Yes and no. The strict interpretation is no, you can’t ship items inside your vehicle. The reality is that almost all auto transport carriers look the other way on items that weigh less than 100 pounds, roughly the equivalent of 2 suitcases. We recommend placing any additional items in the trunk and out of sight. The U.S. Transportation Law states that a carrier can be fined $10,000 for hauling household items in the vehicle, but it is rarely enforced. Please know that car delivery drivers estimate every vehicle’s weight that they carry and don’t want problems at weight scales. They must keep the personal items to a minimum to make it through the scales. Some drivers will accept a tip ($50-$250) for hauling extra stuff, and some won’t. Rule of thumb, don’t take advantage. The car transporter is there to ship a car, not move the owner’s personal belongings. Our car shipping calculator will not add a charge for extra items because it would be presumptuous to expect the driver to agree. If you want to include extra items in your vehicle, please discuss that first with the driver and come to a mutual agreement.
Open-Air Car Shipping Service
See Why People Prefer
Direct Express Auto Transport
There are two main kinds of auto transport carriers, Open-Air and Enclosed. Their names are self-explanatory. We already explained Open-Air. Enclosed Transport, conversely, puts your vehicle inside a trailer with sides and a roof to protect it from potential debris or weather.
Open-Air Car Shipping is far and away the most common, making up 97% of all car shipments. While there is some variety in size, the most frequently used Open-Air trailers can transport ten vehicles.
There are several types of Open-Air carriers, which run the gamut from single car or two car trailers on a flatbed, all the way up to ten (10) car carriers on two tiers.
In between, three (3) or four (4) car haulers are sometimes long flatbeds, but usually two tiered trailers with two up and two down, which are usually used for shorter runs of 500 miles or less. It normally doesn’t make much economic sense to use a four car hauler on a 1,000 mile or higher route.
The mid-range auto transport routes of 500 miles to 1,000 miles are better suited for five (5) to seven (7) car haulers. But it is not unusual to see on the road, on those relatively shorter runs, the longer eight (8) to ten (10) car trailers as well. The more cars a transport carrier can haul, the more money to be made. But expenses also go up with hauling more cars.
The 8-10 car trailers are almost always used for long distance routes of 1,500 miles or more. Expenses play a huge factor in that.
There are two primary advantages of open-air auto transport, and they deal with two of the most important considerations for customers:
- Car Shipping Cost. Open-Air Transport is unquestionably the most affordable way to transport your vehicle over the road. Because they can fit more cars per transport, the cost per vehicle goes down. Compared to Enclosed Transport, Open-Air Transport costs on average 33% less.
- Speed. Because Open-Air transports are so much more common, getting assigned to a carrier and having it picked up and delivered to its destination usually happens faster.