Buying at auction is the easy half. Collection is codes, timeslots, storage-fee deadlines, and finding out whether “runner” meant what you hoped. RouteRelay handles auction collections as structured movements: fixed price, the right movement type, collection details in the assigned driver’s hands, and photo proof from the auction yard to your forecourt.
Every auction purchase starts a clock. Collect within the window or pay storage; turn up without the right code or paperwork and collect nothing at all. Meanwhile the vehicle itself is a mild unknown — grades and descriptions compress a lot of reality into one line. Coordinating a driver around all of this over the phone is where auction margins quietly leak.
The collecting driver needs the code, the slot, the site address and any site-specific rules — and nobody else does. On RouteRelay those details are attached to the job and released to the assigned driver rather than broadcast to a group chat. The driver arrives able to actually collect the car.
A roadworthy runner with an MOT can be driven back on trade plates — usually the economical option. A non-runner, a damage-graded car or anything doubtful needs a transporter or recovery truck with the right kit. RouteRelay books these as distinct movement types, declared up front, so the person who arrives can do the job that actually exists.
The collection photos taken at the auction site are the dealer’s first honest look at the vehicle: condition, damage, mileage — timestamped, before it moves. If the car does not match the description, the dealer knows while it is still in the yard. And the delivery photos close the movement with evidence at both ends.
The dealer books the movement with the auction site as the collection point and the vehicle’s condition declared. The job is priced fixed, up front. A verified driver or operator takes it; collection details are released to them on assignment. Collection is photographed, the status tracks the movement, and delivery is photographed at handover. RouteRelay is independent of all auction companies — the driver attends as your collecting agent.
Either the auction house’s own delivery service, an in-house driver, or a third-party trade plate driver or transporter. Third-party collection is often faster and cheaper — the difficulty is coordination: codes, timeslots, site rules and the vehicle’s actual condition.
A reference the collecting driver must present on site to release the vehicle. Sharing it too widely is a security risk; sharing it too late strands the driver at the gate. RouteRelay releases collection details to the assigned driver, not to everyone browsing the job.
It determines the movement type. A runner with an MOT can be trade-plate driven. A non-runner or damage-graded car needs a transporter with the right equipment. Sending a trade plate driver to a non-runner wastes the slot, the fee and the day.
Dealers use RouteRelay to arrange collections from UK auction sites including BCA, Copart and Manheim. RouteRelay is an independent platform — not affiliated with, endorsed by or integrated with any auction company. The driver attends as the buyer’s collecting agent.
Condition photos, damage notes and timestamps captured at the auction site before the vehicle leaves, and again at delivery. For auction stock — bought sight-unseen more often than anyone admits — that collection record is the dealer’s baseline for the car.
The driver documents what is actually there — photos and notes — before moving anything. The dealer gets the facts while the vehicle is still on site, which is when options are widest. That is a materially better position than discovering the difference at your own front gate.
RouteRelay is onboarding verified dealers, drivers and transport companies in controlled phases. Apply for access and quote any movement before you book.
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