By Eugene Gourevitch · August 4, 2026
The short answer: Choose Sherpa Auto Transport if price certainty matters most to you: its Price Lock Promise commits up to $300 of Sherpa’s own Initial Payment to keep your quoted total fixed. Choose Car Haul Direct if you want an instant online quote, pickup typically within 1 to 3 days, $2M in cargo coverage, and auction or dealer logistics with 3 to 5 free storage days on auction pickups. Both companies are FMCSA-licensed brokers. Sherpa has far deeper Google review volume (4.8 stars across 3,402 reviews), while Car Haul Direct is the smaller operator with a 4.2 Trustpilot score across 13 reviews. The details are below.
Quick answer: Sherpa fits budget-certain shippers: its Price Lock Promise commits up to $300 of its own fee to hold your quoted total. Car Haul Direct fits auction and dealer moves: instant online quote, pickup typically in 1 to 3 days, $2M stated cargo coverage, and 3 to 5 free storage days on auction pickups. Both are FMCSA-licensed brokers.
How Does Sherpa’s Price Lock Promise Work?
The Price Lock Promise is the single biggest reason shoppers compare Sherpa against other brokers, so it deserves an accurate explanation rather than a slogan. According to Sherpa’s own Price Lock Promise page (retrieved July 2026), the price Sherpa quotes you is the amount you pay. If the originally quoted amount proves insufficient to secure a reputable carrier, Sherpa says it will contribute up to $300 of its Initial Payment to keep your total shipment price fixed.
Sherpa publishes a worked example: your total price is $1,300, split into a $300 Initial Payment to Sherpa and a $1,000 Carrier Fee due at delivery. If the market requires $1,100 to move your car, Sherpa contributes $100 of its own fee, your Initial Payment drops to $200, and you still pay $1,300 in total.
The fine print matters. Sherpa’s Terms and Conditions state the Promise is void if you change your order after Sherpa sends its Verification Email, if any information you provided was materially incorrect, if other material details change (year, make, model, after-market modifications, operability, open versus enclosed trailer, addresses, first available pickup date, or payment method), or if your vehicle is listed with another company at the same time. In other words, the guarantee protects you against the market moving, not against the details of your shipment moving. If you have ever wondered why car shipping quotes change after you book, this mechanism is Sherpa’s answer to that exact frustration.
One practical limit: the subsidy caps at $300 per vehicle. On a route where carrier rates jump $400 or $500 between quote and dispatch, the cap can be reached. That is still $300 more protection than a purely estimated quote gives you, and it is the most concrete price-protection language we have seen published by a broker in this industry.
How Do Quotes, Deposits, and Cancellation Terms Compare?
Both companies let you start online. Car Haul Direct runs an instant online quote calculator with no phone call required. Sherpa advertises an instant quote tool that works “in under two minutes” with no personal info required for estimates, plus phone quoting. Neither forces you into a sales call to see a number.
Payment timing differs in documented ways. Sherpa’s site and Terms and Conditions state that no payment is due at booking: you keep a card on file (validated with a $1 authorization), the Initial Payment is charged to that card when Sherpa designates a carrier, and the Remaining Balance is paid to the carrier on delivery in cash or certified check. Sherpa’s terms also state that once paid, charges are non-refundable. Car Haul Direct does not publish its deposit timing and refund terms online, so ask for the current terms in writing when you request your quote.
Cancellation is where Sherpa’s terms get specific. Per its Terms and Conditions (retrieved July 2026), canceling before a carrier is designated, but inside your pickup window, costs a $50 dispatch fee per vehicle for sedans, SUVs, trucks, and vans, or $100 for motorcycles, ATVs, and trikes. Cancel after a carrier is designated and you forfeit the full Initial Payment. Cancel past the agreed pickup window and the fee is waived; if your vehicle is not picked up inside the window, Sherpa continues trying for 14 more calendar days, after which associated fees are waived. Ocean shipments add $100 per canceled vehicle.
Sherpa also publishes a Clean Car Guarantee: if your vehicle arrives dirty, Sherpa reimburses up to $20 for a car wash when you send the receipt and bill of lading. It is a small number, but it is a published, specific commitment. Car Haul Direct does not publish a cancellation fee schedule or an equivalent guarantee online; request its current terms in writing before you book.
How Do Reviews, Insurance, and FMCSA Authority Compare?
Here is the honest picture, with volumes attached, because volume matters as much as the star average. On Google, Sherpa shows 4.8 stars across 3,402 reviews (retrieved July 2026), a deep review base for a broker founded in 2017. On Trustpilot, the live profile tells a different story: 3.4 stars, rated “Average,” across only 22 reviews (retrieved July 2026), with Trustpilot noting the company has no recent history of asking for reviews there, so those reviews may not be representative. On BBB, Sherpa is accredited with an A+ rating, held since 2018.
