Among all the federal and state government regulations, the auto transport industry is essentially unregulated.  Critics say the problem began in the mid-1990's when Congress shut down the Interstate Commerce Commission.  The responsibility of ICC has then been passed down to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which passed it down to its FHA and FMCSA.  Out of 600 employees that ICC once had, only 60 remained and those now deal strictly with licensing.

With the advent of the internet, movers no longer need a physical office.  Car movers can now setup a website and get an 800 number practically in a day and start lowball bidding consumers and disappear just as quickly.  Since consumers very often tend to go with the lowest price, they are easily lured by such dishonest movers.  It is even possible to find numerous websites appearing to be independent companies using the same 800 number.  

Consumers who search online for an auto transporter are very likely to come across lead generating sites.  Some of the sites claim to be authentic auto transporters, when in fact they simply sell leads to about 7-10 transport brokers.  At the end, consumer is left with about 10 quotes, with probably half of them being "low-ball" quotes designed to lure consumers into signing contracts.  Needles to say about countless phone calls and emails from about 10 companies.  Consumers will usually lose their deposit if they choose to cancel the order or are not willing to pay the add-on fees to "expedite" the shipment.      

WHAT CAN CONSUMERS DO?

• Beware of companies that require an upfront deposit.  Ten percent or so is fine, but never pay the full amount.  Opt for "COD" (cash on delivery) method of payment.  
• Run from companies that claim they have their own trucks when in fact they are simply brokers who may not even have a pickup truck. If a company make such a claim, ask for their USDOT number.  All carriers who run interstate operations must have a USDOT number.    
• Read the contract fully before signing.  
• Don't settle on the lowest price.  Usually it's an invitation for more problems and fraud then one ever would want to deal with.  

(Some of the information used here was taken from a report written by Bob Sullivan, MSNBC News)

Here is an accident our missions group from MGC happened to drive by on I-5 on our way to Mexico.  Not exactly sure how it happened.

Another very satisfied customer.  Car was shipped from Texas to Washington.
http://www.transportreviews.com/company/pavel-and-sons-auto-transport.asp

Here is another satisfied customer.  Please visit the following link to read the entire reviews:
http://www.transportreviews.com/review/00014666.asp

Pavel & Sons Auto Transport is currently offering a deal for all Sacramento car shipping services to Dallas or Houston, Texas.  For a regular size running sedan you pay only $750.  Being a Sacramento based car shipping company, we offer up to a week of free storage at our Sacramento secure terminal.  So if you are on a tight schedule, please give our dispatch a call and we promise to do our best to help you with shipping your car to Texas.     

Following is a snapshot of Pavel & Sons company profile from the national dispatch boards.  We hold 100% rating among other brokers and carriers.

This is Friday, and I'm trying to get my driver loaded back from Texas to Northern California.  I came across a posting of (5) 2011 Toyota Camrys coming from Arlington, TX to San Jose, CA that paid $1250.  That's .15 cents/mile.  Typical of some dealerships to post such ridiculous rates.  So I called the dealership and asked about the rate.  Apparently he thinks someone will take it because in the past someone had transported his cars for $250/each out of that area.  I asked him again if he's not confusing Los Angeles or some other city because the rate is quite absurd.  He hung up the phone. 

Made me think, who in the world would take such cheap freight?  If someone can afford to take it, then they definitely don't pay for insurance, license...anything.  Or this is just another dealership exploiting desperate drivers who are willing to take anything just to stay on the road.  In this case, it's not even profitable to take it.  Would like to hear your comments on this.

Pavel & Sons Auto Transport is an auto carrier.  That means that the car you book will be moved by our truck.  To better serve our customers, we started working with a company called Gideon Logistics.  By combining our years of car shipping experience with their access to thousands of other qualified drivers we can truly provide car shipping services anywhere in continental United States.  We qualify every driver on individual basis to make sure they have the required insurance and are in good standing with the FMSCA.  We are always here and ready to help you make your next car shipping need a reality.       

Sacramento car shipping shouldn't be a problem at all.  Pavel & Sons Auto Transport can provide car shipping services anywhere nationwide.  Being Sacramento based, our routes often originate in Sacramento.  We have a secure terminal in Sacramento and can provide car storage services as well.  We can ship cars to and from the entire Bay Area cities such as Vacaville, Fairfield, Vallejo, Martinez, Concord, Richmond, Oakland, San Leandro, Hayward, Fremont, Sunnyvale, San Jose, and Santa Clara to name a few.  We can provide car shipping services on a weekly basis to and from Texas cities such as Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Grand Prairie, Austin, Houston, Spring and San Antonio to name a few.  Should you need to move your car to or from Sacramento, please give Pavel & Sons a call and speak to our friendly dispatchers to see our availability or submit a free quote request on our website and someone will get back shortly. 

Here is a situation that happened to our company last week involving Door to Door Auto Transport Inc (7582 S. Las Vegas Blvd, # 215 Las Vegas, NV 89123, MC#: 699310).  Last week, we were contracted by the broker to move a vehicle from Texas to California.  The order was to be paid in cash on delivery (COD).  However, when our driver arrived in California to drop off the car the customer was very surprised when the driver asked for the payment.  As it turned out, the broker charged the customer the full amount upfront and then went to tell us that the customer owes us a balance on delivery.  Sadly it happened over the weekend, so we could not get a hold of the broker.  After numerous attempts as I started calling them on Monday,  I finally got dispatch on the line yet was quickly transferred to the accounting which went right into voice-mail.  As I continued calling them, they blocked my phone number from calling them altogether.  We are currently working with the customer's bank to dispute the money paid by the customer as well as with the broker's bond issuer.

Let this be a word of warning to all the carriers out there, just because it is a COD, doesn't mean it is a safe and secure load.  I suggest you contact the customer immediately upon receiving the dispatch sheet to verify the amount due and in what form.

Word of suggestion to our customers, please be very careful with the company you choose to ship your car.  Don't let the lowest price be your choosing factor.  There are numerous transport review websites that will help you make the right choice.