What Type of Trailer Will Transport My Car?

Are you curious about what kind of trucks or trailers move your vehicle over hundreds of miles? Maybe you want to ensure that your car is properly transported with specialized car transport trailers? Well, this detailed guide will provide you with all the answers. We have discussed the three most common types of auto transport trailers and also the types of their structures, so let’s dive in:

Types of Car Transport Trailers:

Single Vehicle Trailers:

These are the trailers that use the ‘dually truck’ setup. A pickup truck with dual rear wheels installed on each side carries a gooseneck trailer, which is large enough to carry a single vehicle or a truck. Most of the time, this kind of trailer is used only to transport vehicles over a short distance like inter-city vehicle transport.

However, when you need your car to be shipped on a long distance and arrive fast, you can use this type of single-vehicle trailer as it moves faster than the giant car haulers carrying multiple vehicles. The main difference between flatbed tow trucks and single-vehicle trailers is that the latter ones can move trucks as well, while the flatbed tow trucks cannot.

Single Level, Multiple Car Trailers:

These are the trailers that have ample amount of space to carry up to six vehicles at once. Just like the single-vehicle trailer, they have a single ramp on which all the cars are strategically parked and secured in place. Whether you need to ship multiple RVs, cars or trailers, these trailers can do the job just fine.

This type of trailer requires extra power from the truck to be carried over long distances, which is why, a semi-truck is typically used for vehicle shipping with this trailer.

Multiple Level, Multiple Cars Trailers

Most of the car carriers that you will witness on the streets are these multiple level car haulers. They have two or more ramps fixed over one another like a multiple story building. Cars are placed on these ramps and then the truck carries them to the destination.

Since a lot of power is required to pull this kind of trailer and the weight it carries, Semi truck is always used for it.

Structures Types of Car Shipping Trailers:

Now that we talked about the types of trailers used to ship your car, you should know about the structure type of these trailers. All of the three trailers we have discussed above come in these two types of structures discussed below:

Open Carrier:

Open carriers are the type of trailers that transport your car along with other vehicles without any extra protection. They will be like regular trailers, trucks or haulers that you see on the road where cars are parked on a ramp.

You will by default get this kind of trailer to ship a car, unless, you opt for an enclosed one for extra security. However, the car shipping cost will be higher for that.

Enclosed Carrier:

Enclosed trailers offer extra security to the car(s) they carry. They protect the vehicles by transporting them in covered space like a container. The cars will be protected from all sides so whether it rains, snows, or the trailer goes through thunderstorms, your car will stay well protected.

Furthermore, in case small accidents where another vehicle bumps into the trailer, the outer container will get damaged and there will be a good chance that your car inside it, stays intact. Because of the extra security, the cost to ship a car in an enclosed container is more than the open ones.