Terms of service

1. Who these terms apply to

These terms apply to anyone who requests a quote, books a shipment, creates an account, or otherwise uses Transparent Transport ("we", "us"), whether you are shipping a vehicle (a "customer"), hauling vehicles (a "carrier"), or arranging transport for others (a "broker").

If you use the platform for a company, you confirm you're authorized to accept these terms for it. If you don't agree, don't use the platform.

2. What we do

Transparent Transport is a software platform for vehicle transport, and we also operate our own brokerage on it. As a broker we arrange transportation by independent, licensed motor carriers; we are not the carrier, and the carrier performs the transport.

Other brokers and shippers on the platform are independent businesses. When you book through one of them, your transport agreement is with that business, and its signed agreement and invoice control the shipment.

3. Quotes and prices

Instant quotes are estimates based on the ZIP codes, vehicles, condition and transport type you enter, and are valid for seven days. The final price is confirmed with you before a carrier is booked and is written in your transport agreement.

If the vehicle, its condition, its size or the pickup and delivery details differ from what you told us, the price may change. We'll tell you before pickup when we can.

4. Customer responsibilities

Give accurate vehicle and location details; have someone 18 or older at pickup and delivery to inspect the vehicle and sign the inspection report; prepare the vehicle (personal items removed, about a quarter tank of fuel, alarms off); tell us before booking if the vehicle doesn't run, steer or brake; and inspect the vehicle at delivery and note any damage before the driver leaves.

5. Carrier responsibilities

Carriers must hold active interstate operating authority and the cargo and liability insurance required by law, keep it in force, and keep their platform profile accurate. Carriers must haul accepted loads with their own equipment and drivers; re-brokering or assigning a load to another company is not allowed and will result in removal from the platform.

Carriers must complete pickup and delivery inspections with photographs, keep location sharing on while a load is on the truck, and report delays and damage promptly.

6. Payments

Customers pay the deposit and balance stated in their agreement and invoice, by the methods listed there. Payment can't be withheld at delivery because of a damage claim; claims are handled separately.

Carrier pay is released after delivery is verified by a signed delivery inspection, under the payment terms in the rate confirmation. Verified carriers may choose instant payout for the fee shown on our pricing page. Subscription plans are billed monthly in advance.

7. Damage and claims

Carriers are liable for loss and damage while a vehicle is in their care, as provided in 49 U.S.C. § 14706, and claims are made against the carrier's cargo insurance. Damage must be noted on the delivery inspection report; then send photos, a written description and two repair estimates within 48 hours of delivery. We'll help you file and follow the claim.

Carriers aren't responsible for pre-existing damage, mechanical failure, leaking fluids, freezing, items left in the vehicle, or events outside anyone's control such as hail or flooding.

8. Schedules and delays

Pickup and delivery dates are estimates. Weather, traffic, breakdowns and hours-of-service rules can move them. We share delay updates as soon as we know, but we aren't liable for rental cars, travel costs or other losses caused by delay unless your signed agreement says otherwise.

9. Cancellations

Cancellation terms are in your signed transport agreement. As a general rule, a customer can cancel without charge before a carrier is dispatched, and a dry-run fee may apply if a dispatched truck arrives and the vehicle isn't available.

10. Electronic signatures and records

You agree that agreements, invoices and inspection reports may be signed electronically and that your electronic signature has the same effect as a handwritten one. We record the signer's name, the time, the IP address and device, and a SHA-256 fingerprint of the signed document.

11. Acceptable use

Don't misuse the platform: no scraping or copying data from it or from other load boards through it, no sharing or collecting other services' login credentials, no posting loads you don't have the right to move, no fraudulent identities or insurance documents, and no attempts to access another organization's data. We may suspend accounts that break these rules.

12. Limits of liability

Except where the law doesn't allow it, our total liability for any claim related to the platform is limited to the fees you paid us for the service involved in the twelve months before the claim, and we aren't liable for indirect or consequential losses. Nothing here limits a carrier's liability for cargo under federal law.

13. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. We'll post the new version here with its date, and for material changes we'll notify account holders by email. Using the platform after a change means you accept the updated terms.