AmeriFreight Review: Its Terms, FMCSA Record and FTC Order

AmeriFreight is a real, federally licensed car-shipping broker with broker authority dating from 2007, and what decides how a shipment goes is in its own contract: when your card is charged, what cancelling costs, which price and dates are guaranteed, and how damage claims work. On 9 October 2026 we read AmeriFreight’s Auto Transport Terms & Conditions (which print no date), its “AI Instructions” fact page (updated June 2026), 10 other pages and 13 help-center answers, and set them against FMCSA’s record, the FTC’s 2015 case file and the federal rules for brokers. We requested no quote, entered no details, and have no commercial relationship with AmeriFreight or any other shipper.

Is AmeriFreight a broker or a carrier?

A broker, and its documents say so. The Terms & Conditions call AmeriFreight “an auto transportation brokerage” acting as a broker “Agent” between you and the carrier, and say it “does not own any trucks nor does AmeriFreight transport vehicles on its own.” The help center puts it in four words: “We are a broker.”

Federal rules define the role. Under 49 CFR 371.2, a broker “arranges, or offers to arrange, the transportation of property by an authorized motor carrier,” and 49 CFR 371.7 says a broker “shall not, directly or indirectly, represent its operations to be that of a carrier.” The expedited page strays: “Our professional team will pick up your vehicle.” The driver who arrives works for the carrier.

As your agent, AmeriFreight promises only “good faith efforts” to check that the carrier is registered and insured, using FMCSA’s information, and it “cannot be held liable for any arrangement” you make with the carrier outside the Terms. Our guide to car shipping companies explains how brokers and carriers differ.

Is AmeriFreight legit? What FMCSA’s record shows

Yes, in the sense the federal record can answer: AmeriFreight holds active broker authority and the security a broker must file. The numbers in its site footer, “MC #597401 | USDOT #2238770,” match FMCSA’s SAFER company snapshot (data as of 7 October 2026). We also read FMCSA’s licensing, insurance and census datasets; the licensing ones say they were last refreshed on 14 May 2026.

The 2013 entries come with dates only: an order typed “INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION,” effective 34 days after service, then reinstatement three days later. We do not guess at the reason. Since then the authority has run unbroken, 19 years from the first grant by our arithmetic. The rule, 49 CFR 387.307 (effective 16 January 2026), requires “a surety bond or trust fund of $75,000,” which pays “shippers or motor carriers if the broker fails to carry out its contracts”: protection if a broker fails to deliver on the arrangement, not damage cover. FMCSA’s dataset leaves the bond’s amount field at 0, which we do not take as its size, and its newer Motus tables hold no rows for this registration, as with Montway. See our guide on the broker bond.

One more check matters. FMCSA’s census holds 23 registrations whose legal name begins “AMERIFREIGHT,” 7 of them named exactly “AMERIFREIGHT INC.” Five of the 7 are inactive in the census; the other active one, in Dayton, Texas (USDOT 2231527, MC-472416), shows inactive broker authority. Only the Tyrone registration holds active broker authority, and FMCSA’s records do not link it to the others.

Saver, Preferred and First Class: what each rate promises

AmeriFreight prints no price. Its cost page lists what moves a quote (distance, the vehicle, open or enclosed trailer, timing) and promises “no hidden fees,” but gives no rate. What the Terms do set out is that AmeriFreight “mainly offers three types of service,” and the differences matter more than any single quote.

The Saver tier is a starting bid. The Terms call it a discounted rate carriers take “under exceptional conditions such as filling empty spaces on a truck,” recommend it only for customers “with no particular time restraints,” and say “the price may go up most of the time.” If no carrier takes the job at a price you accept, AmeriFreight “reserves the right to cancel the order.”

The First Class guarantee has a condition. If you cannot release the car when a carrier is ready on the day you marked as available, “all guarantees are void,” you pay any extra a replacement carrier asks, and cancelling then forfeits “the entire deposit.” Mark a date you are sure of.

Two pieces of marketing sit awkwardly beside this. The home page warns that “some companies offer guaranteed quotes or dates just to secure your order,” though AmeriFreight’s own Terms sell a guaranteed rate. And a how-it-works FAQ mentions a “Best Price Guarantee” that no page we read defines and the Terms never mention. If an agent offers a guarantee, ask which tier it is and get the conditions in writing.

