Montway alternative: SelectDrive driveaway vs Montway
Competitor details and SelectDrive planning details reviewed: July 26, 2026.
Montway Auto Transport is an active broker that arranges an independent trailer carrier. SelectDrive is planning a different model in which an identified driver would operate an approved car on its own wheels, with trip-specific tracking terms and a written price.
SelectDrive status: Quote and route-planning requests are open while required federal interstate operating authority is pending. No SelectDrive interstate for-hire move will begin unless and until that authority is granted and active and the specific vehicle, driver, insurance, route, and signed agreement are approved. Use an authorized provider if service is needed now.
Montway is a capable, widely reviewed company. This is not a knock on it; it is a comparison of two different ways to move a car so you can pick the right one.
What Montway is
Montway Auto Transport is an active national auto transport broker that arranges independent carriers for open or enclosed trailer service. Montway says its TruePrice Guarantee locks a confirmed booked price for 30 days. The guarantee does not apply to quotes, and order changes or inaccurate information may require a revised price. See the Montway TruePrice Guarantee, retrieved July 26, 2026. Its terms apply, and provider terms can change.
| Planned SelectDrive model | Montway | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Driveaway: a person drives your car | Broker: arranges a trailer carrier |
| Who handles your car | A future approved trip would name one driver | An independent carrier the broker assigns |
| On a shared trailer? | No, driven on its own wheels | Yes, with other vehicles |
| Pricing | $450 per driver day, half-day increments, one-day minimum; itemized trip costs; preliminary only | Quote first; confirmed booked price locked 30 days under published terms |
| Tracking | Could be enabled on a future approved trip | Order-status support; assigned-carrier tools may vary |
| Miles added to car | Yes, the route distance | None, it rides on a trailer |
| Inoperable cars | Not eligible, car must run | Possible with the right carrier |
| Personal effects and animals | Pet or ordinary belongings only with advance written trip approval | Provider rules and coverage vary |
Where Montway fits
A broker like Montway is genuinely the better tool in several cases, and we will say so plainly. If your car is inoperable and cannot be driven, if you specifically do not want any road miles added to a low-mileage or collector vehicle, if you are moving several cars at once, or if you prefer an active national broker network, trailer transport is built for that use case.
Why customers may consider the planned SelectDrive model
For an operable everyday car, driveaway offers a different model from brokered shipping. SelectDrive can prepare a preliminary itemized plan. The preliminary model bills driver pay at $450 per day in half-day increments, with a one-day minimum. A planning day is about 8 driving hours or roughly 500 miles. It itemizes gas fuel at about $0.18 per mile where applicable, tolls at about $0.02 per mile, lodging at $120 per night, an insurance surcharge of 8 percent of driver pay, and assigned-driver positioning travel using the cheaper feasible option between a round-trip drop-off and a flight plus ground transport. Electric charging is billed at documented actual cost with receipts. Requests with less than 3 days notice add 5 percent. If authority becomes active and a trip is approved, a signed agreement would generally call for a 25 percent deposit and would identify the driver, route costs, vehicle rules, insurance documents, and tracking terms. A pet that travels well may accompany the vehicle it belongs to, and ordinary belongings that fit safely below the window line may be accommodated, but both require advance disclosure and written approval in the trip agreement. Approval is separate from the price estimate and is never automatic. These accommodations are incidental to delivering the vehicle. SelectDrive does not offer household goods moving, standalone goods delivery, or standalone pet transport. No person may ever travel in the vehicle. It is not a dispatch commitment.
The honest trade-offs
Driveaway is not free of trade-offs. The route distance would be added to the odometer, the car would need to be safely driveable, and SelectDrive's planned capacity would be finite from its Des Moines base. Montway or another authorized provider is the practical option when service is needed while SelectDrive authority is pending.
Frequently asked questions
Is SelectDrive a broker like Montway?
No. Montway is an active auto transport broker that arranges an independent trailer carrier. SelectDrive is planning a different, non-broker model in which an identified driver would operate an approved car on its own wheels. No SelectDrive interstate move will begin while required authority is pending.
Does Montway's price change after booking?
Montway says its TruePrice Guarantee locks the confirmed booked price for 30 days. It does not apply to quotes, and order changes or inaccurate information may require a revised price. Its terms apply. The vendor source was retrieved July 26, 2026. SelectDrive currently provides preliminary planning estimates only; a final price would require active authority and an approved signed agreement.
Does Montway offer GPS tracking?
Montway provides order-status support, while the tools available from an assigned carrier may vary. SelectDrive's planned model could include private tracking on a future approved trip, but SelectDrive currently accepts planning requests only.
When is Montway the better choice?
Choose Montway or another authorized provider when service is needed now, or when the car is inoperable, road miles are unacceptable, several vehicles are moving, or a large active carrier network is preferred.
Can I ship belongings in the car?
Provider rules and coverage vary. A pet that travels well may accompany the vehicle it belongs to, and ordinary belongings that fit safely below the window line may be accommodated, but both require advance disclosure and written approval in the trip agreement. Approval is separate from the price estimate and is never automatic.
More comparisons
Want to compare the planned model?
Tell Pilot your route for a preliminary itemized plan. No interstate dispatch occurs while required authority is pending.