Open car transport

If you've passed a tractor-trailer stacked with cars on two levels, you've seen open car transport. The trailer has no walls or roof. Cars ride on hydraulic decks, strapped or chained down at the wheels, and the rig works its way along a lane picking up and dropping off as it goes. Dealers, rental fleets and manufacturers move most of their inventory this way, which is why there are far more open carriers on the road than any other kind.

That availability is the main reason to choose open. More trucks on more lanes means a wider choice of pickup dates and a lower price than enclosed transport. It suits:

• Daily drivers, family SUVs, pickups and leased cars on a move or a relocation.
• Cars bought online or out of state that need to come home.
• Long hauls where driving yourself means days of hotels, fuel and miles on the odometer.

There are two common setups, and we match the rig to the trip:

• The full-size two-level carrier. A tractor pulling a trailer that holds roughly 7–10 cars, with the front of the trailer often extending over the cab. This is the workhorse of long-distance lanes like New York to Florida and California to Texas.
• The smaller wedge or "hotshot" trailer. A heavy-duty pickup towing a two- or three-car trailer. It's handy for shorter runs and tight neighborhoods, and sometimes it's what gets a single car moving quickly.

At pickup the driver inspects the car and marks any existing scratches, dents and chips on the bill of lading. Then the car is driven up the ramps and secured. Where it rides depends on the load plan: heavier vehicles tend to go on the bottom deck, and the driver arranges stops so cars come off in delivery order. You get the bill of lading copy at pickup, and the same document is checked again when the car comes off the trailer.

An open-carrier quote is really a question of what it takes to get a driver to take your car on their trailer. A spot on a truck heading where your car needs to go is worth what the market will pay for it that week. The main variables:

The quote we give you is all-in for the trip: transport, the carrier's cargo insurance while your car is on the truck, and pickup and delivery at your addresses. For the long version of how car shipping is priced, read our guide to how much it costs to ship a car.

Open transport time has two parts. The pickup window is how long it takes for a truck on your lane to have room. On busy routes that's often a few days from your first available date; from rural areas it can take longer. Then comes transit. Federal hours-of-service rules cap a driver at 11 hours behind the wheel per shift, and a carrier with other stops typically covers somewhere around 400–500 miles on a good day.

• Under 500 miles: often 1–3 days once the car is loaded.
• Half a country, like Chicago to Florida: commonly 3–5 days.
• Coast to coast, like California to Florida: usually 7–10 days.

Need the car moving sooner? Expedited shipping shortens the wait for pickup. It can't make the truck legally drive more hours.

• Wash it a day or two before pickup so existing marks are visible at inspection.
• Take dated photos of all four sides, the roof, the wheels and the odometer.
• Fold in the mirrors and remove anything that could catch the wind: bike racks, loose roof boxes, flags, aftermarket antennas.
• Keep the fuel at about a quarter tank. Fuel is weight, and the driver only needs enough to load and unload.
• Turn off or remove toll transponders, and tell the driver how to disarm any aftermarket alarm.
• Leave the car free of personal items. They aren't covered by the carrier's cargo insurance and add weight the truck has to account for.

Our car shipping prep checklist walks through each step, including how to read the bill of lading.

Open transport is safe. The overwhelming majority of cars arrive exactly as they left, apart from a coat of road dust. But it is open, and it helps to know what that means:

• Weather and grime. Rain, sun and, in winter, road spray. A car wash usually fixes it.
• Road debris. A stone chip is possible, as it is on any highway, but uncommon.
• Deck position. The top deck avoids drips from other vehicles, while the bottom deck is more sheltered from the sun. You can request a top-deck spot. It isn't always possible, and if it matters to you, tell us when you book.

If any of that worries you for a particular car, such as a fresh paint job, a matte wrap or a low-slung sports car, that's the case for enclosed. Our open vs enclosed guide helps you decide.