Car hauling dispatch that fills every slot on the route
Car hauling dispatch is a puzzle: several shippers, several pickups and drops, and a trailer that only pays when it's full. We build loads along one route from dealers, auctions and private customers, check each vehicle before it's added, and keep the condition reports straight so a scratch you didn't cause doesn't become your bill.
5% for semi car haulers, 7% for pickup-pulled wedges, no contract, and you approve every load.
What do you run?
Load a wedge or a stinger and watch the numbers
Pick a rig, add vehicles and set a rate per car. The loader counts empty slots, checks the weight against your trailer's capacity, and works out the load and our fee. For a pickup and wedge, put in the weight ratings and see where the Class A CDL line falls. Every weight, rate and capacity here is an example; use your own.
Add vehicles (example weights)
- Cars loaded
- 2 of 3
- Cargo weight
- 7,700 lb
- Within capacity
- Yes
- Load gross
- $900
- Fee at 7%
- $63
- Empty slots
- 1
GCWR 29,000 lb with a trailer rated 15,000 lb: this combination needs a Class A CDL. The CDL line uses the weight ratings, not what you're carrying today.
Source:49 CFR 383.91, commercial motor vehicle groups (Class A combination, Class B straight) · checked 2026-10(Class A: GCWR 26,001 lb or more with a towed unit rated over 10,000 lb)
An empty slot is the most expensive thing on a car hauler. The miles, fuel and tolls are the same whether the trailer carries seven cars or nine, so the last two vehicles are close to pure profit. That's why car hauler dispatch is mostly about filling slots without adding miles, and why a slightly lower rate per car on a full load usually beats a higher rate on a half-empty one.
Weight matters too, especially on a wedge. Trucks and SUVs weigh far more than compact cars, and a load of pickups can hit your capacity with slots still open. We check vehicle types against your limits before we build the load, not at the auction gate.
Wedge or stinger: two different businesses
Both haul cars. They live on different freight, different lanes and different rules.
| Question | Pickup + wedge | Semi + stinger or open hauler |
|---|---|---|
| Typical capacity | A few vehicles | Many vehicles, often 7 to 9 |
| CDL | Depends on the weight ratings (Class A line above) | Class A |
| Typical work | Dealer trades, auctions, private moves, short and regional | Dealer and auction volume, long haul, manufacturer freight |
| Startup cost | Lower | Higher |
| Our fee | 7% (hotshot tier) | 5% standard, 4% for 2+ trucks |
| Biggest risk | Overweight with heavy vehicles | Empty slots on long runs |
Capacity depends on the trailer and the vehicles. A stinger loaded with full-size pickups carries fewer units than one loaded with compacts.
Wedges overlap with hotshot work in a lot of ways: the same pickups, the same CDL questions, the same weight margins. If you also run a flatbed gooseneck, our hotshot dispatch page covers that side. If you're starting out, the car hauling business guide walks through trailers, insurance and costs.
Every car, every stop, before you say yes
A car hauler offer is really several small offers. You see each vehicle, whether it runs, where it's picked up and dropped, the rate per car and the total. You decide on the whole load. If you book it, the confirmation comes straight to you.
Load offer / Stinger
Atlanta, GA to Dallas, TX
- Miles
- 780
- Rate
- $3,600
- Per mile
- $4.62
On the rate con: 8 cars, 2 auction pickups, all running, 3 drops
Pickup: Mon 08:00
Nothing is booked until you say so. You see the lane, the miles, the rate and every extra before anyone commits your truck.
The pickup inspection decides every damage claim
Car hauling claims are won or lost at the pickup. Here's the inspection habit we ask every car hauler to follow, on every vehicle.
- 01Walk the whole vehicleEvery panel, bumper, mirror, wheel and the windshield, in good light.
- 02Photograph everythingWide shots of each side plus close-ups of every existing mark. Time-stamped.
- 03Mark it on the condition reportEvery scratch, dent and chip noted on the bill of lading before you load.
- 04Get it signedThe shipper or auction rep signs the condition report at pickup.
- 05Note what isn't thereMissing keys, missing parts, a low tire, a warning light on the dash.
- 06Repeat at deliverySame walk, same photos, signed by the receiver before you leave.
Brokers and customers also look at your cargo insurance before they release vehicles, especially high-value ones. Your limit has to cover the most expensive vehicle and the whole load. We match offers to the coverage you carry, so a load that needs a higher limit never reaches you as a surprise.
Night and weather pickups are where inspections slip. Rain hides scratches and a dark lot hides dents. If you have to load in bad light, write that on the condition report, something like inspected at night in rain, and photograph the vehicles again at first light before you roll. It isn't a perfect defense, but it shows the condition couldn't be fully checked at pickup, which matters if a claim comes later. When a shipper rushes you through an inspection, that's the moment to slow down. Call us if the pressure gets in the way of doing it right, and we'll handle the conversation with the broker.
How we build a full load along one route
A full car hauler doesn't happen by accident. This is the order we work in when we plan your trailer.
- AnchorFind a multi-car pickup that sets the direction: several vehicles from one dealer or auction going the same way.
- CorridorList every pickup and drop within a short detour of that route.
- FillAdd single vehicles along the corridor until the slots are full, checking weight as we go.
- SequenceOrder the stops so the last car on is the first car off, and no vehicle gets moved twice.
- CheckConfirm each vehicle runs, or note which ones need a winch, before the offer reaches you.
- ReloadLine up the backhaul out of the delivery area before you drop the last car.
Our opinion: the backhaul is where most car haulers lose the week. Heading out full and coming home with two cars is a common story. We start looking for the return load as soon as the outbound load is set.
