Line 01 / Car hauling dispatch
Car hauling dispatch that counts every slot on the trailer
Car hauling pays per unit, and your costs don't care how many units you carry. An empty slot on a long run is lost pay with the same fuel, the same tolls and the same day behind the wheel. Our car hauler dispatch service builds loads car by car, prices each one against your miles, and plans the next pickups before the last car comes off.
Dealers, auctions, rental fleets, relocations and private customers all ship cars, and each pays on different terms. Knowing which is which, and which ones pay on time, is half of the job.
Line 02 / Dispatch vs doing it yourself
A car hauling dispatcher vs working the boards between pickups
Car loads are booked one vehicle at a time, often from several shippers, and they have to line up by pickup window, route and trailer position. That's a lot of phone work for one driver who is also loading and inspecting cars.
| Job | On your own | With LoadSteward |
|---|---|---|
| Filling the trailer | You, car by car, between pickups | We build the load to fill every slot |
| Route and pickup order | You plan it in your head | We sequence pickups and drops by route |
| Negotiating per car | You, with each shipper | Us, from your per-mile floor |
| Payment terms | Found out at pickup | Confirmed before you accept |
| Accepting a load | You | You. The dispatch sheet comes straight to you |
| Condition reports | You, every car | You inspect; we check the paperwork is complete |
| Backhaul | Often an empty trailer home | We look for cars going your way |
| Cost | Your hours | 5% of gross, nothing in weeks you don't haul |
Inoperable vehicles pay more for a reason: winching, slower loading and the right trailer position. We flag every inop before you accept, so you aren't surprised by a car with no keys at the auction gate.
Open vs enclosed. Enclosed carriers move higher-value cars at higher pay per unit, with fewer units per load. We dispatch both and price each against its own cost per mile.
Line 03 / Per-unit receipt
Seven slots, one load, every car on its own line
Tick the cars on the trailer and set what each pays. The receipt adds them up, takes the 5% fee and the fuel for every mile including the empty run to the first pickup, then shows what's left per car and per mile. Diesel starts at the EIA U.S. average for the week of 2026-09-28. Untick one car and watch what a single empty slot does to a whole load.
Vehicles on the trailer (tick to load)
- Sedan$
- Midsize SUV$
- Pickup, crew cab$
- Sedan$
- Minivan$
- Inoperable sedan$
- Compact$
EXAMPLE
Untick a car to see what one empty slot costs the whole load.
Source: EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update · checked Oct 2026
Getting paid in car hauling
Car loads mix payment types more than almost any other freight. One car on the trailer may pay cash at delivery, the next one by quick pay, and the third on 30-day terms after the broker gets the signed bill of lading. That makes your cash flow lumpy and your records messy. We write the payment method for every car on the dispatch sheet, flag any shipper with a slow payment record before you accept, and keep each car's paperwork attached to the load so your invoices go out complete.
The empty slot is the most expensive thing in car hauling. Fuel, tolls and time barely change with one car more or less, so the last car on a trailer is close to pure profit, and the missing car is close to pure loss. That is why we work to fill the trailer before you roll, and why we sometimes bring you a short add-on pickup a few miles off route.
Want the same check on any single load, with tolls and your other costs? Use the load profitability calculator, and keep your own cost per mile handy as the floor for every per-car price.
Car loads we book
Dealer trades and dealer-to-dealer moves, auction runs, rental and fleet repositioning, finance and lease returns, and private customers relocating a household or buying a car out of state. Each pays differently and loads differently: auctions have gate windows, dealers have business hours, private customers have opinions about scratches.
The seasons
Car hauling has rhythms. Snowbird traffic runs south in the fall and north in the spring, which makes one direction busy and the other cheap. Used-car sales pick up in late winter, and model-year changeovers move inventory between dealers. We plan your loaded direction and your return around them.
A week with us
The trailer is filled before you roll, pickups are sequenced by route, payment terms are on the dispatch sheet, condition reports are checked before invoicing, and the return trip has cars on it whenever the market allows. You confirm each load, and the paperwork comes straight to you.
Line 04 / Fee and questions
Car hauler dispatch service, asked plainly
5% of gross for one tractor-pulled car hauler with 6+ months of authority, 7% for a new MC or a dually wedge setup, 4% per truck for two or more (limited time). No setup fee, no contract, cancel with 30 days notice. Every load is offered to you first, and you confirm or decline. Full details: our dispatch fees.
Damage claims are the risk that never shows on a rate. A clean condition report at pickup, matching photos, and a signed report at delivery are what decide a claim. We don't close a load until that paperwork is in, because a claim six weeks later can cost more than the whole load paid.
How much does a car hauler make per load?
It depends on how many cars you carry, the distance, the vehicle types and how full the trailer runs on each leg. A trailer that runs one car short on a long trip loses a slot's worth of pay with the same fuel bill. The per-unit receipt on this page shows the math with your own numbers; nobody can honestly promise a figure.
Can a new MC haul cars?
Yes. Many car shippers and auto brokers work with new authorities if the insurance and cargo limits meet their requirements; some dealer and auction work wants more history. The fee is 7% until your MC turns 6 months old, then 5%.
Do you help with vehicle inspection photos?
We remind and check, every load. The condition report on the bill of lading, signed at pickup and delivery, plus your own time-stamped photos of every panel, is your protection in a damage claim. We confirm the paperwork is complete before we invoice and won't let a load close without it.
Do you dispatch hotshot car haulers?
Yes: a dually pulling a two-, three- or four-car wedge or gooseneck trailer. That setup is billed at the hotshot rate, 7% of gross. Tractor-pulled stinger and high-mount carriers pay the standard rate of 5% for one truck.
How are car hauling loads paid?
It varies by shipper and broker. Some pay cash or certified funds at pickup or delivery, some pay by quick pay, and many pay on terms after they receive the signed paperwork. The payment method should be written on the dispatch sheet before you accept; we get that answer for you up front.
What we check on every car load
- + Vehicle types, running or inop, and the trailer position each needs.
- + Pickup windows and gate rules at auctions, dealers and ports.
- + How and when each shipper pays, written down before you accept.
- + Cargo insurance limits against the value of the cars on the load.
- + Cars heading back toward your home base for the return trip.
Fill the trailer before you roll
Send your trailer type, slot count, cargo limits and home base. We build car loads that fill every slot and clear your per-mile floor, and you confirm every one.
5% of gross. No setup fee. Cancel with 30 days notice.
Drag to tear, or just tap the button.
Book my car hauler