Car shipping
Motorcycle shipping by crate, by van or on an open trailer
The short answer
Motorcycle shipping moves a bike between distant addresses on a booked carrier rather than a wrecker. It travels crated on a pallet, inside a van on a wheel chock, or strapped to an open deck by the frame rather than the handlebars. What you pay follows the method, the distance and whether it rolls. InterCar Group books nothing.
When a bike goes on a truck
These are planned moves. A bike stranded on a shoulder right now is a tow, not a shipment: a different job, on a different truck.
You bought it in another state
A private sale or an online auction two states away. Riding it home on unknown tires, unknown brakes and a title you have not registered yet is a bigger gamble than the quote.
You are moving and it will not fit in the truck
Household movers often will not take a vehicle with fuel and a battery in it, so the bike needs its own arrangement on the same timetable as everything else.
It is a project that does not roll
No brakes, no wheels, a frame and a pile of boxes. That is a crate or a lift job, and saying so up front is what stops a driver arriving with only a chock and a ramp.
How a bike gets shipped
Two facts decide almost everything: what the bike is, and whether it rolls.
Describe the bike accurately
Make, model, whether it runs, whether it rolls and steers, and anything that sticks out: hard bags, a top box, a tall screen, aftermarket bars. Width and height decide what it can travel in.Pick the method, then the carrier
Crate, van or open deck is the real decision, and it moves the price more than the choice of company does. The comparison below is that argument in one table.Prepare it the day before
Wash it so existing marks show, photograph every panel and the odometer, fold the mirrors, take off the top box and anything loose, leave a low tank, and hand over one key with the alarm code.Watch how it is tied down
A bike sits in a chock or against a wheel stop, held by soft straps at the frame or lower fork legs with the suspension partly compressed, never hooked over the handlebars or bodywork. Ask before it moves.Inspect it before you sign at delivery
Check the fork seals, the ends of the bars and levers, the exhaust and the underside of the bodywork against your pickup photographs. Write anything new on the Bill of Lading before you sign it.
Upfront pricing
What a bike move is priced against
The ranges below are the published market for vehicle transport, not a motorcycle rate card: no motorcycle rate card we could stand behind is published. A bike takes far less deck space than a car, so read these as the band a quote is argued inside. InterCar Group does not quote transport and takes no payment for it; the carrier confirms the price before pickup.
| Service | Typical range | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Open carrier, 500 to 1,500 miles | $0.65 – $1.2per mile | Where most one-off bike moves land. |
| Open carrier, over 1,500 miles | $0.55 – $0.95per mile | Coast-to-coast: the lowest rate per mile and the highest total. |
| Vehicle that does not run | $150 – $300added to the quote | Winch or lift loading and the position it forces. A bike that will not roll at all is a crate job instead. |
Estimates only. Final price confirmed by the local operator before dispatch.
What moves this price
- The method. Crating, a van slot and a spot on an open deck are three different products, and the gap between them beats the gap between two companies quoting the same one.
- Distance, on a sliding scale. The rate per mile falls as the trip gets longer, so a short hop looks expensive per mile and cheap in total.
- Whether it rolls and steers. A bike that can be pushed up a ramp is a simple load; one that cannot needs a lift, a crate, or both.
- Size and shape. A full dresser with hard bags and a tall screen occupies more of a van than a naked bike; width and height decide it.
Where these ranges come from
- FreightWaves Checkpoint — How Much Does It Cost To Ship a Car?Checked August 30, 2026
Crate, van or open deck
The three ways a bike travels, and what each one is actually doing.
| What matters | Crated | Van on a chock | Open deck |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it protects against | Everything, including handling by people who do not ride | Weather, road debris and attention | Nothing; it rides in the open, like a car on a deck |
| What happens to the bike | Partly stripped, bolted to a pallet | Rolled into a chock and held with soft straps | Rolled on and strapped by the frame rather than the handlebars |
| What you do at the far end | Uncrate and reassemble, or pay a shop | Ride it away | Ride it away |
| What drives the cost | The crate and the labor to build it | A specialist van running fewer lanes | A slot on a deck that is running anyway |
| What it suits | A rare bike, a non-rolling project, a move overseas | A finished custom, a new bike, anything with paint you care about | A used bike being moved cheaply |
Most used bikes go on an open deck and arrive fine, strapped by the frame with the suspension partly compressed. Pay for a van when paint or value is the reason you are shipping at all, and crate it when the bike does not roll or the trip leaves the lower 48.
Where these statements come from
Anything numeric or regulatory on this page carries the document it was read from and the date it was checked against it. A claim with no source is left off the page.
Published market data for vehicle transport puts per-mile rates at about $0.65 to $1.20 from 500 to 1,500 miles, and $0.55 to $0.95 above 1,500 miles.
FreightWaves Checkpoint — How Much Does It Cost To Ship a Car?Checked August 30, 2026
A vehicle that does not run typically adds about $150 to $300 to a transport quote, because it has to be winch-loaded.
FreightWaves Checkpoint — How Much Does It Cost To Ship a Car?Checked August 30, 2026
Under 49 U.S.C. 13901, a person may provide the service of arranging transportation by motor carrier for compensation only if registered with FMCSA to do so. InterCar Group is not registered, which is why nothing on this page is a quote or a booking.
49 U.S.C. 13901 — Requirements for registration (govinfo)Checked August 30, 2026
FMCSA identifies every regulated entity by a USDOT number, and the statute requires that identification on documents for business transactions involving brokers, freight forwarders and for-hire motor carriers. Ask any carrier for its number, and check it yourself, before you agree to anything.
Federal Register — Availability of Motus, FMCSA’s New Registration System, 91 FR 23144Checked August 30, 2026
Frequently asked questions
How should a motorcycle be strapped down for transport?
In a chock or against a wheel stop, with soft straps at the frame or lower fork legs and the front suspension partly compressed so the bike cannot bounce loose. Straps hooked over the handlebars load the bars and the top clamp; straps on bodywork crack it. Ask how the driver ties bikes down before the bike moves.
How much fuel should be in the tank?
A low tank, not an empty one and not a full one. Enough to ride it on and off and away at the far end, and no more, because fuel is dead weight on a trailer already near its axle limits. Some crated and air-freighted moves require the tank to be drained and the battery disconnected, so ask the carrier what its method needs.
Can a bike that does not run be shipped?
Yes. If it rolls, steers and brakes it can be pushed on and secured normally, with the non-running surcharge applied. If it does not roll it needs a lift, a skid or a crate, which is a different job and a different price. Say which of the two you have when you first describe the bike; a driver who finds out on site can refuse the load.
Is my motorcycle insured while it is on the truck?
The carrier holds cargo coverage with a limit and a deductible, and both vary by company. Ask for the USDOT number, the certificate of insurance and the claims contact before the bike is collected, and check the limit against what the bike is worth. Your own policy may also cover it in transit; ask your insurer rather than assume.
Do you ship the bike yourselves?
No. InterCar Group holds no FMCSA operating authority, so we never quote a firm price, never take a deposit and never put a truck on your lane. We pass your route and vehicle details to licensed carriers. They quote you, contract with you and are paid by you, directly, and they confirm the price before pickup.
Last updated
Send the bike and the route
Make and model, whether it runs and rolls, pickup and delivery ZIP codes, and which method you are leaning toward. We pass the details to licensed carriers, who quote you and contract with you directly.
Estimates only. The local operator confirms the final price before dispatch.