Your car was picked up three days ago. The carrier isn’t answering calls or texts. The broker says “we’re checking.” You’re starting to wonder if your car is even still on the truck.
This is one of the most stressful moments in the entire car shipping process — your vehicle is physically out of your hands, you’ve already paid, and the silence feels like a red flag even when it isn’t one. The good news: most communication gaps during transit are completely normal and resolve on their own. The better news: there’s a clear, specific way to tell the difference between “normal trucking silence” and an actual problem, and exactly who to call if it’s the latter.
This guide breaks down what’s typical, what’s a genuine red flag, and the escalation ladder to follow — broker, then dispatcher, then the federal regulator — if your carrier really has gone dark.
Why Carriers Go Quiet (and Why It’s Usually Fine)
Auto transport drivers are operating a semi-truck carrying 6-9 vehicles across hundreds of miles, often solo, and under federal Hours of Service rules that restrict when and how long they can drive. A driver who hasn’t answered your text in 18 hours is far more likely to be legally required to rest, navigating no-signal rural highway, or mid-loading/unloading at a stop — not ignoring you on purpose.
Unlike a package courier with real-time GPS updates on a retail app, most car carriers are small operations (often a single driver-owner or a small fleet) coordinating pickups and drop-offs for multiple customers along one route. Communication is handled by phone and text, not a live tracking dashboard, and it’s genuinely normal for that communication to be infrequent — once a day or even less — rather than instant.
What’s Normal vs. What’s a Red Flag
Use this timeline as a general guide. It’s not a guarantee of exactly when a problem exists, but it reflects how long a true logistics gap (rest breaks, route delays, multi-stop loading) typically explains a silence versus when it stops being explainable.
| Time Since Last Contact | What It Usually Means | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–24 hours | Normal. Driver is en route, resting per Hours of Service rules, or between stops. | Nothing yet. Note your pickup date and the promised delivery window. |
| 24–48 hours | Still typically normal, especially on longer routes or multi-car loads with several stops. | Send one text/call to the driver AND a check-in call to your broker. Ask for an ETA update. |
| 48–72 hours | Getting into gray-zone territory. Could be a breakdown, weather delay, or a driver who’s genuinely overloaded with stops — but it’s reasonable to expect a response by now. | Request that your broker contact the carrier’s dispatch (not just the driver’s cell) and get a written status update. |
| 72+ hours with zero response | A real problem. Even a delayed carrier should be able to give SOME update through dispatch. | Escalate formally — see the ladder below. |
Keep in mind these windows are rough guidance, not fixed rules — a single breakdown or major weather event can reasonably extend them. The pattern that matters most is whether someone (driver, dispatcher, or broker) can give you a status update at all, not whether the driver personally answers every call.
Your Escalation Ladder: Broker → Dispatcher → FMCSA
If you’ve hit the 48-72 hour mark with no real update, work through these steps in order rather than jumping straight to a regulatory complaint:
- Step 1 — Go back to your broker in writing. Email or text (not just call) so there’s a timestamped record. Ask directly: “Can you confirm the carrier’s current location and expected delivery date?” A broker who can’t answer this within a few hours is itself a signal.
- Step 2 — Request the carrier’s dispatch contact, not just the driver’s cell. Most carrier companies (even small ones) have a dispatcher or office line separate from the driver. Dispatch can locate a truck even when an individual driver is unreachable.
- Step 3 — Ask for the Bill of Lading and carrier’s DOT/MC number if you don’t already have them. This is the paperwork you should have received at pickup, and it’s required to file any formal complaint later.
- Step 4 — If 72+ hours pass with no update from anyone, file a complaint with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the federal agency that regulates interstate movers and brokers.
When and How to File an FMCSA Complaint
To file, go to the National Consumer Complaint Database at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov, select your filer category as a consumer, and submit the carrier or broker’s name, DOT/MC number, and a description of the issue along with supporting documents like your Bill of Lading. Once you submit, FMCSA will notify you whether the complaint is actionable or non-actionable after it has been reviewed.
This step is for genuine non-responsiveness or suspected abandonment — not for routine delays of a day or two. Filing early and unnecessarily won’t speed up your specific shipment, but having a documented complaint on file matters if the situation escalates into a lost or damaged vehicle claim later.
If your vehicle is ultimately lost, abandoned, or the carrier simply disappears, every licensed property broker is required to carry a BMC-84 surety bond, which guarantees up to $75,000 to cover situations where a broker fails to honor its obligations — this is the financial backstop behind the paperwork, not something you’ll need for a normal communication gap, but worth knowing exists.
What You Should Never Do
Even when you’re frustrated and worried, avoid these moves — they tend to make a recoverable situation worse:
- Don’t stop payment or dispute the charge mid-transit. Your vehicle is still physically with the carrier. A payment dispute while they’re actively driving your car can complicate — not speed up — delivery, and may violate your contract terms.
- Don’t threaten cancellation while the car is already on the truck. Once pickup has happened, there’s no “canceling” the shipment — only waiting it out or escalating through the proper channels above.
- Don’t rely on one single point of contact. If the driver won’t answer, go to dispatch. If dispatch won’t answer, go to the broker. If the broker won’t answer, that’s when FMCSA comes in.
How Best Care Auto Transport Reduces This Risk From the Start
The best fix for mid-transit silence is preventing it in the first place. At Best Care Auto Transport, that starts with vetting carriers for a real operating history and valid FMCSA authority before they’re ever matched to a customer’s shipment, and giving customers a direct line to their assigned coordinator — not just a driver’s personal cell — so there’s always a second point of contact if the truck itself is briefly unreachable.
If you’re currently shopping for a car shipping company and want to avoid this anxiety altogether, start by learning how to verify a broker’s FMCSA license before you book — a legitimate, verifiable operation is far less likely to leave you in the dark mid-shipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal for a car carrier to not answer for a full day during transit?
Yes. Drivers are often restricted by federal Hours of Service rules that require rest periods, and many routes pass through areas with poor cell signal. A single day of silence is common and not usually a cause for concern.
Who should I contact first if my carrier stops responding?
Start with your broker or booking coordinator, not the driver directly. They can reach the carrier’s dispatch office, which has more visibility into the truck’s status than a single driver’s cell phone.
How long should I wait before filing an FMCSA complaint?
Generally, give the situation 48-72 hours and work through the broker and dispatcher first. FMCSA complaints are meant for genuine non-responsiveness, not routine day-to-day delays.
What information do I need to file a complaint against a carrier or broker?
You’ll want the company’s name, its DOT or MC number, and your Bill of Lading, which documents the pickup details and the agreed terms of transport.
Can I cancel my shipment if the carrier won’t respond?
Not practically, once your car has already been picked up — the vehicle is physically with the carrier. Your leverage at that point is escalation (dispatcher, then FMCSA), not cancellation.