Vent: my $850 quote for shipping a Civic from Phoenix to Portland jumped to $1,340 the day the truck showed up
I booked the cheapest bid on a load board back in March, and the broker called 24 hours before pickup saying the driver needed another $490 cash or he'd drop my slot. I paid it because my lease in Portland started in 3 days and I had nowhere to store the car, which is exactly why I think the lowball quote game is a scam and you should just pay a real broker up front. Has anyone actually gotten a car moved at the original quoted price without a single surprise fee?
Check the fine print on those load board bids too, because the "quote" is usually just a starting number the broker pulls out of thin air to get you to bite. I got burned the same way moving a truck from Tucson to Denver, quoted $700, then got the call that the driver was "oversized" and needed $300 more for fuel. What really gets me is how they time it. They wait until your whole life is packed up and you have zero options, then they hit you with the extra charge. A real broker with a contract and a DOT number will lock the price in writing, and if the driver tries to shake you down, that broker eats the cost, not you. The cheap boards work on volume and fear, and they know exactly when you are most desperate.