The Difference Between Contract, Private, and Common Carriers

The auto transport industry is a bit more complicated than many people think, as there are a multitude of carriers in operation, all of which may not be accessible to a single person. All of the transport carriers that you may see while driving is not all necessarily part of the same service that you'll find on your typical auto transport website. There are actually three types of carriers, which are:

• Contract carriers
• Private carriers
• Common carriers

Here's what differentiates each one from the other:

Contract Carriers

Contract carriers are those who have agreed to work exclusively for a single client. That's why they only deliver cars for that one firm. Some auto transport brokers brag about the fact that they, too, operate as carriers, and they have contract carriers with whom they work.

They are less prevalent now and will become even rarer in the future. Because of how auto transport brokers compare prices and availability across a wide range of carriers, this is the case. Only the largest auto transport brokers, often those with a national footprint, have any use for contract carriers.

Common Carriers

Common carriers are the most common out of the three ones mentioned. They are carriers that are able to be hired by any auto transport broker for an agreed upon price. The majority of the common carriers have open transport trucks, and they are the most efficient and affordable way of transporting vehicles, especially if there is more than one at a time.

Common carriers have to have a full auto transport license, not to mention be fully insured and bonded. The vast majority of auto transport carriers that you might see on the highway are common carriers. Because they are so numerous, they are highly competitive with each other. This allows auto transport brokers to be offered attractive prices, which increases their own profit margins and allows them to, in turn, charge their customers an affordable rate. The reason why your vehicle can be picked up almost immediately at times is due to the abundance of common carriers on the road.

Private Carriers

While common and contract carriers are available to the regular consumer, private carriers are not. Private carriers are not used by auto transport brokers. Instead, they are mostly used by large organizations and companies that have a need to transport a high amount of vehicles. One such example would be automobile manufacturers. In order to make sure that the vehicles get to their dealerships, they haul them themselves directly from the production plant. It's rare that you will be able to ship your vehicle using a private carrier.

As already mentioned, your vehicle will most likely be shipped using a common carrier. Common carriers are able to provide as good of security and service as the other two types, which A-1 Auto Transport works hard to ensure!