The founder and CEO of four transportation companies operating in 48 states explains how to move hundreds of cars a month, cut fuel and repair costs, and keep service quality high.

In September, diesel in the US hit $6.53 a gallon, up 71% from February. That hits car haulers directly. Costs are rising, and they have to price every trip more carefully to protect their margins. At the same time, brokers and dealerships are getting stricter with their logistics partners.

At the Automotive Logistics & Supply Chain Global conference, representatives of Ford, GM, and Nissan said that when they choose carriers, rates matter, but so do reliable delivery, damage-free handling, and transparency in logistics.

How do you haul thousands of cars a month, deal with rising costs, and stay profitable in the competitive US market? Sergey Svinaryov, an entrepreneur in the US carhaul business, shared his experience. He founded and runs four transportation companies that operate in 48 states and move about 1,600 cars a month. He also has his own truck and trailer repair shop and plans to move into car sales down the road.

In this interview, he talks about how to grow a business while costs and customer expectations continue to rise, how to stay profitable against heavy competition, and why having his own truck repair shop was his best decision.

– Fuel costs have jumped, and so have customer requirements. Sergey, how much do you feel these changes, and how do they affect your work?

A lot, and the job really has gotten harder. Operating costs have gone up significantly in recent years. Diesel, parts, and equipment maintenance have all become more expensive. At the same time, customers expect reasonable prices, so we can’t just pass every added cost on to them. Carriers have to balance rising expenses against terms that still work for clients.

Aside from fuel, one of the industry’s biggest problems is the labor shortage. Changes to FMCSA requirements, especially those introduced in the past year, complicate recruitment. It’s harder for carriers to find and keep drivers who meet every requirement, which puts more pressure on companies and makes it harder to plan loads.

Then there’s competition. There are plenty of carriers out there, and not all of them maintain the same standards. Some take jobs they don’t have the resources to complete, miss deadlines, or deliver poor service. When customers have a bad experience, it can hurt the reputation of the whole industry. Brokers and clients are more cautious now. They vet carriers more thoroughly and expect more reliability from their partners.

When I started out, I had to win clients’ trust too. I spent more time negotiating and proving I was dependable, but I didn’t lower my rates to do it. A lot of people still try to compete on price, but I don’t think that works in the long run. If you save money somewhere, you’ll lose it on quality.

– How do you keep hauling costs under control and stay profitable?

First, we plan routes and loads carefully so our trucks don’t run back empty and carry cars in both directions. For example, a car from New Jersey to Miami can run $2,000 to $2,500, including the broker’s fee, while the return trip pays around $1,500 to $2,000. So when you plan a trip, you have to think about whether you can find a load for the way back.

It’s just as important to stay on top of the condition of your equipment and service trucks and trailers on schedule. That helps you avoid serious breakdowns on the road and unplanned repair bills.

Constant communication between drivers, dispatchers, and other staff matters a lot too. We monitor drivers’ mileage, and one person tracks it as part of their broader responsibilities. We also evaluate toll roads, weighing the time they save against the added cost of the trip. When we build schedules, we take drivers’ needs into account and, where we can, set up their time off closer to home.

The price also depends on the size of the vehicle, the type of transport, the location, and how urgent the order is. A large vehicle can take up two spots on the hauler instead of one. Moving cars between big cities usually costs less than picking up in remote areas, where it’s harder to find the next load. An enclosed hauler, which protects the car from weather and road debris, costs more than an open one.

We’re upfront about all of this. We explain what drives the price and offer affordable options, and the client picks the rate that fits their budget, shipping needs, and delivery timeline.

– Your companies haul about 1,600 cars a month. How do you find that many orders and keep your trucks consistently full?

Most of our business is B2B hauling. We work with brokers and large dealerships, and we’ve spent years building those relationships. That gives us a steady flow of orders, and some partners send us more than 50 loads a week.

In this business, reputation and trust matter a lot. Brokers and dealers need to know the carrier will keep its commitments, deliver on time, and provide good service. We know it takes years to earn trust and far less time to lose it. So even when we take on more orders, we give each one the attention it needs, so quality doesn’t slip because of volume.

