Freight for dealer trades: driveaway vs carrier, estimates and damage

How does freight work on a dealer trade? A unit moves by carrier, driveaway or buyer pickup. Before terms, the buyer sees a freight estimate as a range, never a quote. At terms, the charge is the carrier's quote split per unit plus Locates.io's flat $75 a unit, and it is locked. Damage is documented with photos at pickup and delivery.

Freight is the part of a trade most likely to surprise someone. The estimate was one number, the carrier wanted another, the unit arrived a day late with a scuff nobody noticed at pickup. Most surprises come from treating different freight numbers as the same thing, and from skipping inspections when everyone is busy. Examples use made-up numbers; they are not market rates or quotes. For the whole process, see the trade walkthrough.

How can a traded unit move?

Carrier

A car-hauler picks the unit up at the selling store and delivers it to the buying store. Carriers can move several units on one truck, so the per-unit cost usually drops as units on a load rise. Carriers are the default for longer distances and multi-unit loads.

Driveaway

A driver drives the unit from the selling store to the buying store. For short distances this is often simpler and cheaper. On Locates.io the charge is built the same way as any other delivery. It adds miles to the unit, so mileage is recorded at pickup and delivery.

Buyer pickup

The buying store sends its own driver or arranges its own transport. Buyer pickup means no freight charge on the deal. The buyer arranges it, and the selling store releases the unit once the agreement has executed.

How is the freight charge built?

Before terms, the buyer sees an estimate range: the expected carrier cost plus Locates.io's flat $75 a unit, with a low and a high end. At terms, ops enters the carrier's real quote. The freight charge is that quote split per unit, plus $75 a unit, and it is locked. For buyer pickup, it is $0.

It is part of the buyer's delivered price:

Delivered price = seller's price + freight charge + platform fee

From terms, the price, the freight charge and the $199 platform fee show as separate lines. The buyer pays the fee; selling is free. See pricing.

What are the four freight numbers?

A lot of confusion comes from four different numbers all being called "the freight." On Locates.io they're always separate.

1. The estimate. Before anyone signs, the buyer sees a range based on the distance band between the stores, the number of units on the load and the vehicle class.
2. The carrier quote. What the carrier quotes for the load. Ops enters it at terms, and it sets your freight charge.
3. The accepted cost. The carrier cost actually agreed for the load.
4. The final cost. What the load actually cost once delivered, including anything that changed.

The freight charge on your deal is locked at terms. After that, the accepted cost and final cost are tracked by Locates.io and don't change what either dealer pays. Locates.io absorbs or keeps any difference. Carrier cost is never shown to dealers.

Why is a freight estimate always a range?

A freight estimate is never a quote. Three things move the real cost:

• Load size. Several units on one truck can cost less per unit than a single unit.
• Route and timing. Carrier availability on a lane changes week to week.
• Vehicle class. Larger vehicles, heavy-duty trucks and special cases cost more.

A range says honestly where the cost is likely to land. A single number would pretend to know something nobody knows yet.

What do dealers see about distance?

Before signing, dealers don't see each other's city or the exact distance. The buyer sees a distance band: under 250, 250-500, 500-1,000 or 1,000+ miles. That's enough to understand the freight estimate without revealing where the seller is. Pickup and delivery details are released when the agreement executes.

When is freight booked?

After the agreement has executed, when both dealers have signed the same current version. Before that, nobody knows for certain the deal will happen, and the seller's location is still sealed.

Locates.io books the carrier and records pickup and delivery, so you never chase a carrier. The carrier sees the pickup and delivery details it needs, never any money.

What happens at pickup?

Pickup is the first of two inspection points, and the most important to get right. The carrier inspects each unit with the selling store and records its condition on the bill of lading: body, glass, wheels, interior and mileage. Existing damage is documented with photos.

• Have the unit ready. Washed, accessible and with keys.
• Walk it with the driver. Point out anything already there. Anything not noted at pickup becomes a question at delivery.
• Check the mileage. Especially for driveaway.

