How to Best Understand Your Auto Transport Options

Executive Summary

  • An Introduction to Auto Transport
  • Car Carrier Trailer, Car Hauler Trailers, Car Trailer or Car Hauling Trailer
  • The Enclosed Car Trailer or Enclosed Car Hauler
  • Autorack for Car Transport by Train
  • Car Transport Companies and Other Large Items
  • Car Transport Companies, Cars Delivery, and Offerings

Introduction

Auto trucking and trucking services are broken into several divisions or dimensions. One is the equipment and trailers used for car transport, and another is the market for auto transport services.

This article will define terms like an auto car carrier, enclosed car hauler, etc..

Car Carrier Trailer, Car Hauler Trailers, Car Trailer or Car Hauling Trailer

The car carrier trailer, car hauler trailers, car trailer, car hauling trailer describe the same thing. This is a flatbed trailer that has been customized to carry cars and trucks. It is typically two to three-level, which specialized feed that holds each of the car’s tires and trucks that it transports. The open style is the most common of the car carrier trailers. A car trailer is often referred to as a trailer that holds a single car pulled by another car and is leased and not part of the private auto transport. Most often, these are gooseneck trailers. This allows the overall load to be lower to the ground and provides a lower center of gravity, which is important when transporting heavy loads like cars.

A car trailer is often referred to as a trailer that holds a single car pulled by another vehicle and is leased and not part of the private auto transport. A car trailer can either refer to a car carrier trailer, car hauler trailer, which is commercial, or a single-vehicle car trailer.

The Enclosed Car Trailer or Enclosed Car Hauler

The enclosed car trailer or enclosed car hauler is the same basic design mentioned in the previous paragraph but is just constructed inside an enclosed trailer. This provides better protection for the cars inside the trailer but reduces the trailer’s capacity and therefore is more expensive as fewer cars can be loaded per enclosed car trailer.

Autorack or Auto Rack for Car Transport by Train

Car transport by train is another option. The trade-off is that to transport cars by train has a longer transit time than to ship a car by truck. But on the converse, the cost is lower for car transport by train. The railroads use a specialized rail car called an autorack or auto rack to transport cars by train, called a car transporter outside the US. Because of the longer transit time and the time spent stopped in areas with no security, almost all autorack or auto rack rail cars are enclosed.

Several rail car designs were experimented with for transport cars by train, but the autorack design currently in use is actually just a double-decker flatbed rail car. In the US, rail companies began transporting wheeled devices by transporting circuses.

Car Transport Companies, Other Large Items

Car transport companies tend to transport other vehicles such as motorcycles, boats, large trucks, etc.. In the US, there is a large

Car Transport Companies, Cars Delivery, and Offerings

The US has a large and active auto transport industry. The largest market for car delivery is when new cars and delivered from manufacturing plants to dealers. Any person who has purchased a new car will see the “dealer delivery charge” on their invoice. However, car delivery or auto transport companies also deliver many cars for reasons for people moving residences to reposition rental cars. Quotes can be obtained over the web from some companies that perform car delivery services.

Conclusion

Vehicles that are too large to be transported on a car trailer are transported with a flatbed trailer at considerably more expense per vehicle.