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Writer's pictureAdvanced Auto Carrier

Securing your vehicle: features of car shipping with enclosed and open trailers

Updated: Jun 27

There are two main categories of trailers for car shipping: open and enclosed.

The open ones are divided depending on how many cars they can ship: 


  • Pickup trucks usually drive with three-car haulers. Sometimes, you can find five-car haulers. 

  • Trucks with flatbed trailers carry up to three vehicles. Specialized car hauling trucks carry more than 7. 


Enclosed trailers are most often found for one car (usually personal) and commercial trailers for two or seven cars.


Pickup truck with open trailer 3 cars

Now, let's move on to the damage specifics for each type of trailer.


Your car is exposed to all weather conditions in an open trailer along the route. Sometimes, depending on the states crossed and the time of year, you can encounter scorching sun, rain, snow, hail, heavy winds, etc., in a few days. In addition, accidents happen on the highway, and rocks, debris, etc., fly out from under the wheels, which can then damage your car. Thus, during the delivery inspection, carefully inspect the vehicle for new chips, scratches, dents, and cracks in the windshield. If they exist, they will have a natural character in 90% of cases. 


Car Shiping with Enclosed trailer 2 car

When transported on an enclosed trailer, the car is completely protected from all external factors. But loading into such a trailer requires particular skill.

That is why our company, Advanced Auto Broker, hires drivers with at least two years of experience transporting cars. You can compare loading into an enclosed trailer with parking in a personal garage. Since there is little space, driving straight in and maneuvering as little as possible inside the trailer is essential. 


An inexperienced driver may damage these parts of the car during loading/unloading:


  • Roof for high cars (pickups, SUVs)

  • The lower part of the front bumper, if you have a low car (low clearance)

  • Rear-view mirrors, especially the right one, since it is far from the driver

  • The front bumper is on the left or right. More often on the right. If the driver has no experience, he may maneuver unsuccessfully inside the trailer and run into a wall.

  • The scratches will be longitudinal, which is logical—they will correspond to the car's movement—forward or backward.

  • The discs may be scratched when maneuvering.

Also, inexperienced drivers wear clothes with zippers and buttons and do not remove rings or chains during loading/unloading. Due to the limited space, clothing and accessories often cause shallow scratches while fixing the car with slings in the trailer.


We have compiled these recommendations based on our drivers' experience. Each knows what absolutely cannot be done. Therefore, we are open to openly telling our customers where to look during delivery inspection.


If you want to deliver your car to another state safely and fast,

Call us at +1 316 768 4934. We will offer you the best price.


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