to protect my customers from putting their priceless vehicles on any transporter without first checking that their licensing is current, that they have adequate insurance to cover ALL the cars they are transporting, that their safety rating is at 90 or above with DOT, and that they do not have a negative performance rating with the national transportation review company. In addition, I belong to a national board of brokers and carriers who rate the performance of each and I use only transporters that rate 96% and above. Unless you are capable of having all that information in hand you have no idea what is going to happen to your vehicle. Here is a perfect example of hiring a carrier instead of a broker. One of my drivers recently sent me these photos of priceless cars sitting in a parking lot, UNATTENDED, IN THE RAIN! This particular carrier is using this truck stop as a terminal and brings his vehicles here in nice enclosed trailers, drops them and then takes them to their destination (in this case the port) on an open carrier. I know this company and their ratings and if you did you would NEVER use them. Yes, there are brokers out there that are ridiculous and take your deposit then leave you hanging but like all businesses you do your homework and avoid the obvious pitfalls ("get 10 free quotes quick") and you hire a responsible company that has a good rating and references, like mine. Here is a picture that speaks for itself as to why you don't hire a carrier instead of a broker! Bonnie McAlexander, Owner American Dream Transport Services Web: www.AmericanDreamTransport.com