LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. -

DealerTrack announced Thursday afternoon that it is acquiring the Web-based transportation and shipping network that includes CentralDispatch.com, jTracker.com and MoveCars.com.

The company entered an agreement to purchase 1st Auto Transport Directory Inc., and it will likely pay about $74 million for the San Diego-based network.

The deal will likely close in the third quarter, officials said.

“Similar to our other network solutions, the acquisition of 1st Auto Transport supports our mission to be the leader in driving efficiency in the automotive retailing industry. 1st Auto helps dealers source and dispose of vehicles in a more timely and cost effective manner,” said Mark O’Neil, chairman and chief executive officer at DealerTrack.

“DealerTrack enables the key elements of a dealer’s workflow with our award-winning DMS, credit application network, and inventory management tools, among other offerings,” he continued. “We believe Central Dispatch complements DealerTrack’s turn-key inventory management services, including analytics, pricing, merchandising, group trade and now transportation, for franchise and independent dealers.”

Explaining the services of 1st Auto Transport in more detail, officials outlined what each of the offerings provide:

—CentralDispatch.com: a business-to-business, subscription-based network for facilitating vehicle transportation. It includes more than 13,000 network subscribers.

—jTracker.com: a customer relationship management and lead management tool for auto transportation brokers

—MoveCars.com: an online advertising directories for the vehicle transportation industry.

“By joining DealerTrack, we will be able to extend our network into more automotive dealerships than ever before, and it will make it easier for dealers to ship vehicles anywhere, coast-to-coast,” said Wayne Harris, founder and president of 1st Auto Transport.