Every carrier Rivalane works with is checked for three things before it moves a vehicle: active licensing with the FMCSA, valid cargo insurance, and a clean safety record. We re-check those on an ongoing basis rather than once at sign-up, because authority and insurance can lapse.
How is a specific truck matched to your order?
Once your order is confirmed, it is offered to carriers in our network that run your route. The match depends on where the truck is, which direction it is heading, when it can reach your pickup address, and whether it has the right equipment. A standard sedan can go on most open carriers. A lowered car, an inoperable vehicle or a high-value classic needs a carrier with a liftgate, a winch or an enclosed trailer, and we only assign carriers that have it.
On busy corridors a match usually comes quickly because many trucks run that way. On less traveled routes, or when your dates are tight, finding the right truck can take longer. Our working estimate is one to three working days from booking to carrier assignment, and we tell you as soon as a carrier accepts.
You are never asked to pay Rivalane's fee before a carrier has accepted your order, which is one way to tell a broker that matches orders to real trucks from one that charges first and searches later.
The three checks, in detail
Licensing means active motor carrier operating authority with the FMCSA, which you can confirm for any carrier on the SAFER Company Snapshot. Insurance means a current certificate of cargo insurance from the carrier, plus the liability filings visible in the FMCSA Licensing and Insurance system. Safety means the carrier's FMCSA record does not show the patterns that put loads at risk, such as out-of-service orders.
A carrier that fails any of the three does not receive orders from us. A carrier that passed last month and lapsed this month is caught by the ongoing check, which is the point of repeating it.
What "the right equipment" means for your car
A standard sedan or SUV rides on an open two-level trailer, and most carriers run them. Beyond that, the vehicle decides the truck. A lowered car needs a liftgate or extended ramps so the front splitter clears the deck.
A vehicle that does not run needs a winch. A classic or exotic usually goes enclosed, inside a covered trailer with fewer vehicles and a liftgate. An oversized pickup or a limousine needs height and length on the trailer that not every load can spare.
That is why the details you give at booking matter. The equipment is matched to the vehicle you describe, and a surprise at the truck, such as a lift kit nobody mentioned, can mean a refused load or an extra fee the carrier charges on the spot.
What the Terms say: the customer is responsible for the accuracy of the vehicle description and for declaring modifications, oversize dimensions and inoperable condition before the carrier is assigned. Undeclared conditions can lead to additional carrier fees or a refused pickup (Sections 3a and 3c of our Terms and Conditions).
Route, direction and timing
Car haulers run circuits rather than one-off trips. A truck heading from New York to Florida in October fills its deck with cars going that way, and it picks up along the corridor in the order that keeps its route efficient. Your order is attractive to a carrier when it fits that circuit: the pickup is on or near the route, the dates overlap, and the delivery is on the way.
A wide pickup window makes your order fit more circuits, which is why flexible dates usually price better and get matched sooner. Tight dates on a rural route are the hardest match, because the truck has to leave its circuit to reach you.
What we tell you, and when
You hear from us as soon as a carrier accepts. The confirmation includes the carrier's name so you can check it, and the pickup window the carrier has planned. If no carrier has accepted within our working estimate of one to three working days, we tell you what would help, such as a wider window or a meeting point near a highway, and keep working the order.
Our Terms make Rivalane's fee due only when a carrier accepts, so there is no charge for the search itself. You can cancel at no cost at any point before that acceptance.
What we do not do
We do not assign the cheapest carrier that will take the order if it fails any check, and we do not post your order at a rate no carrier will accept in order to win the booking. A quote built that way leaves cars waiting. The rate we quote is one carriers on your route are accepting, which is the only kind of quote that turns into a truck at your door.
The open transport and white glove pages describe the two ends of the equipment range, and the routes pages show where carrier traffic is densest.
Related questions
- How does carrier assignment work after I book?
- Is my car insured during transport with Rivalane?
- When do I pay for car shipping with Rivalane?
Go deeper: 7 Steps to Verify an Auto Transport Company and Avoid Scams.
