How Car Haul Direct Quotes Work: Held 7 Days, No Deposit Until Assigned
A car shipping quote hold is the window in which the price you were shown stays available to book. At Car Haul Direct that window is 7 days, and no deposit is charged until a carrier is assigned to your vehicle.
- Your quote is held for 7 days from the moment you run it
- No deposit is charged until a carrier is assigned to your vehicle
- The instant quote prices your exact lane, vehicle, and dates at current market rates
A car shipping quote hold is the window in which the price you were shown stays available to book. At Car Haul Direct that window is 7 days, and no deposit is charged until a carrier is assigned to your vehicle. Those two facts are the whole of how CHD pricing works: you get a week to compare, and your money stays put until a truck is actually on your order.
Reviewed by Mike Fergusson, EVP Operations, Car Haul Direct
What the car shipping quote hold covers
Two published facts, and the service terms that sit behind them.
7-Day Quote Hold
The price you are shown stays available to book for 7 days.
No Deposit Until Assigned
Nothing is charged until a carrier is assigned to your specific vehicle.
FMCSA-Licensed Broker
CHD is a licensed auto transport broker, USDOT 4321158, and dispatches through screened carriers.
$2M Cargo Insurance
Every shipment carries $2M cargo insurance, included in the quote rather than sold as an upgrade.
48-State Pricing
The calculator prices lanes anywhere in the 48 contiguous states, not only headline routes.
1-3 Day Pickup
Once a carrier is assigned, metro pickup typically happens within 1-3 days.
Held 7 Days, Charged on Assignment
The figures that govern a CHD quote.
7
Day Quote Hold
The price you are shown stays available to book for a full week.
$2M
Cargo Insurance Included
On every shipment, part of the quote rather than an upgrade.
1-3
Day Pickup Window
Typical metro pickup once a carrier is assigned to your vehicle.
48
Contiguous States Priced
The calculator prices lanes anywhere in the lower 48, not only headline routes.
Quote questions, answered
How long the price lasts, when you pay, and why other numbers move.
How long is a car shipping quote good for?
At Car Haul Direct the car shipping quote hold runs 7 days. The price you were shown stays available to book for a week, so you can compare brokers or wait on a closing date without a countdown. After 7 days, running the calculator again returns the current rate for your lane.
When do you actually pay for car shipping?
No deposit is charged until a carrier is assigned to your vehicle. Booking places your order; the charge follows the assignment. That sequence matters, because a deposit taken before a carrier exists is money committed to a truck nobody has found yet.
Why do some brokers raise the price after you book?
Because the first number was set to win the booking rather than to move the car. Carriers decide what a lane pays, and a load posted below that rate sits unaccepted until the broker asks the customer for more, often 2 or 3 days before the move.
Who reads this page
First-Time Shippers
You have never done this and cannot yet tell a real quote from a placeholder.
Quote Comparers
You have 3 or 4 quotes open and want to know which one survives to pickup.
Fixed-Date Movers
Your closing or start date is set, and a late price change has nowhere to go.
Online Car Buyers
You are budgeting transport into a purchase that has not shipped yet.
Shippers Burned Before
A broker raised the price on you once, and you want the mechanics in writing this time.
What your quote is built from
Six inputs that set the number, each priced at quote rather than added later.
Instant Quote Calculator
The calculator on this page prices your lane, vehicle, and dates directly. It is the same number your order is booked at during the 7-day hold.
Open Transport Pricing
Open carriers set the baseline rate on almost every lane. Most quotes you are comparing are open transport quotes.
Enclosed Transport Pricing
Enclosed is a separate service with its own rate, typically 40 to 60 percent above open on the same lane. It is a choice you make at quote, not a charge applied later.
Inoperable Vehicle Pricing
A car that does not start typically adds $100-$200, and it belongs in the quote from the beginning. Disclosing it upfront is what keeps the number steady.
Expedited Transport Pricing
Expedited buys a tighter window than the standard 1-3 day pickup and prices accordingly. It is quoted as a service rather than added after booking.
Cargo Insurance Included
$2M cargo insurance is part of every shipment. It is not a line item you add, decline, or get billed for later.
From quote to delivery: 5 steps
Five steps, with the charge landing where a carrier actually exists.
1. Run the Instant Quote
Enter pickup and delivery ZIP codes, the vehicle, its running condition, and your first available date.
2. Read What Drives the Number
Distance, vehicle size, running condition, open or enclosed, season, and how flexible your dates are.
3. Book Inside the 7-Day Hold
The quote stays available for 7 days, so you can compare or wait for a date to firm up.
4. Carrier Assignment
When a carrier accepts your load, the deposit is charged and your pickup window is set, typically 1-3 days out in metro areas.
5. Pickup, Transit, and Delivery
The driver documents condition on the Bill of Lading at both ends, and you inspect against it before signing.
Car shipping quote FAQ
The hold, the charge, moving markets, and cancellation.
7 days. The hold runs a week from the moment you generate the quote, and during that window the price stays available to book. If you need longer, run the calculator again; it returns the current market rate for your lane rather than an expired number.
Not at quote, and not at booking. A deposit is charged when a carrier is assigned to your vehicle, and the balance is handled at delivery. Until an assignment exists there is no truck attached to your order, which is exactly why the charge waits for one.
Their opening number was a bid for your booking, not a rate a carrier agreed to. Carriers accept loads at market rates, so an underpriced load sits on the board. When your date gets close, the broker comes back asking for the difference, and you have little time left to shop.
The quote you were given stays available for the full 7 days. Market rates do move, driven by fuel, season, and carrier supply on your lane, which is why the hold has an end date instead of running forever. After it expires, a fresh quote reflects current conditions.
It is a held price, not a bid you have to defend. The number reflects your lane, vehicle, running condition, service level, and dates exactly as you entered them, and it stays bookable for 7 days. Change the vehicle, the addresses, or the service level and the calculator prices the new version.
Then no carrier has been assigned and no deposit has been charged. That is the practical value of the sequence: you are not holding a paid reservation against an empty board. CHD tells you where the lane actually sits so you can adjust the window, the service level, or the timing.
Yes, because the details are what the price is built from. A non-running car typically adds $100-$200, enclosed typically runs 40 to 60 percent above open, and an oversized or modified vehicle takes more deck space. Enter the vehicle accurately at quote and the number carries through booking.
Yes. No deposit has been charged at that point, so there is nothing to unwind. Cancellation terms after a carrier is assigned are set out in the order you sign, so read them at booking. If your dates are still soft, the 7-day hold serves you better than booking early.
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Straight answers on cost, timing, and prep for every shipment.
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Why Car Shipping Quotes Change Before Pickup
A quote is an offer price to carriers, not a locked fare, so it can move.
Get Your Instant Car Shipping Quote
Run your route through the instant quote calculator on this page: the number you see is held for 7 days and costs you nothing until a carrier is assigned.