Hot take: I moved my sister's Corolla with a broker and my truck with a direct carrier, no contest
Back in 2019 I shipped my sister's Corolla from Phoenix to Columbus using one of those big online brokers, and it sat at the pickup spot for 9 days because they kept passing it around to whoever would haul it cheapest. Last month I moved my own truck on the same route and just called a small carrier in Ohio direct, and the driver picked it up in 2 days and texted me photos at every stop. The broker quoted me $850 and the direct carrier was $1,100, but I'd pay that difference every single time for actually knowing who has my keys. The broker's rep kept saying my pickup window was flexible, which really meant nobody's problem. Has anyone else noticed direct carriers are getting easier to find, or did I just get lucky with this one?