Imagine finishing a car delivery, parking your empty trailer, and wondering where the next load will come from. Every car hauler knows that keeping the trailer full with car hauler loads is crucial for steady income. The challenge is finding consistent car hauler loads week after week, not just one-off jobs. Two common paths to steady work are dealing directly with auto dealers (who can become direct car hauler clients) or working through car hauler brokers who connect you with loads. Each approach has its own advantages and drawbacks. In this guide, we’ll break down working with auto dealers versus brokers from a truck dispatch perspective, with practical tips to help you secure a reliable stream of car hauling jobs.

Why Consistent Car Hauler Loads Matter

In the competitive world of auto transport, finding consistent car hauler loads is the key to a stable and profitable car hauling business. When your schedule has gaps, you’re losing money – an empty trailer means zero revenue but ongoing expenses like fuel and insurance. By keeping your trailer loaded as often as possible, you maximize your earning miles and ensure a steady cash flow. Consistency also reduces stress: instead of scrambling last-minute on load boards or sitting idle for days, you have planned work ahead. Whether you’re an owner-operator or run a small fleet, the ability to line up one car hauler load after another (ideally along efficient routes) can make or break your monthly income.

Consistent loads don’t happen by luck – they result from smart strategies. This often means diversifying how you find work: using load boards and car hauler brokers while also building relationships with direct car hauler clients like dealerships. Next, we’ll explore the two main sources of car hauling freight – auto dealers and brokers – and how each can help keep your truck busy.

Working with Car Hauler Brokers

Car hauler brokers are intermediaries who arrange vehicle shipments between shippers (like dealerships, auctions, or individuals) and carriers (you, the driver). In other words, a broker finds car hauler loads that need to be moved and offers them to carriers for a cut of the fee. Many brokers post loads on online load boards or contact drivers/dispatchers directly. For many new car carriers, brokers are the easiest way to find available car hauler loads quickly.

Pros of Using Car Hauler Brokers:

• Plenty of Load Options: Brokers often have access to nationwide car hauler loads. A single broker might be coordinating hundreds of car shipments for various dealerships and auctions. This means you can tap into a wide variety of jobs through one point of contact. Load boards (like Central Dispatch, Super Dispatch, etc.) are filled with broker-posted car hauler loads, giving you instant access to freight without having to cold-call shippers.
• Time Savings: Instead of personally reaching out to dozens of dealerships or auction houses, you can rely on brokers to collect those opportunities for you. A car hauler broker handles finding the customer (shipper) and usually handles the logistics details. You just pick the load and go. This can be a lifeline when you’re busy driving and don’t have time to solicit new business every day.
• Negotiation and Admin Help: Good brokers will negotiate rates with shippers and handle paperwork like contracts and billing. They vet the shippers and set up the shipment details. As a carrier, you often just need to sign a carrier agreement, show your insurance, and then you get dispatch instructions. They also often handle problem-solving if issues arise (e.g. a delivery gets delayed) by communicating between you and the shipper.
• Quick Payment Options: Many car hauler brokers offer quick-pay or use factoring companies, so you can get paid within days of delivery (usually for a small fee). Even if you opt for standard pay, brokers typically pay within 15-30 days. This can be smoother than invoicing many individual car hauler clients and chasing payments.
• Low Barrier to Entry: Virtually any properly licensed carrier can work with brokers. If you have your MC authority and the required insurance, you can start booking broker-posted car hauler loads immediately. This is helpful for new owner-operators building a customer base from scratch.

