Moving a vehicle isn't something most people do often. It comes up when you're relocating, heading somewhere for an extended stay, or getting a recreational vehicle to where you actually use it. Because it's occasional, most people don't have a transport company in mind — you search, you get a wall of results, and every one of them says they're the best choice.
Three credentials separate legitimate operators from the rest, and all three are verifiable in a few minutes. Here's what each one actually means.
Bonded
Every auto transport broker is legally required to carry a surety bond. It's issued as a condition of registration with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and it exists to guarantee that carriers get paid for the work they do.
Why that matters to you: a broker without an active bond is operating outside federal requirements, and carriers know it. Reputable carriers won't take loads from an unbonded broker, which means the pool of trucks willing to move your vehicle shrinks to the ones nobody else wants.
Ask the question directly. Anything other than a clear yes is a reason to keep looking.
Insured
Things go wrong on highways every day, entirely outside anyone's control. When your vehicle is on a trailer, it's our responsibility, and that responsibility has to be backed by real coverage.
Every carrier Crestline dispatches must hold general and auto liability insurance of at least $1 million, plus motor cargo coverage of at least $100,000. We verify that coverage is active before a carrier is assigned to your vehicle — not after.
Two things worth understanding about what that coverage does and doesn't include:
It covers the vehicle, not personal belongings. Packing boxes into the car before a move or a semester at school is tempting, but cargo insurance doesn't extend to household goods. Loading up also adds weight that carriers are legally regulated on, and loose items shift around and damage interiors in transit. A small amount in the trunk is usually acceptable — confirm the limit when you book.
Acts of God generally aren't covered. Floods, hail, hurricanes, and similar events fall outside liability coverage, the same as they would if you were driving the car yourself. If you're shipping through a season or region where severe weather is likely, enclosed transport is worth considering.
Licensed
You wouldn't hand your keys to someone without a driver's license. The same logic applies to a company moving your vehicle across the country.
Auto transport is regulated at both the federal and state level. A company operating legally holds an MC number — motor carrier authority granted by the FMCSA — and they should be able to give it to you without hesitation.
Crestline's MC number is MC-698686.
You can verify any company's authority yourself. The FMCSA website explains the different types of operating authority, and their public database lets you look up a company's status, insurance filings, and safety record. It takes about two minutes and it's the single most useful thing you can do before booking.
The same standards apply to household movers, incidentally. If you're hiring both, check both.
How to Verify Any Company in Five Minutes
Whether you ship with us or not, run this check:
- Ask for the MC number. Any legitimate company gives it immediately. Hesitation is your answer.
- Look it up in the FMCSA database. Confirm the authority is active, not revoked or pending.
- Check the insurance filing. The database shows whether coverage is on file and current.
- Confirm broker or carrier. Both are legitimate roles, but they're different, and a company should be straightforward about which one they are.
- Ask what they require of their carriers. A broker who can't articulate their vetting standards probably doesn't have any.
None of this is difficult. It's just the part people skip because they're comparing prices instead.
Get a Quote From a Company You Can Verify
Crestline is bonded, licensed under MC-698686, and every carrier we dispatch is insured and pre-qualified before your vehicle is assigned.
Get a free, no-obligation door-to-door quote in about a minute — no phone call required, and no deposit until a specific carrier is booked for your vehicle. You can also see pickup details and transit times for any state we serve.