Open transport
Open Car Shipping Across All 50 States
Around nine out of ten vehicles moved in the United States travel on an open carrier. It is the same equipment dealerships use to move new inventory, and for most cars it is the sensible choice.
- Most available carriers
- Lowest cost per mile
- Door-to-door
- Cargo insured
What open car shipping actually means
An open carrier is the long two-deck trailer you pass on the interstate with seven to ten vehicles strapped to it. Your car travels outdoors, secured to the deck, exposed to the same weather and road conditions it would face if you drove the route yourself.
That exposure is the entire trade-off. In exchange you get the cheapest rate per mile in auto transport and by far the widest choice of trucks. On a busy lane there may be dozens of open carriers running each week and only a handful of enclosed ones, which is why open shipments get assigned faster and quoted lower.
For a daily driver, a lease return, a car bought online, or a student's vehicle heading to campus, open transport is almost always the right answer. We will tell you honestly when it is not.
What is included in every open transport booking
One quoted price covers the whole move. Nothing gets added after your vehicle is on the trailer.
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01
Door-to-door collection
The driver comes to your home or workplace and delivers as close to the destination address as a 75-foot rig can legally and safely reach.
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02
Carrier cargo insurance
Every carrier we dispatch holds active cargo cover. Ask and we will email the certificate before you commit to anything.
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03
Tolls, fuel and permits
All road costs sit inside the quote. There is no fuel surcharge appearing halfway through the trip.
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04
Loading and securing
The driver loads, positions and straps the vehicle. You never handle ramps or tie-downs yourself.
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05
Condition report both ends
A signed Bill of Lading records the vehicle's condition at pickup and again at delivery. Your copy is your protection.
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06
One named coordinator
The same person handles your order from quote to delivery, so you are never explaining your shipment to a stranger.
How an open transport booking runs
Four steps, and nothing is charged until a real truck is confirmed on your route.
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1
Send your route
Give us both ZIP codes, the year, make and model, and whether the vehicle runs. You get a written price by email.
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2
We assign a carrier
We match your lane with a vetted open carrier and send you the driver's name, company and contact details.
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3
Pickup and inspection
The driver walks the vehicle with you, records its condition, and you both sign before it is loaded.
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4
Delivery and sign-off
Inspect against the pickup report, note anything new, sign, and pay the balance to the driver.
When open transport is the wrong call
We would rather lose the booking than put a vehicle on the wrong trailer. Open transport is not the right choice in a few specific cases.
Cars with very low ground clearance can scrape on a standard ramp. Freshly restored paint, show vehicles and anything with real collector value should not sit behind road spray for three days. Convertibles with soft tops that no longer seal properly will take water. And if a vehicle is genuinely irreplaceable, the extra cost of an enclosed trailer buys you peace of mind that is hard to price.
Everything else — sedans, SUVs, pickups, family cars, dealer inventory — travels perfectly well in the open. If you are unsure, describe the vehicle to us and we will tell you which way to go, even when the answer is the cheaper one.
Not sure which trailer you need?
Tell us the year, make, model and condition of your vehicle and we will recommend open or enclosed honestly, including when open is all you need.
Check my routeWhat moves the price on an open carrier
Auto transport has no fixed rate card. Five things decide your number.
- 1
Distance and lane popularityBusy interstate corridors cost less per mile than rural pickups, because trucks already run them daily.
- 2
Vehicle size and weightA dually pickup takes the deck space and payload of roughly two sedans, and is priced accordingly.
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Running or not runningAn inoperable vehicle needs a winch and a carrier equipped for it, which narrows the pool and raises the rate.
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Season and timingSnowbird months and the summer relocation peak tighten capacity across the whole network.
- 5
Flexibility on datesA three-day pickup window almost always prices better than a fixed single date.
Every quote we issue is the price we intend to dispatch at. A low number that sits unassigned for two weeks is not a discount, it is a delay wearing a disguise.
Open car shipping questions
Is my car safe on an open carrier?
Yes. Your vehicle is strapped to the deck by a driver who does this every day, and the carrier holds active cargo insurance for the whole trip. The exposure is to weather and road grime, the same as driving the route yourself, not to handling risk.
How far in advance should I book open transport?
Two to three weeks is comfortable on most lanes. Open carriers run constantly, so short-notice moves are often possible when a truck is already heading your way. Holiday weeks and snowbird season fill faster, so give those extra room.
Will the truck come to my front door?
We deliver as close to your address as the truck can legally and safely get. A loaded car carrier is around 75 feet long, so narrow residential streets, low branches and gated communities sometimes mean meeting at a nearby lot. Your driver arranges that with you in advance.
Can I leave personal items in the car?
Up to 100 lbs in the trunk or below the window line is generally accepted. Carriers are not insured for personal belongings, so keep anything valuable, fragile or irreplaceable with you.
What happens if it rains or snows during transport?
Nothing that would not happen if the car were parked outside. Vehicles arrive dusty on long runs, which is normal. If weather closes a route, your coordinator will tell you before the delivery window slips rather than after.
Ready to move your vehicle?
Send us your route and vehicle details and you will have a written open transport price in your inbox.
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Routes & pricing
Car shipping routes across all 50 states
We run every lane in the country, open and enclosed, door to door. Pick a state to see distance, price range and transit time for your route.
Click a state to build your route