What happens at delivery?

The carrier and the receiving store inspect each unit again and record its condition, with photos of any damage.

• Inspect before signing for the unit. Walk every unit, in good light if possible.
• Note everything. Small marks are easier to document now than to explain later.
• Compare with pickup. The pickup report shows what was already there.

What if a unit is damaged?

Damage found at pickup or delivery is recorded on the bill of lading for that stage and documented with photos. Each dealer acknowledges the damage report for their side.

These two inspections are the only photos anywhere on Locates.io. There are no listing photos.

How a claim is resolved depends on where the damage happened and the carrier's terms. The pickup and delivery reports make that question answerable. Without them, it's one store's word against another's.

How does freight fit into the money?

• The freight charge is part of the delivered price and runs through Locates.io with the rest of the amount over invoice.
• Locates.io pays the carrier. Dealers never pay a carrier directly for a Locates.io load.
• Payouts wait for funds. Locates.io never records a payout until the incoming funds it depends on have been received.

Which option should I choose?

The freight option is part of a deal's terms, and the buyer sees the freight (or $0 for pickup) before signing.

How do multi-unit loads work?

When a buyer takes several units from the same seller, they usually ship together on one carrier load, which is where per-unit freight tends to come down. The estimate a buyer sees reflects the number of units on the load, and a buyer building a mix can see how the per-unit estimate changes as units are added or removed. Once terms are finalized, the charge for each unit is fixed.

Units from different sellers ship on separate loads, each with its own estimate and charge.

What does a freight timeline look like from signing to delivery?

Here is the sequence on a typical delivered trade, with made-up numbers.

Three things make this go smoothly:

1. The estimate is read as a range. Nobody plans around the low end.
2. The pickup report is complete. The scuff was noted before the unit left, so it is not a surprise at delivery.
3. The charge is already fixed. Whatever the carrier's final cost turns out to be, neither dealer is re-billed.

If something had been new at delivery, the receiving store would document it with photos in the delivery report, and the two reports together would show where it happened.

How long does freight take?

Timing depends on carrier availability on the route, the distance, and how quickly both stores are ready. Locates.io doesn't promise a delivery date before a carrier is booked, for the same reason an estimate is a range.

• Sign promptly. Freight can't be booked until the agreement executes.
• Have the unit ready when the carrier arrives, with keys and paperwork.
• Tell Locates.io about constraints, such as receiving hours or a lot a large truck can't enter.

If a unit needs to arrive by a specific date, say so before terms are finalized.

Quick checklist

Before signing: check the freight estimate range and the distance band.

At terms: confirm the freight charge and fee lines on your side.

At pickup: walk the unit with the driver, note everything, check mileage.

At delivery: inspect before signing for the unit, document damage, acknowledge the report.

FAQ

Is the freight estimate a quote?

No. A freight estimate is always a range, never a quote. The freight charge on your deal is locked when the terms are finalized.

What happens if the carrier costs more than the estimate?

Nothing changes for the dealers. The freight charge was locked at terms. Locates.io absorbs the difference, and the buyer is never re-billed.

How is the freight charge calculated?

At terms, it's the carrier's quote split per unit, plus Locates.io's flat $75 a unit. Before terms you see a range. For buyer pickup, it's $0.

Can I pick up the unit myself?

Yes. With buyer pickup, there's no freight charge. You arrange the pickup after the agreement has executed.

When is freight booked?

After the agreement has executed, when both dealers have signed the same current version.

Can I see the carrier's cost?

No. Carrier cost is never shown to dealers. You see your freight, fixed at terms.

What's documented at pickup and delivery?

The unit's condition and mileage, recorded on the bill of lading, with photos of any damage. Each dealer acknowledges the damage report for their side.

Are there photos of my units anywhere else?

No. The only photos on Locates.io are of damage documented at pickup and delivery.

Does the carrier see the deal's money?

No. Carriers see the pickup and delivery details they need and no money at all. More answers are in the FAQ.