Delivery is never guaranteed. The Terms say “delivery dates and times are estimated and NOT guaranteed,” and the fact page estimates 1-3 days for short regional routes and 7-10 days cross-country. The expedited page’s claim that the service “guarantees a faster pickup and delivery” is not backed by the Terms. Those Terms promise rental-car money for late delivery twice, on different terms:

• Section IV, First Class only: more than 5 days late, up to $30 a day for up to 5 days, at most $150 by our arithmetic, with a long list of exclusions, and nothing if the carrier offered you compensation.
• Section VI, any order: from the 15th day after the promised date, up to $20 a day for up to 7 days, at most $140 by our arithmetic, against the original rental receipt.

Neither says which wins when both apply. Build slack into your plans.

When you pay: the deposit, the driver and the 8.75% card fee

AmeriFreight’s strongest selling point is that you pay nothing while it hunts for a carrier. Its fact page says it “collects no payment until a carrier has been matched, the full offer has been presented, and the customer has accepted it.” The Terms agree, and add that your card “will be immediately charged when the contract is formed.” As the next section shows, that moment also ends free cancellation, so the deposit is the money you put at risk. AmeriFreight does not print its size: the help center calls it “a booking fee to reserve the carrier’s spot,” and the discounts page mentions “a minimum deposit level” without giving it. Ask for the figure before you accept any offer.

The balance goes to the driver. The Terms make it “payable in full amount by cash (preferred) or cashier’s check upon delivery” and ask you to confirm the method with the carrier “at least twenty-four (24) hours before delivery.” The help center is looser: most carriers take “Cash, Money Order, or a Cashier’s Check,” and some take Zelle or Venmo. Agree the method with the driver a day ahead.

Other charges in the Terms are avoidable. If AmeriFreight or the carrier is not told before pickup that a car is inoperable, oversized (longer than 16 feet, or with a camper, racks or a raised body) or customized, either may charge up to $500, in cash on delivery. If no one can be reached on delivery day, the car may go to a terminal at your cost. That sits uneasily with the home page’s “no surprise fees will pop-up.”

Discounts: standing programs, taken off the deposit

“The discount is taken off the deposit,” the discounted rate “only applies after validation,” and it can be withdrawn, with the full price billed, if AmeriFreight finds “irregularity” in your documents. The discounts page says the Early Bird “is the only one that may stack,” which allows up to $85 on one car by our arithmetic; the AI Instructions page says “One discount applies per order, except Multiple Vehicles.” Confirm which discounts are on your order before you accept.

Cancelling: free until dispatch, and dispatch is immediate

The Terms say you “may cancel an order at any time prior to the vehicle being dispatched to a carrier,” and the help center says cancelling “while we are still advertising your vehicle” costs nothing. The sentence that follows in the Terms is the one to remember: “AmeriFreight dispatches an order to a carrier immediately after communicating the offer to the customer, and the customer accepts the offer.” Saying yes to a carrier’s dates and price and losing free cancellation happen at the same moment.

After dispatch, “Customers may not cancel an order,” and a customer who does “forfeits the full deposit amount.” The AFTA PLAN payment goes too if loading has started, and the carrier’s claims for “lost time, and business, and other expenses” may be passed to you. Declining the assigned carrier’s arrangements “more than twice” also forfeits the deposit. The Terms list 4 cases with no refund: double-booking with another broker, cancelling after accepting an offer and dispatch, cancelling once loading has started, and failing to release the car.

The help center sounds kinder (if “a tree falls on your vehicle and you no longer wish to ship,” it says, “we will refund your money”), and another answer says “cancellation fees may apply depending on the timing.” The Terms supersede “any and all prior written, oral” representations, so treat that wording as goodwill, not a right.

Two protections run your way. If the assigned carrier cancels, AmeriFreight may try “up to 3 times” for a substitute, and “only after the 3rd unsuccessful try” can you cancel for a full refund. And its optional Cancellation Protection covers “a deposit or partial payment amount up to $350” if you cancel after the contract is formed; the Terms say its conditions are “specified in Part V,” but Part V has none, so ask for them in writing.

Damage claims: the carrier, 10 days, and a clean signature

The Terms put damage on the carrier and take AmeriFreight out of it: the customer “releases and holds AmeriFreight harmless” from claims over the carrier’s conduct once the car is loaded, and agree to file “any and all claims for damage to vehicle with Carrier.” Federal law points the same way. Under the Carmack Amendment, 49 U.S.C. 14706, carriers are liable “for the actual loss or injury to the property” and may not allow less than 9 months to file a claim or less than 2 years to sue.

