Home Car Shipping Guide Brokers and Motor Carriers
Brokers and Motor Carriers
If a company dispatches a truck it operates, it is acting as a carrier. If it arranges a carrier for you, it is acting as a broker.
Bigfella Auto Express is an FMCSA-authorized broker, USDOT 4133743 and MC-1583439. The assigned carrier is the company that shows up with the truck. You can verify a USDOT number on the FMCSA SAFER site. Before dispatch, Bigfella checks authority and looks for cargo coverage of $150,000 or more on the carrier’s certificate. That review is real. It is not a magic claim that every carrier is identical or that a shipment cannot have a problem.
Key facts
- Bigfella
- Transportation broker. Does not drive the truck.
- Carrier
- The motor carrier in possession of the vehicle
- Public check
- FMCSA SAFER, using the USDOT number
- Insurance check
- Cargo coverage of $150,000 or more on the certificate presented for that carrier
- Your step
- Review the carrier and the final price before payment
What the two roles are
A motor carrier operates the truck and employs or contracts the driver. A broker arranges transportation with a carrier and does not perform the haul itself. Some companies hold both authorities. The question that matters on your shipment is who is assigned to move the car, and who you approved.
Customers mix them up because both companies can sound like “the shipping company.” If you only look up the broker, you have not identified the truck. The broker versus carrier page and the carrier verification page are the operational versions of this article.
How a carrier gets onto your shipment
You describe the job
Route, vehicle, equipment, and condition. A sloppy description attracts the wrong truck.
You book for $0
The request starts search. It does not assign a driver and it does not charge you.
Bigfella searches
The search is for a qualified motor carrier, not for a random listing.
You receive the carrier’s details
Name, authority numbers, and the final price. This is the moment to look the carrier up if you want to.
You approve, then payment is processed
Approval is the gate. Bigfella Price Lock applies to that approved price for 30 days unless you change the shipment.
That carrier picks up
The driver, the inspection, and the bill of lading belong to the haul, which is covered on cargo insurance.
| Question | Broker | Motor carrier |
|---|---|---|
| Runs the truck | No | Yes |
| Arranges the match | Yes | May also book its own trucks |
| Cargo policy that applies in transit | Checks the carrier’s certificate | The policy in force for that carrier |
| Who you can look up | Bigfella: USDOT 4133743 | The assigned carrier’s own USDOT |
| Who you approve | You approve the assignment Bigfella presents | That carrier is who you are approving |
What “vetted” should mean
Here it means the checks above: authority, and a cargo certificate at the stated minimum, before dispatch. It does not mean a perfect score, an on-time rate, or a promise that a future load will match a past one. Those figures are not published because this site will not invent them. How to choose an auto transport company is the shorter checklist.
What to check before you approve
- The carrier legal name matches the assignment you were sent
- The USDOT number, looked up on the FMCSA SAFER site
- That you looked up the carrier, not only Bigfella’s broker authority
- Cargo coverage on that carrier’s certificate, which Bigfella checks at $150,000 or more
- The final price attached to that assignment
- Open or enclosed, matching what you requested
- A pickup window described as a span of time
What a SAFER lookup is for
SAFER is the public FMCSA record. Use it to see that the number you were given belongs to a company with operating authority, and that the legal name matches. It is not a review site, and it does not predict whether your driver will be early. A lookup you skip means you approved a name you did not check.
The carriers page explains the same check from Bigfella’s side. Do not stop at a slogan that says every carrier is fully vetted. This site does not make that claim. The check is authority and the cargo certificate, then your own approval.
Common mistakes
Paying before you know the carrier
The current process is the opposite. Approve first.
Looking up only Bigfella’s DOT number
That confirms the broker. Also look up the carrier on the assignment.
Hiring two brokers for one car
Both can assign a truck. Tell Bigfella if another company is already arranging the same vehicle. The booking terms cover that overlap.
See your own shipment
Get the quote, then use the carrier review as the decision point rather than as a footnote. Get a Direct Quote.
Frequently asked questions
Will Bigfella drive the truck?
No. Bigfella coordinates the shipment with a motor carrier. The carrier’s driver handles pickup, transport, and delivery. When a page says Bigfella “ships” a car, it means that coordination, not that a Bigfella-owned truck is in your driveway. The company that should appear on the pickup paperwork as the hauler is the carrier you approved.
What does vetted mean here?
It means Bigfella checks FMCSA authority and looks for cargo coverage of $150,000 or more on the certificate before that carrier is dispatched. It does not mean a published on-time percentage, a perfect safety score, or a guarantee that damage is impossible. You can repeat the authority lookup yourself on SAFER with the USDOT number. Ask for the certificate if you want the coverage wording.
Can I reject the assigned carrier?
The process is built so you review the carrier and the final price before payment. If that assignment is not acceptable, you should not approve it. Do not assume the first name you hear is locked in the moment it is suggested. Ask what happens next if you decline. A rejected assignment is different from canceling after you have already approved and a carrier has relied on the job.
Why do some companies say they are both?
A business can hold broker authority and carrier authority. On your shipment, read which hat they are wearing. If they are brokering, another carrier may show up. If they are the carrier, their truck should match the authority you looked up. Bigfella’s role on these pages is the brokerage. The assigned carrier is named when your shipment reaches that step.
Is a Route Pool a different kind of carrier check?
No. A pool changes how capacity is grouped on a lane. It does not skip authority or insurance checks, and it does not skip your approval. If a pool listing names insurance or a carrier, read that listing. Do not copy a number from a different pool onto yours. Pools that are not open are not an assignment.
Where do I complain if the truck is late?
Call the contacts on your shipment, starting with Bigfella, and use the window the carrier actually set. A late truck is a coordination problem. It is not automatically an insurance claim. Damage is a different path and uses the bill of lading. Transit ranges on route pages are not appointments, so measure lateness against the window you were given after assignment, not against a hope.