Types Of Trailers And Trucks Used For Shipping A Car
There are many different options for the types of trucks and trailers that can be used for transporting your vehicles. You probably won’t have thought about them. Thereby, we are gathering all those options here for you. It will also help you out in choosing the right car shipping trailer. For such purposes, we will be here explaining the differences between different options available so that you can easily make a better choice accordingly.
Moreover, at the end of this blog post we will also let you know about the best option or options for you.
It’s up to you to choose open carriers or enclosed carriers
Many of you might have been aware of the fact that usually there are two most common types that the user's request when they are shipping their car. If you have done that with Move Car, then you would have heard about open auto transport and enclosed auto transport. These options basically refer to that truck helping you out in moving your car. Usually when we think about a car carrier from some auto transport, we instantly imagine an open carrier. Whereas, the enclosed carrier basically refers to some shipping container that will keep your car inside it. Thereby, we call it safer because it will be a complete shield from harmful elements in the surroundings.
Moving forward, we will discuss both of the shipping options in a bit detailed manner.
Ship a car with open auto transport
What do you think of an open car carrier? It basically is such a carrier with no sides. However, there are several types of open car carriers but, what all they have in common is the vehicle that they carry is exposed to the environment fully. Nonetheless, a common practice in the auto transport industry is to use an open car carrier trailer. This option is not only safe but effective as well.
Furthermore, these open car carriers can even carry one to ten vehicles. You do not need to fret over because the drivers of such carriers are exceptionally trained and they even have complete knowledge about packing and strapping vehicles so that they can be extra safe on the road.
Ship a car with enclosed car transport
On the other hand, comparatively less vehicles are transported with the help of enclosed car carrier trailers. These trailers actually have sides and even a top to make the vehicles inside them completely shielded from the environment. Keep in mind, this shipping method is usually chosen by such owners who own particularly valuable cars. The enclosed car carriers can hold from one to five vehicles. They usually carry luxury cars, classic cars, custom cars, rare cars, antique cars, and race cars. The biggest advantage of choosing this shipping method is that it will cover and protect your car on its journey.
Breaking it down further for you!
To make it easy for you, we are here breaking it down further. However, keep in mind that open and enclosed car carriers may be the only two options offered by your auto transport company. Still, it is good for you to know about the different types of both of these shipping methods.
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Single vehicle hotshot trailers
Usually this open car carrier option type is used for short distance car shipping. However, in case of expedited shipping, a hotshot trailer can also be used for some long-distance trips. This type of open car carrier trailer basically makes use of a dually truck.
We want you to note it down here that these open carriers are different from tow trucks. They are also used for similar purposes. However, the main difference between them is that the tow trucks do not pull a trailer.
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Single-level multi-car trailers
If you want to transport more than one car like two to six cars. In such a case you can make use of this multi-car trailer. They are actually bigger than the hotshot trailers. However, their advantage is that they are still small enough to go to places where the biggest car carriers cannot make their way including narrow city streets.
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Multi-level multi-car trailers
The most common type and the majority of carriers you will see on the road would be multi-level, multi-car open carriers. This type of open car carrier trailer is pulled by a semi-truck and there are greater chances that if you book an open car carrier, you will be experienced by this type of open car transport carrier option.
Next, we are enlisting down for you the types of enclosed car carriers that you will see.
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A single-level, single-vehicle enclosed trailer
If you are about to transport a valuable car over some shorter distance. In such a case, this would be the specialized type of enclosed carrier that you will see. Commonly used single-vehicle enclosed trailers include gooseneck trailers and bumper pull trailers. In addition to this, both of them can be pulled by a dually truck. -
A single-level, multi-vehicle enclosed trailer
Similarly, there are enclosed car carriers that can carry multiple vehicles in them, usually three. Additionally, they are pulled by a semi. All the vehicles inside them are actually high up off the bed of the road. -
A multi-level, multi-vehicle enclosed trailer
It is such a type of enclosed car carrier that can carry two stacked rows of vehicles. The vehicles are usually six to eight. Thereby, these enclosed carriers are designed tall and closer to the bed of the road as well. These powerful trailers are pulled by semi-trucks. Alongside, they are loaded and unloaded similar to an open car carrier with the help of an adjustable deck ramp.
It is equally important for you to note the different types of enclosed car carriers you will find in soft-sided and hard-sided trailers. As the name suggests, the softs-sided trailers do not have hard walls rather they have PVC-coated vinyl side curtains. Thereby, it makes it easier for such carriers to get loaded and unloaded easily because there is more room when the side curtains get up. However, hard-sided trailers are still more common than the soft-sided enclosed trailers.
The benefits of shipping your car on an open carrier
You would be aware of the fact that every type of carrier has its own pros and cons. Thereby, firstly we will discuss here the pros of open car transportation methods.
- You can say that it is the least expensive mode of car transportation.
- It can be counted as a faster mode of transportation which is why you’d have observed more of these types of carriers on the road.
- Most importantly, it is better for the environment because this mode of transportation requires less fuel comparatively.
Is the picture of open car transportation now clear in your mind?
The benefits of shipping your car in an enclosed trailer
As we have discussed previously, for the majority of cars, open car transport carriers are used. Whereas, still the owners of expensive, rare, special, or antique cars prefer more protection and also a higher level of security alongside. Therefore, let's discuss the pros of enclosed car transportation methods.
- This transportation method saves valuable cars from road debris as well as bad weather.
- It is totally private. Thereby, there is no fear regarding people touching your valuable vehicle.
- Your car arrives looking absolutely beautiful and even showroom ready. It’s incredible!
Alternative types of carriers
Have you ever heard about transportation services by plane or by train? What do you think about a cargo boat as a car carrier? As a matter of fact, car shipping as air freight is that option which people usually don’t consider. Rather, shipping by train is often used more frequently by manufacturers than by individual owners. However, the only option left for international car shipping is shipping by boat. In addition to this, all these three mentioned methods are comparatively more expensive than the car shipping by truck. You’d know that the safest and fastest method among all can be said to be the car shipping done by air across the country or across the ocean. At the same time, it is the most expensive method. On the other hand, shipping by train can be similarly safe yet much slower at the same time. And you’d agree that the shipping done with the help of a boat only makes sense when you need to ship overseas. Right?
Now, when there are so many methods around to ship your car. Let’s talk about the best auto carrier for your vehicle and how you can choose it. There are a few different concerns that influence the choice that you make as in your concern should be the level of security that is needed by your car. We know that your family sedan would be safe even on an open trailer. Thereby, in such a case there is no need to pay extra for the enclosed shipping. On the other hand, if your car is extremely valuable and the one with some specialty then it really makes sense to pay a premium for enclosed car shipping. Furthermore, if you want to have an idea how your car will be treated, you can simply talk to the representative and it would make you see how a company is treating its customers. Also, do not ever forget to get quotes from three to five different auto transport companies for whatever shipping method you choose.