The car shipping industry is 90% middlemen. I built this sub to expose it.
Hey r/SkipTheBroker 👋
I'm Rick. I've been a auto transport guy for over a decade, and I started this sub because I'm tired of watching regular people get fleeced by an industry that runs on confusion.
Here's what nobody tells you when you Google "ship my car":
The 10 companies that call you back? They don't own a single truck.
They're brokers. Every single one. They take your $1,200, post your car on a load board called CentralDispatch (think MLS, but for car shipping), pay the actual trucker $800, and pocket the $400 difference. That's the entire business model.
You never talk to the trucker. You never see the real price. You just pay the markup.
What this sub is for:
- 🚛 Real talk about how car shipping actually works
- 💰 Exposing broker tactics (bait-and-switch quotes, fake reviews, deposit scams)
- 📍 Route pricing — share what you actually paid so others know the real market
- ❓ Questions answered honestly by someone who's been on the inside
- 🛠️ Tips for snowbirds, PCS moves, online car buyers, and auction shipments
What this sub is NOT:
- A place for brokers to spam quotes
- A place to shill any company (yes, including mine — I'll keep it educational here)
A few things I'll happily answer in the comments:
- "How much SHOULD it cost to ship from [X] to [Y]?"
- "I got quoted $X — is that fair?"
- "What's the difference between open and enclosed?"
- "Can I ship a car that doesn't run?"
- "Why did my pickup date keep getting pushed?"
Drop your questions below. No sales pitch — I just want this sub to be the one honest corner of the internet for car shipping.
Welcome aboard 🤝
— Rick