Illinois Car Shipping Companies: FMCSA-Verified Brokers & Carriers

Published October 28, 2026

Every fall, a lot of cars leave the Chicago area headed south and west for the winter, and Illinois is also home to some of the larger auto transport companies in our searches so far. This page lists Illinois-headquartered auto transport carriers and brokers whose federal records checked out on SAFER, with FMCSA data as of 10/26/2026. Every USDOT number below links to the company's live FMCSA record so you can check it yourself.

Being listed here isn't an endorsement. We don't take money from any company on this page. A clean FMCSA record is the minimum, not proof of good service. How we verify.

Illinois by the numbers (FMCSA census)

• 5,744 Illinois-based companies have an active USDOT number and list "Motor Vehicles" as a cargo type in FMCSA's census file. That count includes tow trucks, dealers, rental fleets, and contractors, not just car shippers.
• 99 of those have an MC docket number and a name containing "auto transport," "auto shipping," or "car shipping."
• 256 of the motor-vehicle companies are registered purely as brokers, meaning they don't run their own trucks.

Illinois auto transport carriers (largest by power units)

Carriers own or run the trucks. We took Illinois-based companies with "auto transport" style names (including "vehicle transport" and "car transport"), Motor Vehicles cargo, and an MC number, took the 40 largest by power units (trucks) in FMCSA's census, and kept every one with at least two power units on SAFER that showed USDOT Status ACTIVE and AUTHORIZED FOR Motor Carrier of Property. Of the 40 we checked, 16 had active USDOT numbers but NOT AUTHORIZED status, so none of those are in this table. Another 3 authorized carriers reported a single power unit; we left them off to keep the list short, not because of any problem.

Power units are what each company self-reports to FMCSA, so treat them as approximate. Almost all of these carriers are in the Chicago suburbs, and the two largest report dozens of trucks, which is bigger than any carrier we listed for Arizona, Texas, or New York. Many carriers haul loads assigned by brokers, so if you book through a broker, ask who will actually pick up your car.

Illinois auto transport brokers (longest-registered)

Brokers arrange the move and assign a carrier. These are Illinois-based companies with "auto transport" style names and an MC number, registered as brokers, first registered before 2025, and AUTHORIZED FOR Broker of Property on SAFER. They're listed from oldest registration to newest. Brokers must keep a $75,000 bond or trust fund on file, which you can check on FMCSA's L&I search.

¹ Many older records in FMCSA's census file share a November 2011 add date, so for these companies "11/2011" may reflect a records date rather than the year they actually started. SAFER and L&I show the full authority history.

A few records are related, so check that your contract names the record you looked up:

• Montway LLC and Auto Shipping Group LLC list the same Schaumburg street address and suite on SAFER but hold separate USDOT and MC numbers. We have a separate Montway Auto Transport profile.
• Eagle Transport Inc (carrier) and Eagle Auto Transport Inc (broker) in Addison share an address and phone number on SAFER, with separate USDOT and MC records.
• Van 3 Auto Transport and Karma Auto Transport list the same phone number on SAFER but different addresses and separate records.

Names appear exactly as FMCSA records them, typos included. While building this list, 48 of the 68 Illinois broker registrations we checked showed NOT AUTHORIZED on SAFER even though their USDOT numbers were active. Of those, 24 were older registrations from 2011–2012. Six more authorized Illinois brokers were first registered in 2025 or 2026; we left them off this list of longest-registered brokers, but they aren't excluded for any problem. An unauthorized broker can't legally arrange your interstate move, so check before you pay a deposit.

How to use this list

1. Ask which one you're booking. If you get a quote from a broker, ask in writing for the assigned carrier's name, MC, and USDOT number before pickup, then check that carrier too. Our 5-minute check walks through it.
2. Match the phone number. FMCSA's fraud guidance suggests confirming phone numbers against SAFER. If the number you were given doesn't match, call the SAFER number and ask. (A SAFER phone with an out-of-state area code isn't a problem by itself; companies list whatever number they choose.)
3. Check insurance and bond on L&I. SAFER shows authority; FMCSA's Licensing & Insurance site shows the bond (brokers) and liability filing (carriers).
4. Read the deposit and cancellation terms before you pay. People regularly report losing a deposit after cancelling, even within a few days of booking. Get the cancellation policy in writing, and read how the lowball-quote deposit pattern works.

Browse all company profiles and other states.

What this page doesn't cover

We haven't verified insurance amounts, cargo coverage, complaint history, or customer reviews for these companies, so none of that is shown. FMCSA records change daily; if a company's SAFER record no longer matches this table, trust SAFER.

Heading somewhere warm for the winter? See our Florida car shipping companies and Arizona car shipping companies lists, plus Texas if you're headed south-west.