Quick answer
Hawaii Car Transport has the stronger current audit profile
Hawaii Car Transport leads this comparison by 71 points in Verify Car Carrier’s current audit data. That is a meaningful evidence edge, not a guarantee of an individual shipment outcome—confirm the final quote, carrier assignment, pickup window, and cancellation terms before booking.
How to use this comparison
Choose based on your shipment—not a headline score alone
The score is a useful starting point, but price certainty, vehicle type, pickup urgency, and the quality of the assigned carrier matter too. We compare audited signals instead of selling rank positions, then link to the underlying broker reports so you can verify the evidence before you request quotes.
Best fit by situation
When each broker may make more sense
Efficient Transportation
5/100 · Do Not Recommend
- •23 years in business adds operating history
Hawaii Car Transport
76/100 · Strong Recommended Option
- •Shipments from and to HI shipping is a stated overall fit
- •strong audited fits: inoperable vehicles
- •the audit records a low price-change risk signal
Broker-by-broker analysis
What the audited evidence says
Efficient Transportation
5/100 · Do Not Recommend · Audited August 17, 2026
This audit gives Efficient Transportation a score of 5/100 — Do Not Recommend. We do not currently recommend this broker based on the FMCSA, review, and customer-experience data reviewed. Auditor notes: Complete multi-category audit performed based on verified FMCSA records and rating metrics..
Repeat-customer signal to verify
The audit describes repeat-customer evidence as weaker than this broker’s other customer-experience signals. Review recent source feedback and confirm the written terms before treating the overall score as decisive.
Authority and company record
DONALD R NELSON does not currently show active FMCSA operating authority, under MC not on file / USDOT 1145406. Its legal name, MC number, and public-facing identity line up consistently. Contact channels (website, phone, email) had at least one channel that failed to respond at time of audit. The company has operated for 23 years, and its public profile is incomplete.
Reviews and customer experience
Across review platforms, DONALD R NELSON shows 3.1★ on Google (6 reviews), 2.6★ on Transport Reviews, 3.3★ on Trustpilot, 3★ on ConsumerAffairs. Review activity is stale, and sentiment is weak across platforms. BBB status is listed as C, with a high complaint signal. Overall complaint severity in this audit is rated high. Customer accounts describe communication as weak and price honesty as weak. Pickup experiences run weak, and delivery experiences run weak. Problem handling is described as weak, and reports on whether customers would use DONALD R NELSON again are weak.
Pricing and service fit
DONALD R NELSON positions itself as a mid-range option. Consistency between quoted and final price is low, with high risk of price-change complaints. Customers generally describe the value as medium. Dynamic market rate estimate. Coverage on common shipping lanes is rated weak, with low confidence in route relevance. Weaker fit for open transport.
Transparency and brand signals
Website and brand presentation come across as weak, with mixed handling of public reviews and mixed service transparency. Overall trust feel from this audit is weak.
Positive signals
- Established Brand History
- National Route Coverage
What to verify
- FMCSA authority not confirmed active
- Inactive FMCSA Operating Status
- Moderate Pricing Variability
Source checks
Hawaii Car Transport
76/100 · Strong Recommended Option · Audited April 6, 2026
This audit gives Hawaii Car Transport a score of 76/100 — Strong Recommended Option. We recommend this broker based on the reviewed authority, identity, reputation, customer-experience, pricing, route, and brand evidence. The total combines 20/20 legitimacy, 13/25 reputation, 12/20 customer experience, 14/15 pricing, 10/10 route and service, and 7/10 brand evidence. Specialty HI routes but high complaints
Authority and company record
Hawaii Car Transport holds active FMCSA operating authority under MC-3505506 / USDOT 1158539. Its legal name, authority record, and public-facing identity matches the public-facing identity reviewed; website, phone, and email all tested as working. The audit lists 14 years in business and marks the public profile as partial.
Reviews and customer experience
The audit records 4.1/5 on Google from 1,723 reviews, 1/5 on TransportReviews from 2 reviews, 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. Review activity is Stale and cross-platform alignment is Mixed. The BBB entry is not rated, with a high complaint signal. Customer feedback in this audit is rated Mixed for communication, Strong for price honesty, Mixed for pickup, Mixed for delivery, and Mixed for problem handling. Likelihood of using Hawaii Car Transport again is rated Mixed.
Pricing and service fit
The audit classifies Hawaii Car Transport as a mid-range option with low price-change risk. Its pricing assessment is 14/15, including 4/5 for price consistency and 5/5 for bait-and-switch risk. Good pricing The audit identifies Shipments from and to HI as the primary fit for Hawaii Car Transport. Route and service evidence totals 10/10 (4/4 lane strength, 0/3 service fit, and 3/3 route relevance). Individual transport-type assessments are Open Transport: Mixed, Enclosed: Mixed, Urgent Pickup: Weak, Luxury / Classic: Mixed, Inoperable Cars: Strong.
Transparency and brand signals
Brand-transparency evidence totals 7/10, based on website quality (1.5/3), review responses (1/2), service transparency (1.5/2), reputation-management maturity (1/1), and overall trust feel (2/2).
Positive signals
- Flexibility
- Good pricing
What to verify
- Delays
- Damage
Before you book
Get the terms in writing
Ask each broker for the total price, deposit and cancellation terms, pickup window, carrier information when assigned, cargo coverage, and how price changes are handled. A strong audit profile does not replace reading the agreement for your specific shipment.