Cons of Using Car Hauler Brokers:

• Broker Fees Cut Into Rates: Brokers take a percentage of what the shipper pays (that’s their commission). That means the load price offered to you is less than what the shipper actually paid. You might haul a car for $500, but the dealership shipper paid $600; the broker kept the $100 difference. Dealing with car hauler brokers regularly means you’re not getting the full rate that the customer was willing to pay. Over time, those broker margins add up as lost potential income.
• Highly Competitive Loads: When you rely on load boards filled with broker postings, you’re often competing with many other carriers for the same load. This can drive prices down. Some car hauler loads from brokers may be underpriced, especially if there are more trucks than cars available in that lane (basic supply and demand). You have to be quick to accept good loads, and sometimes newer drivers find that the best loads get taken within minutes of posting.
• Variable Broker Quality: Not all brokers are great to work with. Some communicate well and treat carriers as valued partners; others might be disorganized or even dishonest. Issues like double brokering or delayed payments can happen. It’s important to stick with reputable car hauler brokers. Check each broker’s credit or reviews and make sure they’re properly licensed. (Tip: Only work with brokers who have an active FMCSA license and the required $75,000 surety bond – this bond is there to protect carriers in case of non-payment.)
• Less Personal Connection: When hauling through a broker, you usually interact with the broker’s dispatchers, not the actual end customer (the dealer or shipper). This means you have less opportunity to build a relationship with the shipper for future direct business. You’re essentially a subcontractor, and the broker owns the customer relationship. If the broker finds a cheaper carrier next time, you might lose that lane.
• Standard Terms, Less Flexibility: Brokers often have set contracts and rules you must follow. For example, you might need to use their app for updates, or follow certain pick-up/delivery instructions to the letter. They might also have standard payment terms you can’t change. When working direct with a car hauler client, you could negotiate terms more freely. With a broker, it’s their way or the highway in many cases.

Tips for Working With Brokers Effectively:

If you choose to rely on car hauler brokers for loads, treat it as a professional partnership. Always deliver vehicles on time and in good condition; doing great work can lead brokers to prefer you. In fact, once you prove yourself reliable, certain brokers might start calling you first with offers before they post the loads publicly. Being on a broker’s “preferred carrier” list means more consistent car hauler loads coming your way. Communication is key here – respond quickly to broker inquiries and keep them updated if any issues come up. Over time, you can build a reputation among brokers, which might even let you negotiate slightly better rates or get priority on desirable lanes.

Also, manage your cashflow: if a broker’s standard pay is 30 days, consider using a factoring service or their quick-pay option so you’re not running low on operating cash. And keep records of all load confirmations, BOLs, and communications. This paper trail will protect you if a payment issue or dispute arises.

Working with Auto Dealers (Direct Clients)

On the other side of the spectrum is working directly with auto dealerships – essentially turning car dealers into your direct car hauler clients. This means you contract or agree directly with a dealership (or sometimes an auto auction or rental company) to haul vehicles for them, without a broker middleman. Many dealerships need vehicles moved regularly: think dealer trades, auction purchases, customer deliveries, or transferring inventory between locations. If you can become the go-to carrier for a dealership or a small group of dealers, you can enjoy a steady flow of car hauler loads that are often higher paying (since no broker commission is taken out).

Pros of Direct Dealer Clients:

• Higher Pay Per Load: Without a broker taking a cut, you can charge the dealer the full fair rate for the haul. In many cases, dealers are used to paying brokers a certain amount, so if you offer a slightly lower price than their broker would but higher than what you’d get through a broker, it’s a win-win. You make more than you would through a brokered load, and the dealer saves money. Cutting out the middleman can significantly boost your profit margins.
• Repeat Business & Relationships: Auto dealers value reliability. If you consistently show up on time and take care of their vehicles, a dealership will likely call you the next time they need a car moved. By networking and building personal relationships, you turn one-time jobs into recurring lanes. For example, a local used car dealer might buy from a certain auto auction every week; if you prove yourself, they might book you every single week for that run. These consistent car hauler loads from the same client are gold – you become part of their process. Over time, you might not even need to “find” loads; your car hauler clients call or text you directly whenever they have work.
• Less Competition: When you work directly for a dealer, you’re not bidding against other trucks. The job is yours as long as the dealer trusts you and your rate is acceptable. This exclusivity means you’re not in a race to the bottom on pricing. Instead, you can focus on service quality. Dealers might even be willing to wait an extra day for you to be available, rather than posting the load to a board for whoever is nearby, because they know and trust your service.
• Potential for Dedicated Lanes: If you have multiple car hauler clients (e.g. several dealers) or one dealer with multiple locations, you can set up regular routes. For instance, you might haul cars from an auction to Dealer A on Mondays, then relocate trade-ins between Dealer A and Dealer B on Tuesdays, etc. Having a predictable schedule with known car hauler loads helps you plan better and reduces deadhead miles. It’s almost like having a “dedicated lane” similar to what big trucking companies have, but on a smaller scale.
• Direct Communication and Flexibility: Working directly with the end customer (the dealer) can simplify things. If a delivery time needs to change, you talk directly to the dealership manager. If a vehicle has special requirements (maybe it’s inop or a luxury car needing extra care), you get instructions straight from the source. You can also set payment terms and other conditions directly in a mutually agreeable way, rather than just accepting what a broker dictates. This personal touch can make operations smoother and build a lot of trust.

