Car shipping quote checker: audit the total before you pay anything

This tool is a worksheet for reading any auto transport quote, ours or anyone else's, line by line. It checks that a quote is complete and internally consistent: it does not estimate a market price, and it is not our own quote.

Spec: what the tool asks for and does

Inputs: the written quote total, the deposit amount (if any), the balance-due amount and when it's owed, the route (origin/destination), vehicle details, and carrier type (open or enclosed).

Output: a line-item breakdown showing the deposit/COD split, what triggers a price change, and a flag for any term that isn't written down.

Line-item worksheet

Line	What to record	Why it matters
Total quoted price	Exact written amount	The number everything else should reconcile to
Deposit amount	Amount and whether it's refundable	Deposits are common, but terms vary by company
Balance due	Amount and when it's owed (booking, pickup, or delivery)	Some companies collect nothing upfront; others require a deposit at booking
What can change the price	Route change, vehicle size/weight change, inoperable status, added stops	These are the standard reasons a quote moves after it's given
Carrier type	Open or enclosed	Confirm the quote matches what you actually want, not a default
Cancellation terms	Written policy, not a verbal statement	Needed before you commit a deposit

Deposit vs. COD, in practice

Auto transport companies split on this. Some publish a "zero upfront payment" or "no deposit" model, where you pay only once a carrier is assigned and scheduled for pickup: that's the model Montway and RoadRunner Auto Transport both advertise on their own sites (montway.com and roadrunnerautotransport.com, both read 2026-09-21). Others collect a deposit at booking and the remainder as cash-on-delivery (COD) to the driver. Neither structure is inherently better; what matters is whether the terms are written down and match what you were told verbally.

If a broker is involved, note that federal rules require a property broker to hold at least a $75,000 surety bond or trust fund (49 CFR 387.307): a financial-responsibility requirement, not a guarantee about your specific deposit. Law.cornell.edu, read 2026-09-21.

Disclosure block

This tool checks a quote's structure and completeness against a fixed worksheet. It does not calculate a market price, does not access carrier availability, and is not our own quote for your shipment. Figures you enter come from the quote you already have; we do not generate or validate a dollar amount here. Getting your own price from us is a separate step, confirmed before any payment.

Worked example

A quote states: $950 total, $0 deposit, full balance due at pickup, open carrier, no cancellation terms written. Using the worksheet: total and payment timing are both recorded, but cancellation terms are missing: that's an incomplete quote, not a bad one. Send that one item back to the company before booking.

Sources

• www.montway.com, accessed September 21, 2026.
• www.roadrunnerautotransport.com, accessed September 21, 2026.
• www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/387.307, accessed September 21, 2026.