VIP Car Transport: Do Promises Match Profits?
Auto Brokers and Car Carriers: How often does an unexpected VIP car transport job suddenly become your new, special problem? The entire auto transport industry knows that from time to time a well-known professional basketball player or CEO needs their car to be transported. Obviously, that’s when everybody in the logistics chain can expect to be nicely compensated for a well-coordinated pickup and delivery. But what happens when the customer has a laundry list of specific requirements, expects to be treated like an extraordinary “VIP” with extra hassle and babysitting, but the job only pays like it’s a used car from an auction. What now? So let’s ask the question, “Should A VIP Car Transport Pay More Than Average?”
Cheap rates are one thing, but when carriers receive a list of demands, they expect another zero at the end.
VIP Car Transporter Says “Show Me The Money!”
What car hauling business is going to transport a brand new 2016 Alfa Romeo from one doorstep to another in an enclosed trailer and a gaurantee than “You Can Not Discuss Cost W/Anyone Or Full Refund” at a measly 39 cents per mile!? So what if it’s COD on pickup? Who is this customer? And far too often, a privately owned vehicle (POV), corporate relocation or dealer trade “expects the moon” during transport and yet they don’t want to pay anything extra for an elevated level of service. So as the broker or carrier, how (and why) are you going to fulfill all of these promises with no additional compensation? This job is going to require a major favor – so who are you going to talk into it completing it?
VIP Car Transport Broker: “No Room On The Rate”
Sometimes the transport dispatcher walks right into it. Rushing to find the perfect load to fill an empty spot. The vehicle size and route matches where the truck and trailer is already going. Without much else to choose from on the load board, the rate may be average, but it’ll fill an empty spot. That’s when the broker says it’s a “V.I.P.” order. In unison, everybody groans. Why?
This job is going to require a major favor – so who are you going to talk into it completing it?
Cheap rates are one thing, but when carriers receive a list of customer demands, they expect another zero at the end. And for good reason. Experience and care are valued commodities. That is exactly why trusted, professional and veteran car haulers simply say, “No To Cheap Freight!” But the cut-rate, desperate and inexperienced driver says, “No problem.” And then what happens to the owner’s precious vehicle next? THIS HAPPENS: “Fully-Loaded Car Carrier Overturns on Old Kings Road.”
WHY? BECAUSE THE REALLY CHEAP CAR CARRIERS HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND THE WEIGH STATIONS BECAUSE THEY ARE SOMETIMES OPERATING ILLEGALLY! So was it worth it for the customer or broker to save a few extra bucks?
VIP Transport Customers: Walk In The Carrier’s Shoes
In the world of “Easy-Peasy” and “Bada-Bing,” people tend to forget that this is not a pizza – it’s a car! And not just any car, but somebody’s ‘baby.’ So it should be worth a few hundred extra bucks to get a $50,000 Escalade transported a thousand miles by an experienced driver of a reputable car hauling business using only the most professional equipment. We all know the vehicle owner worries: “Will the driver be on time?,” “Will the driver be careful?,” and “Will the driver call me and pick up the phone when I call them?” The truth is that you already know the answer; because you truly get what you pay for. Especially in auto transport.
VIP Car Transport: Where The Rubber Meets The Road
Too many truckers feel like everyone else is only interested in lining their pockets – rather than rewarding good transport companies for a job well done.Meanwhile, many brokers believe most
transporters are virtually all about the same and therefore assume somebody will eventually take the job. All the while, the owner of the vehicle keeps asking value questions while continuing to search for the cheapest rate – even when the quote they’ve already got is far too good to be true!
Fierce competition drives rates down and increases sales promotions. A deflated economy cuts other jobs, increasing the supply of vendors. Population grows, and along with it the number of entrants into the marketplace. That’s why today, it seems there are more brokers and more car haulers than ever before.
In the world of “Easy-Peasy” and “Bada-Bing,” people tend to forget that this is not a pizza – it’s a car!
But no matter how you slice it, the race to be the lowest rate supplier usually finds the bottom of the barrel vendor. Find your profit in volume, or measure your margin in quality. But playing three card monte with one of America’s most treasured, collected and prized possessions is not always going to turn out well in the long run. It’s a shell game to keep all the money all the time. The vendors are talking. They know there’s something going on and they want their fair share. The big question is, “When will the vehicle owner find out who’s keeping the lion’s share of the VIP car transport?”
As a veteran dispatcher of many years, I saw some unbelievable load postings that I actually called – and I’ve had the opportunity to try and get real with the folks on the other end. If I’m out of line, I’d love to hear your version of the story. But unfortunately, there are a lot of newcomers desperate to turn a buck. I know many of you out there have made similar mistakes, and I’d love to hear your horror stories. Don’t hold back. Tell it like it is. Thanks for reading, and sharing, and as always, keep on trucking.
— Super Jay
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