Cons of Direct Dealer Clients:

• Time & Effort to Secure Clients: Gaining direct car hauler clients isn’t easy. Dealership managers get calls from carriers and brokers regularly, and they might already have transport solutions. To win their business, you often have to be persistent and professional: cold call or visit in person, hand out business cards, explain your services, provide references, and maybe start with a small job to prove yourself. This is a sales effort on top of your driving job. Not every driver enjoys or excels at this part. It can take weeks or months to land a solid direct client.
• Irregular Demand: A dealer might not have enough volume to keep you busy full-time. Especially a single dealership – they might only need a car moved a few times a month. Even large dealers might have seasonal or sporadic needs (e.g. around auto auctions or end-of-month sales pushes). If you rely only on one or two dealers, you could still face empty gaps. To truly have consistent loads with direct work, you likely need a roster of multiple car hauler clients (dealers, rental companies, fleet owners, etc.) to have overlapping needs. Building that network takes time.
• Administrative Responsibilities: When you work direct, you’re responsible for tasks a broker would normally handle. This includes negotiating rates, preparing any contracts or agreements, billing the dealership, and following up for payment. You need to ensure you have a straightforward process for invoicing and collecting payment from your clients. Some dealerships might pay upon delivery (especially smaller used car lots might just write you a check or pay with a company credit card when you drop off the car). Others, especially larger franchise dealerships, may require an invoice and process it through their accounting department (which could mean you wait 15-30 days or more). You must be prepared to handle these variations and keep your paperwork in order.
• Liability and Expectations: Direct car hauler clients will call you for solutions, not just individual hauls. For example, if a car you delivered has an issue or if a schedule slips, you have to answer directly to the dealership. There’s no broker to intermediate or absorb some blame. You’re also carrying all the insurance responsibility directly in the client’s eyes – make sure your liability and cargo insurance is solid (most dealers will want proof of at least $1M liability and $100k+ cargo coverage, similar to brokers). Essentially, you become their transportation partner, which is a commitment.
• Scaling Limitations: If you get very busy with multiple direct car hauler clients, you might find yourself with more load requests than you can handle alone. That’s a good problem, but it requires strategy: do you turn down loads (risking the client goes elsewhere), or do you perhaps broker them out or recruit another driver? Some owner-operators who build a strong base of direct car hauler clients eventually expand (hiring another driver or two) or they team up with another carrier to cover overflow. Managing this can become complex – whereas if you only took broker loads, you could simply decline what you can’t handle and the broker finds someone else.

Tips for Building Direct Relationships with Dealers:

Start local and leverage any connections. Visit nearby new and used car dealerships, especially independent used car dealers and smaller franchise dealers. Introduce yourself as a local car carrier offering reliable service. Emphasize your expertise (safe loading, on-time delivery, etc.) and any competitive edge (maybe you have an enclosed trailer for high-end cars, or you can haul multiple units at once). Auto dealers often need vehicles moved between cities or states, and if you catch them at the right time (say, they just bought several cars at an auction), they might give you a shot. Leave a business card or flyer that highlights your car hauling services. Sometimes service managers or used car managers at dealerships handle the transport arrangements – those are good people to talk to.

