Car shipping
Dealer auto transport and fleet moves, lot to lot
The short answer
Dealer auto transport moves auction buys, dealer trades and fleet units between lots on multi-car carriers, priced by the lane rather than by the unit. The condition report at both ends is the whole protection, because a wholesale unit has no owner standing beside it. Licensed carriers contract with you directly.
The moves this covers
All of them share one thing: the person who signs for the vehicle at each end is usually not the person who owns it.
Auction buys that have to clear the lot
Storage starts accruing quickly after the sale, and gate release rules differ by house. The constraint is rarely the drive; it is the paperwork, the keys and the hours the gate is open.
Dealer trades between rooftops
A unit sold at one store and sitting at another. Short lanes, run often, where the cost of a driver and a plate for the day is what a carrier is being compared against.
Fleet relocations and lease returns
Batches moving to a new branch, a remarketing center or a grounding dealer, often on a schedule set by somebody else. Repeatable lanes are the ones worth pricing as lanes.
Units that will not start
Auction non-runners, trade-ins with a dead battery, repossessions with no keys. Each is a different loading problem, and each has to be declared before a truck is dispatched rather than found on arrival.
How a wholesale lane gets set up
The difference between a clean lane and an expensive one is decided before the first unit moves.
Send the lane, not the unit
Origin and destination, how many vehicles, how often, the mix of body types, and the window each batch has to move in. A carrier prices a repeatable lane differently from a one-off, and it cannot do that from a single VIN.Settle access and release at both ends
Gate hours, who releases the vehicle, where the keys are, whether a full-length carrier can turn on the lot, and who signs after close. Most failed pickups are one of these, not the truck.Agree the condition report standard
What gets photographed, from which angles, in what light, and how damage is coded. Set it once for the lane so that every driver and every lot hand does the same thing and a dispute has one format to argue in.Agree billing before the first load
Per unit or per lane, what a purchase order number has to appear on, when an invoice is raised, and what happens to a unit that cannot be loaded. Ask for the cargo limit per vehicle and the deductible in the same conversation.Declare the exceptions up front
Non-runners, no keys, aftermarket lifts, dual rear wheels, anything low enough to catch a ramp. A driver who learns about these on the lot has already lost the slot to the next unit.
Upfront pricing
What a wholesale lane is priced against
These are published market ranges for one vehicle, not an offer, and not a volume rate card. InterCar Group does not quote transport and does not take payment for it: the carrier running the lane sets the price and confirms it with you.
| Service | Typical range | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Open carrier, under 500 miles | $1.25 – $2per mile | Short trade lanes carry the highest rate per mile: the driver day costs the same however short the run. |
| Open carrier, 500 to 1,500 miles | $0.65 – $1.2per mile | Regional auction and remarketing corridors. |
| Open carrier, over 1,500 miles | $0.55 – $0.95per mile | The lowest rate per mile and the highest total. |
| Unit that does not run | $150 – $300added per unit | Winch loading and the trailer position it forces. It still has to roll, steer and brake. |
Estimates only. Final price confirmed by the local operator before dispatch.
What moves this price
- Volume and repeatability. A lane that runs every week prices differently from the same route quoted once, because the carrier can plan a backhaul against it.
- Distance, on a sliding scale. The rate per mile falls as the run gets longer, so short trade lanes look expensive per mile.
- The mix. Dual rear wheels, long-wheelbase vans and lifted trucks consume deck length and payload that would otherwise carry two units.
- Loading conditions. Gate hours, lot access, where the keys live and who is authorized to release a unit all decide whether a driver loads or waits.
- Non-runners and units without keys, which need winching, a specific trailer position, and warning before dispatch.
- Direction. Carriers price the way a corridor is running, so an outbound lane and its return can differ noticeably in the same week.
Where these ranges come from
- FreightWaves Checkpoint — How Much Does It Cost To Ship a Car?Checked August 30, 2026
Where these statements come from
Anything numeric or regulatory on this page carries the document it was read from and the date it was checked against it. A claim with no source is left off the page.
Published market data puts per-mile rates at about $1.25 to $2.00 under 500 miles, $0.65 to $1.20 from 500 to 1,500 miles, and $0.55 to $0.95 above 1,500 miles, for one vehicle.
FreightWaves Checkpoint — How Much Does It Cost To Ship a Car?Checked August 30, 2026
A vehicle that does not run typically adds about $150 to $300 to a transport quote, because it has to be winch-loaded.
FreightWaves Checkpoint — How Much Does It Cost To Ship a Car?Checked August 30, 2026
Inoperable-vehicle shipping is priced roughly 20% to 50% above running-vehicle rates, with the winch equipment surcharge alone reported at $150 to $350.
AmeriFreight — How to Transport a Non-Running CarChecked August 30, 2026
A registered arranger of vehicle transport must keep a $75,000 surety bond or trust fund in effect, filed with FMCSA on Form BMC-84 or BMC-85, and FMCSA will not register one until that security is in place. It is a reasonable thing to ask any counterparty to evidence.
49 CFR 387.307 — Property broker surety bond or trust fund (eCFR)Checked August 30, 2026
Under 49 U.S.C. 13901, a person may provide the service of arranging transportation by motor carrier for compensation only if registered with FMCSA to do so. InterCar Group is not registered, which is why nothing on this page is a quote or a booking.
49 U.S.C. 13901 — Requirements for registration (govinfo)Checked August 30, 2026
FMCSA identifies every regulated entity by a USDOT number, and the statute requires that identification on documents for business transactions involving brokers, freight forwarders and for-hire motor carriers. Ask any carrier for its number, and check it yourself, before you agree to anything.
Federal Register — Availability of Motus, FMCSA’s New Registration System, 91 FR 23144Checked August 30, 2026
Frequently asked questions
How is dealer auto transport usually billed?
By the unit on a one-off move and by the lane once volume is regular, with the per-mile rate falling as distance rises. Agree before the first load what a purchase order number has to appear on, when an invoice is raised, and what is charged if a unit cannot be loaded because it will not start or nobody can release it.
What should a condition report show?
Every panel, both bumpers, the wheels, the glass, the roof and the odometer, photographed in daylight at pickup and again at delivery, with damage marked on the Bill of Lading diagram before anyone signs. Set the angles and the damage codes once for the lane. A dispute is decided on documents, so the documents are the part worth standardizing.
Can a carrier collect from an auction without one of us there?
Usually, provided the release paperwork, the gate pass and the keys are arranged in advance and the house allows it. Confirm who is authorized to sign the Bill of Lading on your behalf and make sure they know to inspect first. A driver at a closed gate is a wasted trip that somebody is billed for.
What happens to a unit with no keys or a dead battery?
It has to be declared before dispatch. If it rolls, steers and brakes it can be winched aboard, which adds roughly $150 to $300 and needs a particular position on the trailer. If it will not roll it is a forklift or a wrecker job instead, at a different price. A surprise on the lot can mean a refused load and a charge for the trip.
Are you a broker?
No. InterCar Group holds no FMCSA operating authority of any kind, so we never quote a firm price, never take a deposit, never dispatch a truck and never hold funds. We pass a lane to licensed carriers, who quote you, contract with you and are paid by you, directly. Ask each of them for its USDOT number and verify it before you place volume with anyone.
Last updated
Send a lane and let carriers price it
Origin and destination, how many units, how often, and the body types. We pass the lane to licensed carriers, who quote you and contract with you directly. We book nothing, hold no funds and take no payment.
Estimates only. The local operator confirms the final price before dispatch.