Truck shipping
Truck Shipping Services
Trucks price differently from cars for a reason that has nothing to do with value. They take up more deck and more legal weight, and a trailer runs out of one before the other.
Why size drives the price
A carrier is limited by two things at once: how much deck space it has and how much legal gross weight it can carry. Compact cars run out of space first. Full-size trucks run out of weight first, often well before the deck is full.
That is why a dually pickup can occupy the pricing space of roughly two sedans. It is not a surcharge, it is the trailer physically carrying fewer paying vehicles because of yours.
The single most useful thing you can do. Measure the truck as it currently sits, not as it left the factory. A lift kit, oversized tyres, a bed rack or a lightbar all change the numbers, and a quote based on stock dimensions falls apart when the driver arrives.
What we need to quote accurately
- Year, make and model — including cab and bed configuration
- Height as it stands — measured to the highest fixed point, including racks and light bars
- Width including mirrors — if they do not fold, they count
- Lift kit and tyre size — the most common reason a quote has to be revised
- Anything permanently fitted — toolboxes, bumpers, winches, tanks, service bodies
- Running condition — whether it starts, rolls, steers and brakes
Modifications that change the job
Modified trucks are routine for us, but they need to be declared. A six-inch lift on 37s is a different loading proposition from a stock truck, and the driver needs to know before arriving.
Height is usually the constraint rather than weight. Once a loaded vehicle pushes the combined height toward legal limits, it affects which deck position it can occupy and sometimes which trailer can take it at all.
Commercial and service trucks
Service bodies, utility beds, flatbeds and fitted equipment all add weight and often height. These are handled routinely, but the quote depends entirely on accurate figures rather than an estimate.
If the truck exceeds legal dimensions once loaded, it becomes a permitted movement and moves under heavy equipment transport instead. We will tell you which side of that line you are on before quoting.
Preparing a truck
- Empty the bed completely. Loose items in an open bed are not covered and will move at highway speed.
- Remove or secure accessories. Bed covers, racks and antennas that can be taken off should be.
- Fold the mirrors. Where they fold, fold them. Where they do not, tell us the width.
- Quarter tank of fuel. On a large tank, that is still a lot of weight saved.
- Photograph it in daylight. All panels, wheels, bed and undercarriage.
Truck shipping questions
Why does shipping a truck cost more than a car?
Deck space and legal weight. A full-size truck can occupy the space and payload of roughly two sedans, so the trailer carries fewer paying vehicles because of yours.
Do I need to declare a lift kit?
Yes. It is the single most common reason a quote has to be revised. Lift kits and oversized tyres change loaded height, which affects deck position and sometimes which trailer can take it.
Can you ship a truck with a service body or utility bed?
Yes, routinely. Send the actual height and weight rather than the stock figures, because fitted bodies change both significantly.
Can I leave items in the bed?
No. Anything in an open bed is uncovered by cargo insurance and will move at highway speed. Empty it completely before collection.
What if my truck is too big for a standard carrier?
Then it moves as a permitted load under heavy equipment transport instead. Send us the dimensions and we will tell you which side of the legal limits you are on before quoting.
Shipping a truck?
Send the year, model and any modifications. Accurate dimensions decide the trailer and the price.