Auto Transport – Types of Car Carriers
♫ Monday, September 21st, 2009Enclosed car carriers are usually reserved for high value, collectible, and exotic car transport. This service costs more because of the equipment, amount of cars, and high cargo insurance needed to operate. These transport trailers are fully enclosed which makes damage from road debris virtually impossible. Also the trailers loading system tends to be much easier on the cars frame and body. These trailers have 1 or 2 deck levels to load vehicles. If you feel it is important to have your vehicle get the ultimate protection from any preventable damage, then this is the way to go. Transport price can be two times or more than that of regular open transport trailers.
Open car carriers are the most commonly seen and used. You have probably seen these trucks transporting vehicles on the roads and/or highways. These types of tractor/trailer set-ups can have one to two levels, with cars strapped down closely together. The number of cars they transport vary with the type of trailer. Some may be able to carry 2 cars while others hold up to 10 cars, and may have 1 or 2 levels.
As mentioned before, the difference between how much transport will cost depends on your need for service timeline. If you are not in a rush, your vehicle may be loaded on a car carrier that holds more vehicles. The car carriers that transport more vehicles at a time tend to be cheaper but take a longer time for pickup and delivery due to the amount of loading and unloading that takes place. If you need a quicker service you may want a car carrier that carries less cars. For example, a carrier that holds 2, 4, or 6 cars at a time will generally be faster because of less loading/unloading.
Bigger car carriers, which hold 7-10 vehicles at a time, offer the cheapest service. The biggest reason for this is that they simply have more vehicles to generate money. So they can afford to charge less per vehicle. The downside to bigger car carriers is the speed at which they operate. Big car carriers may pickup and drop off every vehicle on the trailer at a different location. Therefore, that may be about 7 to 10 pickups and drop off. The safety of your car on a bigger truck is very good. However, things may happen since a big car carrier has a lot of vehicles loading and unloading so the chances of minor damage are increased.
Smaller car carriers hold 1-6 cars at a time. These carriers tend to charge more due to the fact they have less cars to transport. The level of service tends to be greater because they have much faster service due to less picking up and dropping off. 2, 3, 4 car carriers have 1 level trailers so damages are less likely to occur because of the ease of loading and unloading. Smaller car carriers are mostly used by dealers who need expedited service and by individuals who would rather have the highest quality service possible besides using an enclosed carrier service.