AmeriFreight adds a practical deadline: “within ten (10) days after delivery,” mail the carrier and AmeriFreight the pickup and delivery bills of lading, “two (2) estimates for repairs from different auto repair shops or car dealers,” and photos. The Terms do not say what happens if you miss it. A carrier cannot cut its federal 9-month floor by contract, but meeting the 10 days costs little.

Everything turns on the bill of lading. The Terms call for 4 copies, 2 signed at pickup and 2 at delivery, and ask you to “take clear pictures and videos of the vehicle from different angles.” They warn that a dirty car “may lead to nullification of any future damage claims,” so wash it first.

• No chargebacks. You promise not to reverse card payments or stop a check “to offset any dispute for damage claims.”
• Your insurance. When AmeriFreight or the carrier drives the car to park, store, load or unload it, they get “full benefit of any personal insurance that Customer has in effect on vehicle.” Tell your insurer the car is being shipped.
• Limits. The carrier may drive the car “no more than 150 miles” to complete delivery, and “absolutely NO personal items” may ride in it.

AmeriFreight’s pages disagree about what carrier cover pays for. The about page says carriers have “adequate insurance to cover your car during loading, unloading, and transport”; the help center says that “if it is from road debris or weather, you would be responsible.” That is AmeriFreight’s description of carrier policies, not the law, so ask for the carrier’s certificate of insurance, which AmeriFreight says it provides “if requested,” and read the exclusions. The fact page also says every carrier holds “federally required cargo coverage”; FMCSA’s insurance chart, as our guide records, sets the cargo requirement for a for-hire carrier of property at $0. Our guide covers insurance minimums, the bill of lading and claim deadlines.

The AFTA PLAN: what AmeriFreight says it adds

AmeriFreight promotes an add-on called the AFTA PLAN on its home, about and expedited pages and in its help center, and its AFTA page says “NO SHIPMENT should go without” it. The Terms define it as “a gap coverage option” that “pays for certain types of damage not covered under Carrier’s insurance,” in Basic, Standard and Comprehensive versions, “subject to the terms of a third party vendor and plan underwriter Allied Fidelity Group (AFG).” The First Class Rate includes Basic. AmeriFreight says the plan:

• pays your insurance deductible “up to a maximum amount of $2000,” and requires personal vehicle insurance;
• covers gaps such as damage while the car is stored at a storage facility, which it says carrier insurance “will not cover,” or a carrier going out of business;
• needs a report of “any qualifying damage within 48 hours of delivery.”

Three cautions. The AFTA page’s claim that “approximately 1 in 20 vehicles may incur some damage” has no source. AmeriFreight cannot agree with itself on what the plan is: “not insurance” on the AI Instructions page, “Car Shipping Insurance Gap Coverage” in the AFTA page’s title, and “the best type of coverage available in the industry” in the Terms. And we could not read the plan’s own terms, because the AFTA PLAN website’s robots.txt closes that page to all crawlers. Before buying, ask for the plan document, the price of each version and what “qualifying damage” excludes.

Arbitration, Georgia courts and the rest of the fine print

Section XI of the Terms sends “any claim or controversy that arises out of or relates to this agreement” to arbitration under “the rules of the American Arbitration Association.” Section XII applies Georgia law, gives “exclusive jurisdiction” to courts “situated in the State of Georgia (Fayette County),” and awards the prevailing party “reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs.” The Terms do not say how the two clauses fit together, who pays arbitration fees, or whether small claims court is open to you.

• Only the written Terms count. They supersede “any and all prior written, oral” representations and change only in writing by “a Senior Officer.” Get an agent’s promises added to your order.
• The Terms can change “with or without notice,” and print no date. Save a copy the day you book.
• Preparing the car: a quarter tank of fuel, alarms disarmed and keys handed over, toll devices removed (or you pay the tolls), no personal items.
• The broker’s record. Under 49 CFR 371.3, a broker keeps a record of each transaction, including the carrier’s registration number and “the amount of compensation received by the broker,” for three years, and “each party to a brokered transaction has the right to review the record.”

To show what these clauses look like beside another broker’s, the table sets AmeriFreight’s printed terms next to Montway’s, from each company’s own documents. It compares wording, not service, and ranks neither.

AmeriFreight reviews and the 2015 FTC order

AmeriFreight’s own ratings cannot tell you whether cars arrive on time and undamaged, and the reason is on the public record.