Dealers, auctions and private customers
Car hauling freight comes from three kinds of customers. Each one pays, loads and complains differently, and a good week usually mixes all three on the same route.
Dealers
Dealer trades and inventory moves are steady work with known addresses and business hours. Dealers care about on-time delivery and clean condition reports, and they often have several vehicles going the same direction, which makes them good anchors for a full load.
Auctions
Auctions move a lot of vehicles in bursts after each sale. Gate releases, lot numbers and pickup windows matter, and lines at the gate can eat hours. Vehicles can be non-running or missing keys, so every auction pickup gets checked before it's added to your load.
Private customers
Individual owners shipping one car pay well per vehicle but need more handholding: residential pickups, flexible times and a lot of questions. They fill the last slots on a route well, as long as the address works for your rig.
Non-runners, keys and the setup call
Non-running vehicles
A vehicle that doesn't run takes longer to load, needs a winch, and can block other slots if it goes on in the wrong order. It should pay more, and the rate con should say it's inoperable. We confirm running status before a vehicle reaches your offer, and if a car listed as running won't start at pickup, we deal with the broker about the rate before you spend an hour winching.
Keys and paperwork
Missing keys at pickup can stop a load cold. We confirm keys are with the vehicle or with the gate, and we make sure release paperwork from auctions is ready, so you're not standing at a gate waiting on a phone call.
What we ask on the setup call
- 01Rig and slotsWedge or stinger, how many vehicles, and whether your top deck takes heavy trucks.
- 02Weight ratingsTruck and trailer ratings, so we never offer a load that crosses a line you can't cross.
- 03Winch and non-runnersWhether you'll take inoperable vehicles, and how many per load.
- 04Cargo insurance limitThe ceiling on what a single vehicle and the whole load can be worth.
- 05Lanes and home timeWhere you like to run, and how far you'll go for a backhaul.
- 06Residential pickupsSome rigs can't get into neighborhoods. Tell us yours.
The car hauling calendar
Vehicle shipping has its own seasons. Snowbirds ship cars south in the fall and back north in the spring, which fills some lanes in one direction for weeks at a time and leaves the opposite direction thin. Dealer inventory moves change with new model releases and year-end selling. Auction volume rises and falls with the used car market.
For a carrier, that means the same lane can be easy to fill in one month and hard to fill in the next. We plan your routes around where vehicles are heading, and we tell you plainly when a lane is about to go one-directional so you can decide whether to follow the freight or stay closer to home.
What car hauler dispatch costs
Semi car haulers pay 5% of gross with an MC older than 6 months, and fleets of 2 or more semi trucks pay 4%. Car haulers pulled by a pickup are billed at the hotshot rate, 7%, the same tier as hotshots. New MCs pay 7% until month 6.
No setup fee, no minimums, month-to-month with 30 days notice. Full details are on the dispatch pricing page. To see what a full load leaves you after fuel and costs, run it through the load profitability calculator.
- Cars
- 8
- Rate per car
- $450
- Load gross
- $3,600
- Fee at 5%
- $180
Where car haulers lose money, and when you don't need us
Five common money leaks
- 01Leaving with open slotsTaking a load at three-quarters full because filling it felt like too many calls.
- 02Out-of-route pickupsA single car that pays well but adds a long detour costs more than it earns.
- 03Skipping the inspectionOne unrecorded scratch can wipe out the profit on a whole load.
- 04Surprise non-runnersWinching a car listed as running, at the running rate.
- 05Coming home lightA full load out and a half load back is only a half-paid trip, however good the first leg looked.
When you don't need a dispatcher
If a dealer group or an auction already keeps your trailer full in both directions, you probably don't need us, and we'd rather tell you than take a cut of loads you booked yourself. The same goes for a wedge running a few steady local trades a week.
Where we earn the fee is the gaps: the empty slots, the backhaul, the calls to five customers to fill one trailer, and the paperwork when a vehicle isn't what the listing said. Tell us what's already spoken for, and we'll build around it.
Car hauler dispatch questions
Note 01How much does car hauler dispatch cost?
Car haulers pulled by a semi tractor pay 5% of gross with an MC older than 6 months, or 4% for fleets of 2 or more semi trucks. Car haulers pulled by a pickup, like most wedges, are billed at the hotshot rate of 7%. New MCs pay 7% until month 6. No setup fee, no contract.
Note 02Do you dispatch non-CDL wedge trailers?
Yes, as long as your combination stays under the Class A line and you run it legally. A pickup and wedge combination with a weight rating of 26,001 lb or more, towing a trailer rated over 10,000 lb, needs a Class A CDL. Check your ratings in the loader on this page, and tell us honestly where you stand.
Note 03How do you fill a 9-car load?
By building it along one route instead of grabbing whatever posts first. We start with an anchor load, often several cars from one dealer or auction, then fill the remaining slots with pickups and drops along the same corridor. The aim is a full trailer with few out-of-route miles, not a full trailer that zigzags across three states.
Note 04Who handles damage claims?
Claims go through your cargo insurance, and the record you make at pickup decides how they go. That's why the condition report on the bill of lading, with photos of every panel, matters so much. We help you deal with the broker or customer and gather the paperwork, but the inspection at pickup is what protects you.
Note 05Do I approve every load?
Every one. You see each vehicle, its pickup and drop location, whether it runs, the rate per car and the total before you decide. If you book it, the confirmation comes from the broker or customer straight to you. Turning a load down costs nothing, and a non-running vehicle never gets added without your say.
Send your rig and capacity. Get loads built to fill it.
Fee
5% of gross
Setup
$0
Contract
Month-to-month
Loads
Your call, every time