If you’ve ever gotten multiple quotes for shipping your car, you may have thought:

“If I post my job with several brokers at once, I’ll get more bids and find the cheapest one.”

It sounds logical — more exposure should mean more competition.
But in the auto transport industry, double-posting can backfire and make your shipment cost more.
Here’s why it happens and how to avoid it.

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1. Carriers See Exactly What’s Happening

When you authorize multiple brokers to post your job, each one lists it on Central Dispatch or another load board.
Carriers browsing loads can instantly see:

• The same year/make/model of vehicle
• The same pickup and drop-off ZIP codes
• Usually the same time frame

They know it’s the same customer — just posted by different brokers.

Instead of seeing it as a bargain opportunity, many carriers view this as a red flag:

“This customer is shopping around — they’ll probably jump to the broker who raises the price first.”

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2. Prices Start to Go Up

If you were the truck driver, you’d always want the highest-paying job for your trailer space.
When you see the same car listed at different prices, what would you do?
You’d wait for the higher-paying broker — or hold out for the price to go up.

Here’s what usually happens:

1. Broker A posts your load for $700
2. Broker B posts it for $725
3. Broker C raises it to $750 to get a faster response

Carriers see this and think:

“They’re bidding against each other. If I wait, the price will probably go up again.”

Instead of jumping on the lower offer, they hold out for the higher payout.
Some will even skip it completely until it gets raised —
because to them, multiple postings = desperate customer = easy money.

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3. Load Board Reputation Matters

Carriers use their time carefully. When they see the same car posted by three brokers, it signals:

• Confusion: They may not know which broker will actually pay them.
• Risk: They worry about double-booking or cancellations.
• Delay: They’ll wait for the highest offer, which slows pickup.

Some carriers will skip a “messy” load entirely and take a cleaner one.

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4. Less Negotiation Power

When multiple brokers are calling the same carriers,
they’re competing with each other instead of negotiating the best deal for you.

That drives your cost higher — even if your original goal was to save money.

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5. One Broker = Cleaner, Faster, Cheaper

A single broker can:

• Post your job once and monitor activity
• Raise the offer strategically only if needed
• Communicate directly with carriers to secure the best available price

This keeps the listing clean, prevents price inflation,
and gets your car picked up faster.

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6. If You Want to Shop Around

It’s smart to compare quotes — just don’t authorize multiple brokers to post your job at the same time.

• Collect written quotes first
• Choose the broker you feel comfortable with (clear communication is key)
• Give them 24–48 hours to work the load board and secure a carrier
• If you switch brokers, ask the first one to remove their posting before the new one lists your vehicle

But here’s the key: quotes are just educated guesses, not guarantees.
Some brokers will intentionally lowball you just to get you to sign,
then call back later saying:

“The market changed — we need to raise the price to get it moved.”

This “bait and switch” wastes your time and usually ends up costing more.

Remember: you’re not shopping for the lowest price — you’re shopping for the right partner to manage your shipment.

Forget the rock-bottom quotes that sound too good to be true — they usually are.
Work with a broker who’s upfront about real market rates from the start.

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7. Bottom Line

Double-posting doesn’t give you leverage — it drives up your own cost and delays pickup.

The smartest move is to pick one broker, let them work your job,
and keep your posting clean and consistent.

You’ll get a carrier faster, pay a fair price,
and avoid bidding yourself up without even realizing it.