Open and Closed Car Carriers – All You Need to Know

If you need to ship a car from one destination to another, you may have noticed much more is involved in the process. You’ll generally have two major options to consider: enclosed car shipping and open car shipping. If you’re interested in making sure your car is completely protected, enclosed car shipping is likely going to be your best option. Keep in mind, however, that enclosed car shipping is more expensive and can be more difficult to schedule than other methods.

Some of the most frequently asked questions in our business can be:

What are open auto transport carriers? What are enclosed car shipping carriers?

Open Auto Transport

The vehicles moved with open auto transport carriers are not protected from weather elements like rain, sun, hail and snow, and from dust, insects, and even birds. This is one of the biggest disadvantages of this type of carrier. If you are opting for this type of car carrier transport, you should be aware that your vehicle will be exposed to all those elements.

However, auto transport companies take great care and deliver the cars to their final destination in good condition. They use well-trained truckers who understand the value of their cargo. The cars are also neatly strapped and packed in the carrier in order to reduce mobility and vibrations caused by the road while the cars are in transit. An advantage, though, is that in most cases, the open auto transport method is faster than the enclosed option. Open car shipping services are in higher demand, which leads to more truckers driving open car transporters.

So, although those types of vehicle haulers often carry more cars than one car, and you would think this feature makes them slower, the scheduling is easier, which often makes them faster. Open auto transport is more affordable and still a very secure mode of transporting a vehicle from and to any point in the United States.

Learn more about our open car shipping services.

Enclosed Car Shipping

An enclosed car shipping carrier is a great car shipping option you can use, especially if you need to transport a classic or custom vehicle. It is opposite to the open car carrier shipping service. In an enclosed car shipping carrier, the vehicles are housed in a covered truck. These carriers can often only carry a few vehicles at the same time, in most cases, up to five automobiles.

So, it could be faster, but in fact, the truth is that there are fewer enclosed car shipping transporters on the road which makes them harder to schedule. Besides this point, in most cases, enclosed car shipping is more costly than open car carrier transportation. The biggest advantage though is that the cars are protected from weather elements such as rain, hail, sun, and the like. An enclosed car shipping carrier offers better protection for your vehicle while it’s being transported.

Learn more about our enclosed car shipping services.

Alternative Means of Auto Transport

If you do not want to use any of the above options, you can also hire a professional driver from the auto moving company to drive your vehicle to the final destination. However, such an option is good for shorter distances because there are very few people who would go across the country driving your car, and it would also cost a lot of money.

Another option that you can use is air freight. This option remains the fastest and also the safest means of moving a vehicle from one place to another. But it is the most expensive option that you can choose. The last option we would like to mention is using rail freight. The vehicles are arranged in an auto-rack and can travel very safely. It is not the fastest means of auto transportation, but it is one of the safest. However, it also falls into one of the more expensive modes of transporting a vehicle.

If you need more information about the cost to ship a car across country, contact us today and get your free quote!