Open trailer or enclosed?

The most common way that vehicles are shipped across the United States is by open trailer. It’s also the most economical way.

 

The size of the trailer will depend on how far you’ll be shipping your vehicle: most moves done within the same state may involve only a few pickups, thus are usually shipped on two- to four-car open trailers.   Trailers carrying vehicles across several states can be expected to pick up more vehicles along the route and thus are usually built to carry six to ten cars.

 

You can ship your vehicle on an open trailer without concern. Your vehicle will be in the open air, just as if you were driving it down the road yourself – but without the added mileage and wear-and-tear worries!

 

There are definite benefits to shipping on an open carrier:

• It’s cheaper than shipping in an enclosed trailer;
• Pickup time is quicker;
• There are more open trucks available on all routes as compared to enclosed trailers; and
• The open carriers can carry up to 10 cars at a time – important if you’re a dealer.

 

That being said, we realize that one man’s vehicle is another’s precious possession.  So if you really don’t want your baby exposed to the sun, wind and rain of the open road, or if you are a dealer specializing in classic cars, you may want to consider shipping in an enclosed trailer.

 

Shipping via enclosed trailers ensures that your high-end classic and collectible cars (or your vintage sports cars) are clean when they arrive. Besides the protection against the weather, you’ll ensure privacy for your shipment. Just by virtue of carrying fewer vehicles, the transport becomes simpler and less worrisome.

 

The downside? The restriction on load sizes means there’s less availability (translate that to longer wait time!) of the enclosed trailers. Learn More.

So weigh the qualities of each, choose your method of shipping, and relax.  DIY Transport will handle the details!