Enclosed car transport

Roughly one vehicle in ten genuinely needs an enclosed trailer. The other nine ship perfectly well in the open air, exposed to nothing worse than a drive across the same route would bring. The question is not whether your car is valuable to you. It is whether road spray, gravel, hail and prolonged sun would cost real money to put right.

If the answer is yes, enclosed transport removes the variable entirely. The vehicle is loaded into a sealed trailer, secured with soft straps over the tires rather than chains on the chassis, and not seen again until the doors open at your address.

When enclosed is worth the difference

Enclosed typically runs 40% to 60% above the open rate on the same lane. It earns that on a narrow set of vehicles:

• Exotic and high-performance cars where a repaint is measured in five figures and any non-original paint hurts resale.
• Classics and antiques with no replacement available at any price, and often with weatherproofing that was never very good when new.
• Freshly restored or freshly painted vehicles where the finish has not fully cured and is still soft.
• Very low vehicles that cannot clear a standard ramp angle and need a hydraulic lift gate.
• Show cars moving between events, where arriving clean is the entire point.

What is different about the load

The equipment and the handling both change, not just the walls:

• Soft tie-downs. Nylon straps over the tires, so nothing clamps to the suspension or bodywork.
• Lift-gate loading. A hydraulic platform raises the car level instead of dragging it up a ramp, which matters below about four inches of clearance.
• Fewer cars per trailer. Two to seven units rather than nine or ten, so there is room to work around each one.
• Higher cargo limits. We place high-value vehicles with carriers holding coverage well above the usual $100,000 to $250,000 range. Tell us the value and we will match the policy to it.
• Longer lead time. There are far fewer enclosed trailers on the road. Book a week or two out on most lanes, longer around auction season.

How we choose the carrier

For an enclosed load we look past the rate confirmation:

• Active operating authority and cargo insurance verified against FMCSA records on the day of dispatch, not on file from last year.
• A clean inspection history, since a trailer pulled out of service mid-route is your problem as much as the carrier's.
• Demonstrated experience with the specific category, whether that is a lowered supercar, a pre-war classic or a vehicle with no working brakes.
• Photographic condition reports at load and unload, which we ask for as standard on enclosed dispatches.

Preparing the car

Fifteen minutes of preparation prevents most disputes:

• Wash it. Damage that is already there needs to be visible and photographed at pickup, and a dirty car hides it.
• Leave about a quarter tank of fuel. Enough to load and unload, not enough to add unnecessary weight.
• Disable the alarm, or give the driver the procedure in writing.
• Remove or retract aftermarket spoilers, and note any non-standard ground clearance on the booking.
• Take dated photographs from all four corners, plus the roof and the wheels, before the driver arrives.

Questions about enclosed car transport

Related services

Where we ship

This service runs on every lane we cover. These are the states and routes people ask about most:

Before you book