Networking at auto auctions can also help. Dealers and their representatives are at auctions frequently; your trailer is literally on-site and visible. A quick friendly chat like “If you need any cars taken back to your lot, I can do it today” can snag you a last-minute load and possibly a future repeat car hauler client.

Crucially, when you land a direct job, knock it out of the park. Deliver promptly, communicate proactively, and thank them for the opportunity. That impression goes a long way. As one expert tip: provide the dealer with updates and even a quick confirmation call or text when delivery is done – this level of service is what brokers promise to shippers, so if you can replicate it, the dealer sees that they get the same professionalism with you as they would with a brokerage (but at lower cost and with personal attention). Over time, ask if they were happy with the service and let them know you’re available whenever they need. Building a handful of loyal direct car hauler clients can eventually fill your calendar with consistent loads without ever touching a load board.

The primary load board for car haulers is Central Dispatch, which is dedicated to auto transport and has thousands of listings from brokers and dealerships at any time. Other useful platforms includeSuper Dispatch (Super Loadboard) and DAT(which, while known for freight, also has some car hauler postings). Some newer marketplaces and apps like RunBuggy or Auto Hauler Exchange are also gaining traction, connecting dealers directly with carriers. It’s wise to subscribe to one or two of these services where you can search and even set alerts for lanes you like.

Balancing Both Approaches for Consistent Loads

In reality, many successful car haulers use a mix of brokers and direct clients to keep their schedule full. Especially while you’re growing your business, it makes sense to cast a wide net. Car hauler brokers can fill the gaps with many car hauler loads, and direct car hauler clients can become your bread-and-butter lanes.

Think of car hauler brokers as a quick way to tap into the broader market and car hauler clients (indirectly) all over the country, while your direct dealer contacts are more like a long-term investment in steady lanes. For example, you might dedicate certain days of the week to your regular dealership runs, and on other days use a car hauler broker or load board to find backhauls or loads in regions your direct clients don’t cover.

There are also many car hauler loads that come from other sources like car auctions, rental car companies, corporate fleets, and even individual customers relocating vehicles. Some of these may be reachable directly, others typically come via brokers or load boards. Stay open to all opportunities, whether through car hauler brokers or direct car hauler clients. The goal is to minimize deadhead (empty trips) and downtime.

One strategy is to identify a few high-volume brokers who specialize in the lanes you run or the kind of vehicles you haul, and build rapport with them, while also nurturing relationships with a few dealerships or local businesses. This way, if the load board is slow, your phone might ring with a direct gig, or vice versa. It creates a safety net so you’re not reliant on just one source of loads.

Another tip: pay attention to seasonal trends. For instance, many dealers move inventory in spring and fall when demand spikes (think of “snowbird” cars moving to warmer states, or dealerships stocking up before summer). Car hauler brokers also see patterns, like increased private moves in summer. By anticipating these, you can align with brokers or dealers at the right times to ensure a pipeline of car hauler loads.

Also, always keep your credentials updated and in good order. Whether dealing with a broker or a dealer, having a good safety rating, proper insurance, and professionalism sets you apart. Car hauler brokers will give more loads to carriers who don’t cause trouble. Dealers will keep calling the carrier who made their life easier. In both cases, reliability = consistency.

How a Dispatch Service Can Help You Find Steady Car Hauler Loads

If juggling load boards vs. client calls sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. Many owner-operators find that while they can do all this themselves, it often pays to get some help. That’s where a dispatch service comes in. A quality dispatch service (like Dispatch Republic’s car hauler dispatch service) acts as your back-office support to keep your truck loaded and profitable.

A dispatch service team will search through thousands of broker-posted car hauler loads on your behalf, using their industry contacts to grab the best ones. At the same time, they can help you pursue direct opportunities by handling some of the outreach or at least keeping your schedule organized so you never miss an opportunity. Essentially, they help balance the mix for you – ensuring you have loads from brokers when needed, and even helping coordinate with any direct car hauler clients you have (for example, scheduling those dealer pickups in between other loads).