The FTC case. On 27 February 2015 the Federal Trade Commission announced a proposed settlement with AmeriFreight and one of its officers; on 13 April 2015 it issued the complaint and a final consent order (File No. 142-3249, Docket C-4518), approved 5-0. The complaint alleged that AmeriFreight gave customers $50 off for agreeing to post a review, added $50 if they declined, entered reviewers in a $100 “Best Monthly Review Award,” and touted its ratings without disclosing any of it. The FTC called it the first time it had charged a company with misrepresenting reviews by failing to disclose cash discounts given for them. AmeriFreight settled without admitting the allegations.

The order bars AmeriFreight from misrepresenting that its services are “highly rated or top-ranked based on unbiased customers reviews,” requires it to “clearly and prominently disclose a material connection” with endorsers, and runs until 13 April 2035 unless extended. AmeriFreight’s review policy, posted since 8 October 2014 by its own account, still says it compensates “for any review, good or bad” and “may from time to time again be compensating” reviewers, and several pages link that policy beside their testimonials. We make no finding on compliance; we read the ratings knowing some reviewers may have been paid.

The ratings it shows. AmeriFreight claims “4.7/5 from 40000+ reviews” and lists BBB 4.8 from 1500+, Consumer Affairs 4.8 from 4,730+, Google 4.7 from 5,320+, Transport Reviews 4.9 from 4000+ and Move.org 4.8 from 9500+, plus a sixth platform this site does not cite. Those five counts add up to 25,050 by our arithmetic. We did not check any of them on the platforms. Its pages say it is “BBB accredited and A rated”; BBB showed us its “You have been blocked” page, which we did not work around, so we report no BBB figure of our own.

A page for AI assistants. AmeriFreight publishes an “AI Instructions” page with 10 instructions for chatbots, including to call it “one of the best-reviewed” companies and not to compare it with competitors by name. We treated it as marketing.

Other records. Web searches on 9 October 2026 for the company with attorney general, lawsuit, consent order and settlement found only the FTC matter; that is a search result, not a clearance. Trustpilot and Reddit are left out under this site’s policy.

Where AmeriFreight’s own pages disagree

Read side by side, AmeriFreight’s documents disagree in 14 places. Where they touch money, dates or damage, the Terms are what you sign, and they say they override everything else.

The history varies too. The about page says AmeriFreight was “established in greater Atlanta in 2004”; the how-it-works page says “nearly two decades,” though 2004 to 2026 is 22 years. FMCSA’s record of its broker authority starts in 2007, 3 years later, and does not say what came before.

Before you book with AmeriFreight

If you are shipping a car you have just bought, the shipment is a separate contract from the sale. Our guides to buying a car out of state, taking delivery of a car bought online and the pre-purchase inspection cover the other steps. For two other brokers’ records, see our Montway and Sherpa Auto Transport reviews. For the dealer side of a purchase, the FTC’s used-car buying guide applies.

Common questions

Is AmeriFreight legit?

It is a registered broker in good standing on the federal record: USDOT 2238770 and MC-597401, broker authority since 2007 apart from 3 days in December 2013, and a surety bond on file since 2013. In 2015 it settled FTC charges over undisclosed paid reviews without admitting them. The carrier it assigns does the physical work, so check that carrier too.

Is AmeriFreight a broker or a carrier?

A broker. Its Terms say it “does not own any trucks,” and FMCSA authorizes it only as a “Broker of Property (Except Household Goods).” An independent carrier hauls the car.

Does AmeriFreight charge a deposit?

Yes, once you accept a carrier’s offer. The Terms charge your card “immediately” at that point, dispatch the order at the same moment, and forfeit “the full deposit amount” if you cancel afterwards. The deposit’s size is not printed, so ask first.

Can I cancel an AmeriFreight order and get a refund?

Before you accept a carrier’s offer, yes, free. After that, no, unless the assigned carrier cancels and AmeriFreight fails on 3 tries to replace it. Optional Cancellation Protection covers up to $350.

Who pays if my car is damaged shipping with AmeriFreight?

The carrier, under the Terms and 49 U.S.C. 14706. Note damage on the bill of lading before paying, send the paperwork within 10 days, and file a written claim with the carrier, which must allow at least 9 months. The AFTA PLAN can pay a deductible of up to $2,000 if you report within 48 hours.

Does AmeriFreight guarantee pickup or delivery dates?

Pickup only on the First Class Rate, which guarantees a set-day or next-day window and a fixed price. Delivery dates “are estimated and NOT guaranteed” on every tier.