Car Haul Direct’s numbers are smaller and we will state them plainly rather than spin them: Trustpilot 4.2 stars across 13 reviews, Google 4.0 stars across 67 reviews, and BBB Accredited with an A rating, accredited 7/13/2026 (all retrieved July 2026). You have far fewer data points to judge CHD on, and you should factor that in. What you can verify independently is authority: CHD is an FMCSA-licensed broker, USDOT 4321158, with active authority you can confirm on SAFER. Sherpa holds broker authority under docket MC-51106 (Charlotte, NC) per the FMCSA Licensing and Insurance register; verify its current authority status directly on FMCSA’s systems when you book. Note there is a second, unrelated company using the Sherpa Auto Transport name in Tucker, GA, so check the Charlotte address when you look them up.
On insurance, both are brokers, so the carrier’s policy is what responds to damage. Sherpa requires every contracted carrier to carry at least $1,000,000 in liability and $100,000 in cargo coverage, verifies coverage before dispatch, and is added as Certificate Holder; its terms require written damage claims to the carrier within 7 days of delivery. Car Haul Direct states $2M in cargo insurance coverage. If you are unclear on how broker and carrier responsibilities split, our guide on car shipping brokers vs carriers walks through it, and the car shipping scams playbook shows you how to verify any company’s authority yourself in about 5 minutes.
Who Should Choose Sherpa Auto Transport?
Choose Sherpa if budget certainty is your top concern. If you are shipping on a fixed relocation budget, reimbursing the move through an employer, or simply unwilling to risk a quote that climbs after booking, the Price Lock Promise’s up to $300 subsidy is a real, documented differentiator that Car Haul Direct does not match with an equivalent published guarantee.
Sherpa is also the better documented fit for several niches. Shipping to Alaska? Sherpa runs twice-weekly sailings between Tacoma and Anchorage, and also serves Hawaii. Shipping a motorcycle? Sherpa promotes motorcycle transport, though note both payment portions are charged by card for motorcycles and the cancellation fee is $100. In a hurry? Sherpa offers expedited 2-business-day and 3-business-day pickup windows against its standard 5-business-day window. Military PCS? Sherpa advertises a military discount. Buying from abroad or moving overseas? Sherpa offers international shipping through sister companies AES Shipping and AFL Vehicle Transport. And if you value review volume as social proof, 3,402 Google reviews at 4.8 stars is a much larger sample than CHD’s 67.
Choose Car Haul Direct instead if your situation plays to our strengths: you are buying at auction or through a dealer and need 3 to 5 free storage days on auction pickups, you want pickup typically within 1 to 3 days across the 48 contiguous states, you are moving an inoperable vehicle (typically a $100 to $200 add), or you want enclosed transport priced transparently at roughly 40 to 60 percent more than open. You can run your route through our instant calculator and get a quote in a couple of minutes, or browse more comparisons on the CHD blog.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sherpa Auto Transport a legitimate company?
Yes. Sherpa Auto Transport of Charlotte, NC holds FMCSA broker docket MC-51106, was founded in 2017, and is BBB accredited with an A+ rating, and shows 4.8 stars across 3,402 Google reviews (retrieved July 2026). As with any broker, verify authority yourself; our scams playbook shows how.
How does Sherpa’s Price Lock Promise work?
The quoted price is the price you pay. If the quote is too low to secure a carrier, Sherpa contributes up to $300 of its Initial Payment to hold the total. It is void if your order details change, your info was materially incorrect, or the vehicle is listed with another company.
Does Sherpa require a deposit?
Not at booking. Per its site and terms, you keep a card on file, the Initial Payment is charged when Sherpa designates a carrier, and the balance is paid to the carrier at delivery by cash or certified check. Once paid, charges are non-refundable.
What is Sherpa’s cancellation fee?
$50 per vehicle ($100 for motorcycles, ATVs, trikes) if you cancel before a carrier is designated but inside the pickup window; the full Initial Payment if you cancel after designation; waived if the pickup window has passed.
Does Car Haul Direct offer a price lock guarantee?
No. Car Haul Direct does not publish a price-lock-style guarantee. Its model is an instant online quote priced to the current carrier market, so confirm current terms in writing when you book.
Which is cheaper, Car Haul Direct or Sherpa?
There is no honest universal answer; pricing depends on route, timing, and vehicle. Sherpa’s calculator page publishes averages based on 258,495+ shipments (car average $1,193; open $1,205; enclosed $1,804, per Sherpa, retrieved July 2026). Get a live number from both: Sherpa’s tool takes under 2 minutes, and CHD’s instant calculator needs no phone call.
Does Sherpa ship to Alaska or Hawaii?
Yes. Sherpa advertises twice-weekly sailings between Tacoma, WA and Anchorage, AK, plus Hawaii service, and international shipping through sister companies. CHD covers the 48 contiguous states plus flagged cross-border moves.
How fast is pickup with Car Haul Direct vs Sherpa?
CHD picks up typically within 1 to 3 days. Sherpa’s standard window is 5 business days, with expedited 2- and 3-business-day windows available for a premium.
Can either company ship a car that does not run?
Yes. Sherpa ships inoperable vehicles that can roll, brake, and steer. CHD handles inoperable vehicles with a typical $100 to $200 surcharge.
Comparison data retrieved July 2026; verify current terms with each provider.
