The movement of vehicles to a dealership has traditionally been treated as a back-end logistics function. But for used-car decision makers navigating tight margins and changing expectations, auto transport needs to be front and center to their business strategy and operations.

Data from nearly 10 million vehicle shipments completed through the Super Dispatch platform in 2025 reveals the powerful influence auto transport has on the pre-owned market. For used car dealers, it is increasingly influencing where inventory is sourced, how quickly it sells, and how dealers manage risk.

Here are three transportation trends that could have a significant impact on the pre-owned market in the year ahead.

Distance is becoming less of a barrier to vehicle purchases as transportation networks expand

In 2025, shipments traveling over 1,000 miles increased 42% from the year prior, making long-distance transport the fastest-growing shipment segment of the year. This surge suggests the used-vehicle market is becoming less constrained by traditional geographical limitations. This means industry players have access to a wider pool of buying and selling opportunities.

Over the same time period, long-haul rates fell from $0.90 to $0.85 per mile. But now, as a result of the Iran conflict, diesel prices have surged by 37–46% according to Super Dispatch’s Fuel Tracker, which reveals that carriers are raising load pricing to cover fuel-cost increases.

For dealers, auctions, and fleet operators sourcing inventory farther from home, transportation strategy is becoming increasingly important to managing overall acquisition costs.

Demand for luxury vehicles continues to grow in the pre-owned market

Another notable shift: The demand for luxury, specialty, and recreational vehicle transport grew.

As luxury European brands faced continued tariff cost pressures, U.S. transport surged with Porsche shipment orders jumping by 40%, Ferrari by 49%, and McLaren by 67%. Ultra-niche brands like Koenigsegg and Lotus saw explosive growth, rising 176% and 69% respectively.

By the year’s fourth quarter, enclosed transport accounted for over 3% of orders, up from under 2% in 2024. While a small portion of the platform’s volume, this increase reflects growing demand for specialized transport services that protect high-value vehicles.

As higher-priced inventory is increasingly moved across the U.S., transportation will continue playing a greater role in how used vehicles (both luxury and not) are priced and marketed.

This is contributing to higher expectations for transportation providers regarding communication, reliability, and vehicle protection. The implication? Choosing the right transportation partner is increasingly important to protecting both inventory and customer relationships.

Vehicle fraud is growing more sophisticated, driving greater demand for visibility and verification

As the auto transport industry has digitized, fraudsters have adapted. Their double brokering, carrier impersonation, phishing, and theft schemes are no longer isolated problems. In fact, the number of double broker complaints grew 62% from 2024 to 2025, according to the report.

Also revealed: Bad actors are now conducting more sophisticated and coordinated schemes.

They’re creating fraudulent shell companies, taking over accounts, stealing identities, and using weak handoff processes to secure unauthorized vehicle releases. Often, they’re trying to exploit the very verification steps designed to protect legitimate movers in the marketplace.

While fraud thrives in communication and verification gaps, transport industry leaders are diligently working to keep pace. How? They’re ramping up verification safeguards, prioritizing visibility, and investigating reports of fraud to ensure pre-owned buyers and sellers can move cars further and confidently, protecting their inventory, end customers, and reputations.

Transportation decisions impact used-car sourcing, pricing and fraud risks

Across nearly 10 million delivered vehicles, in which carriers traveled some 4.5 billion miles, it became abundantly clear: Vehicles are now traveling farther. Transport costs are rapidly shifting. Luxury vehicle transport is growing. Fraud is evolving. Visibility and verification are critical.

For decision makers across the pre-owned marketplace, these trends prove transportation is more than a back-end logistics function. Increasingly, it’s influencing where inventory can be sourced, how risk is managed, and how effectively businesses can compete in a national market. As inventory sourcing expands beyond traditional geographic boundaries, transportation will increasingly separate the businesses that react to market shifts from those that stay ahead of them.

 

Matt Bradley is CEO of Super Dispatch