We also take security seriously. We check brokers and orders carefully, because the industry has seen attempts to hack accounts and even steal vehicles. Before we accept a car, we make sure the partner is reliable and the deal is legitimate.

We also weigh distance, fuel costs, transit time, and driver workload. The mechanical side matters too: the condition of the truck, whether it needs service, and whether we can get repairs done on time. A route has to do more than work on a map. It has to make financial sense.

– You opened your own truck and trailer repair shop after dealing with downtime at outside garages. What usually causes trucks to break down on the road, and how much can an in-house shop save you?

Downtime was only part of the reason why I opened a repair shop . I also wanted control over prices and repair quality, regular maintenance, and the parts and equipment that car haulers need always on hand. People outside this business may not know what equipment car hauling takes: winches, tie-down straps, special metal sheets for repairing and maintaining the haulers. Sheets that are needed for trailers, for example, can take several weeks to arrive. We always keep materials in stock, so we can get equipment back to work faster.

Trucks most often fail because of tires, brakes, electrical problems, the fuel system, or an overheating engine. Those are typical for our industry, and you can never rule out that kind of breakdown completely.

The trouble is that when a truck breaks down on the road, you need the repair right away. There’s no time to compare prices and find the best deal. You need someone who can help right away. So even a routine oil change can cost several times more, and if the work is done badly, you end up paying again.

Not long ago, one of our trucks broke down in Colorado. We paid about $1,800 for the repair, and 500 miles later it failed again because the outside shop had used low-quality parts. We had to find help a second time and spend more money.

That’s why I think opening our own truck and trailer shop was one of the best decisions we made. We have better control over the quality of the work, we choose reliable parts, and we don’t depend entirely on outside garages. It’s good for our owner-operators too. They know us and trust us, and now they have a repair shop they can count on.

Because of the shop, our mechanics stay in constant contact with drivers. If an error code pops up or a driver hears a strange noise, they get on a video call and ask what to do next: whether the truck can be fixed at an outside shop or if safe should come back to ours.

– You operate in 48 states, but your shop is in North Carolina. How do you handle breakdowns when a truck is far from the shop?

You can’t rule out breakdowns on the road. No transportation company is immune to them. They’re one of the risks of our business, especially when trucks cover long distances and run in different climates. But we try to minimize them through preventive maintenance.We do regular inspections, keep a close eye on the equipment, and catch potential problems before they turn into serious breakdowns.

Keeping equipment in good shape is only part of it. You also have to organize the hauling well. We use a combined model: our own fleet plus roughly 80 to 100 independent owner-operators. Every driver has a dispatcher who stays with them through the whole work cycle, coordinating orders and routes, tracking pickups and deliveries, and helping solve any problems that come up.

– Despite the challenges in the auto market, your US companies generate about $30 million in annual revenue, and you started with a small oil change shop in Kazakhstan. Looking back, what would you tell entrepreneurs who are just thinking about getting into the carhaul business?

First, don’t be afraid to expand and try new things. I started by adding trucks and trailers, then opened my own repair shop so I could keep a closer eye on the condition and maintenance of the equipment. Recently I also launched a new line of business, freight hauling, and bought several box trucks. I think diversifying is very important. Building different lines of business spreads your risk and gives you additional sources of income.

Second, I’d focus on building a strong reputation and a reliable team. Long-term relationships with partners make a business more stable than chasing one-off orders. And a strong team you can rely on keeps the quality of your work up and helps you solve problems as they come up.

Finally, be prepared to face challenges along the way, especially if you’re entering a new market with unfamiliar rules and requirements. You’ll have to learn, adapt, rethink decisions, and sometimes admit mistakes. But I believe the main thing is not to be afraid of taking risks. Anyone can run the numbers and assess the prospects, but not many people can anticipate change, spot new opportunities in time, and be willing to take a chance.

I’ve always loved the auto industry, and I think that matters too. You should do something you’re really interested in. When you love what you do, you have more drive to grow, look for new solutions, and push through the hard times.