Bring a Trailer Car Shipping — Get Your Dream Car Home

You Won the Auction. Here's What Happens Next.

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   Step 1 — Request your quick quote

   Enter the pickup location, delivery destination, vehicle details, and whether you want open or enclosed transport. You can paste the auction listing link if you have it. An Approved Auto Transport agent reviews the estimate rather than leaving you with an automated number.

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   Step 2 — Choose open or enclosed transport

   Both are available. Open transport suits many everyday and enthusiast cars. Enclosed transport adds protection from weather and road debris and is a common choice for classic, collector, and high-value vehicles.

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   Step 3 — Confirm your order

   When you decide to go ahead, we collect the seller's contact information and any vehicle-release details. We never ask for seller details in the initial quote.

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   Step 4 — Carrier verification and price approval

   We identify a carrier from our network and run it through our vetting process. The assigned carrier and the final transportation price are then presented for your approval. The initial estimate is a starting point; the confirmed price is the one you approve.

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   Step 5 — Coordinate pickup and delivery

   With your authorization, we talk directly with the seller about availability, release requirements, and scheduling. Pickup happens only after the seller releases the car. Your coordinator stays in touch through delivery.

We Coordinate With Your Seller, Too

Buying a car online usually means the car is sitting in someone else's garage, often in another state. Getting it released and loaded is as much about communication as it is about trucks. Once your order is confirmed and you authorize it, we talk directly with the seller to arrange pickup, confirm what they need before releasing the car, and tell them which carrier is coming.

For high-value collector cars and dealerships that sell often, we can also share available carrier credentials, truck information, and equipment photos before pickup. That isn't available on every shipment, but when it is, both you and the seller know exactly who is collecting the car and how it will be handled.

Seven Checks Before Your Car Ships

Before any carrier is dispatched, we work through our Seven Checks Before Every Dispatch: active FMCSA authority, verified insurance, safety record review, distracted driving history, driver license verification, truck VIN validation, and a carrier reputation and performance review. We confirm these for each load, even with carriers we've used before, because a carrier's status can change. Read how each of the seven checks works.

Know the Price Before Your Car Moves

Pricing follows the same order every time:

1. You request an initial estimate.
2. An agent reviews your request.
3. A carrier is identified and verified.
4. The final transportation price is confirmed.
5. You approve the assigned carrier and final price before dispatch.

The Price You Approve Is the Price You Pay.

Your initial estimate isn't a guaranteed price. Once a carrier is assigned and you approve the final total, that price is protected under the published Approved Price Promise, including its documented terms and exceptions. No payment is taken until your carrier is assigned and confirmed.

Shipment Updates and Tracking

We request GPS tracking from the assigned carrier on every shipment. What you can see, and how often it updates, depends on the carrier and its equipment, so it isn't always a continuous live map. Your coordinator can give you status updates along the way. Learn how shipment tracking works.

Shipping From Other Online Marketplaces

Bring a Trailer is where many of our collector-car customers find their next car, but the process is the same wherever you bought it. We also arrange transport for vehicles purchased through Cars & Bids, Hemmings, PCarMarket, eBay Motors, Cars.com, CarsForSale.com, and Facebook Marketplace, as well as directly from private sellers and dealerships. Private-party sales benefit from the same pickup coordination and carrier verification as auction purchases. For yard-based auctions like Copart or Manheim, see our auction transport page.

Approved Auto Transport is an independent auto transport brokerage and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an official transportation partner of the marketplaces mentioned on this page.