Because dispatchers work with multiple brokers and load boards continuously, they often spot good loads faster than an individual driver can. They might even have relationships with car hauler brokers who call them first when a reliable truck is needed (meaning your dispatcher could snag you a load before it hits the public board). As mentioned earlier, being a preferred carrier is valuable – and dispatch services can help you attain that status by managing communications and paperwork professionally on your behalf.

At Dispatch Republic, for instance, we work with a wide range of shippers – auctions, dealerships, brokers, and even private clients – to keep car haulers busy. Our car hauler dispatchers learn your preferred lanes and equipment, then plan a schedule to maximize your loaded miles. The right dispatch partner won’t just find a load; they’ll help build you a consistent lane or a sequence of loads that make sense, so you’re not left scrambling.

Of course, a dispatch service charges a fee (usually a small percentage of each load). But if they can significantly reduce your empty miles and get you higher-paying car hauler loads, the service often pays for itself. You also regain time – instead of monitoring load boards at truck stops or calling dealers while driving (unsafe and impractical), you can focus on driving while your dispatcher focuses on finding and booking your next load. It’s like having a personal logistics assistant.

Whether you’re DIY or getting support, the formula for finding consistent car hauler loads is diversifying your sources and being proactive. Use brokers smartly, cultivate direct car hauler clients patiently, and don’t hesitate to enlist help from dispatch professionals if it makes sense for your business. The ultimate goal is to keep those wheels turning with cars on your trailer and money coming in.

Choosing Your Path to Steady Loads

Working with auto dealers vs. brokers isn’t an either-or choice for most car haulers – it’s about finding the right balance. Car hauler brokers can offer volume and convenience, while direct car hauler clients like dealerships offer higher margins and loyalty. By understanding the pros and cons of each, you can make informed decisions load by load. Many owner-operators start out leaning on brokers (because it’s quick and available), and gradually, as they network and gain experience, they add direct shippers to their portfolio. Over time, you might find that most of your income comes from a few reliable car hauler clients, with brokers filling in the gaps – or maybe you prefer to stick with a variety of broker loads for the flexibility of going anywhere.

Keep an open mind and stay persistent. The car hauling industry in 2025 continues to have steady demand for carriers, thanks to stable dealership inventories and strong used car sales. Dealers, rental companies, and auctions always need trustworthy carriers, and car hauler brokers will always be looking for dependable truckers to take loads. There’s plenty of work out there, but the onus is on you to grab it and make it consistent.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or just want to maximize your earning potential, consider getting a helping hand. Our team at Dispatch Republic lives and breathes load planning for car haulers – we secure car hauler loads from every corner (so you don’t have to chase down brokers or car hauler clients yourself) and help our drivers build profitable schedules. Contact Dispatch Republic today to see how we can keep your trailer loaded and your business growing. In the end, consistent loads mean a healthier bottom line and a less stressful life on the road. That’s something every car hauler deserves.

For a deeper dive into the car hauling business, read our Car Hauling Tips: A Guide for Owner-Operators and DOT Car Hauling Regulations and Compliance for 2025.

Ready to make the most of your trucking business? 🚚💨 Reach out to Dispatch Republic and let our experts help maximize your earnings with tailored hotshot dispatch service and car hauler dispatch service solutions. We’ll handle the logistics while you keep on truckin’. Contact our truck dispatch service to get started on the road to greater profits and less hassle!

For more detailed guides, check Dispatch Republic’s resources on dispatching and the trucking business. Read Hotshot vs Flatbed: Which is Better for Your Business? if you’re weighing career paths, and How to Become a Truck Dispatcher to understand the dispatch side of the business.

If you’re an owner-operator juggling multiple responsibilities, consider partnering with a professional truck dispatch service to take the load off your shoulders—literally. At Dispatch Republic, we specialize in helping carriers run smarter and earn more by expertly managing load boards, negotiating top rates, and handling paperwork for dry vans, reefers, flatbeds, box trucks, step decks, and even hotshots. Our team monitors multiple premium load boards around the clock, ensuring your truck stays loaded with the right freight, at the right rate, on the right lane. Whether you’re scaling up or just getting started, having a dedicated dispatch team in your corner means fewer empty miles, less stress, and more time to focus on driving and growing your business.

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