Car shipping
Enclosed car shipping, and when an open carrier is enough
The short answer
Open vs enclosed car transport comes down to exposure and cost. An open carrier hauls most vehicles on an uncovered deck for the lower price. An enclosed trailer puts walls and a roof between your paint and the road, and charges a premium for it. Licensed carriers quote you directly.
When each trailer is the right call
Most vehicles ride open and arrive fine. Below is where the extra money buys something real rather than reassurance.
The car is a daily driver
It is insured, it is replaceable, and it already takes a stone chip every week on the way to work. Open transport is what most drivers use, and the realistic downside is that it arrives dusty.
The paint is most of the value
A show car, a finished restoration, a fresh respray, a vinyl wrap. An open deck sees weather, road salt and debris for the whole run. An enclosed trailer keeps all of it off, which is what you are paying for.
It sits low or it is modified
Splitters, air suspension on the ground, a wide body, oversized wheels. Enclosed trailers usually load over a hydraulic liftgate rather than a steep ramp, so the nose never touches.
You would rather it were not seen
Dealer inventory ahead of a launch, a car moving after a private sale, anything you would rather was not photographed at a truck stop. An enclosed trailer is a closed box; an open deck is a rolling display.
How the trailer choice actually gets made
Nobody picks a trailer in the abstract. The vehicle, the route and the gap between two quotes decide it.
Describe the vehicle honestly
Make, model, ground clearance, any lift or lowering, and whether it runs, rolls, steers and brakes. Clearance is the detail people leave out, and the one that decides whether an open ramp is possible at all.Price both trailers on the same lane
Ask each carrier for an open number and an enclosed number on the identical pickup and delivery. The gap between them is the figure that decides this, and it is proportionally wider on short lanes.Ask what the equipment actually is
Enclosed covers hard-sided and soft-sided trailers, liftgate and ramp loading, single-car vans and multi-car rigs. Ask which one is coming and how your vehicle gets on board.Read the cargo coverage before you agree
Ask for the USDOT number, the cargo limit per vehicle and the deductible, in writing. On a collector car that limit picks the carrier, ahead of the trailer itself.Document the vehicle at both ends
Walk the car with the driver, read the Bill of Lading before signing, and photograph every panel in daylight. Open or enclosed, those signatures are what a damage claim stands on.
Upfront pricing
What each trailer costs on the same lane
These are published market ranges, not an offer. InterCar Group does not quote transport and does not take payment for it: the carrier running your lane sets the price and confirms it with you before pickup. Use the ranges to judge a quote you are given.
| Service | Typical range | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Open carrier, 500-mile lane | $600 – $700one vehicle, total | Short lanes cost the most per mile: loading, paperwork and the driver day cost the same whatever the distance. |
| Enclosed carrier, 500-mile lane | $850 – $1,000one vehicle, total | The gap is widest here, because a specialist trailer is spread over the fewest miles. |
| Open carrier, 2,000-mile lane | $1,200 – $1,400one vehicle, total | Cross-country lanes carry the lowest rate per mile and the highest total. |
| Enclosed carrier, 2,000-mile lane | $1,700 – $2,000one vehicle, total | Enclosed capacity is thinnest on long, quiet corridors, so the pickup window widens too. |
| Vehicle that does not run, either trailer | $150 – $300added to the quote | Winch loading and the constrained trailer position it forces. It still has to roll, steer and brake. |
Estimates only. Final price confirmed by the local operator before dispatch.
What moves this price
- Distance. The gap between the two trailers is proportionally widest on short lanes and narrows as the trip lengthens.
- Trailer scarcity. Enclosed rigs are a specialist slice of the fleet and run fewer corridors, so a slot on one waits longer for a truck.
- Vehicle size and weight. A dually pickup or a lifted SUV takes the deck space and payload of more than one sedan, on either trailer.
- Ground clearance. A car that cannot climb a ramp needs a liftgate, and liftgate-equipped trailers are a subset of a subset.
- Season and direction. Trucks are scarce in the busy direction and cheap running back the other way; enclosed capacity tightens first.
Where these ranges come from
- FreightWaves Checkpoint — How Much Does It Cost To Ship a Car?Checked August 30, 2026
Open deck against enclosed trailer
The same vehicle and the same lane, side by side.
| What matters | Open carrier | Enclosed carrier |
|---|---|---|
| What the vehicle is exposed to | Weather, road spray, salt and stone chips for the whole run | Nothing: walls, a roof and a closed door |
| How it gets on the trailer | Driven or winched up a steep ramp | Usually a hydraulic liftgate, sometimes a shallow ramp |
| How often a truck runs your lane | Frequently, on most corridors | Less often, so the pickup window is wider |
| Cost | The lower of the two | A premium over open, sized in the table above |
| What it suits | Daily drivers, leases, dealer stock, most household moves | Collector, exotic, low-clearance, freshly painted or wrapped vehicles |
| What to ask before booking | The cargo limit per vehicle and the deductible | The same, plus whether the limit covers what the car is worth |
If the car is replaceable and insured, open transport is what most people use and the saving is real money. If a repaint costs more than the gap between the two quotes, or the car cannot climb a ramp, take the enclosed trailer and stop weighing it.
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 compares the two trailers on the same lanes: about $600 to $700 open against $850 to $1,000 enclosed over 500 miles, and $1,200 to $1,400 open against $1,700 to $2,000 enclosed over 2,000 miles.
FreightWaves Checkpoint — How Much Does It Cost To Ship a Car?Checked August 30, 2026
Enclosed transport typically costs 30% to 60% more than open transport.
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
Is enclosed transport worth the extra cost?
Weigh what a repaint costs against what the upgrade costs. Enclosed keeps road debris, weather and attention off the vehicle and usually loads over a liftgate, which suits low clearance, fresh paint and collector value. Published market data puts the premium at 30% to 60% over open transport. For a daily driver, open is what most people use.
Does open transport damage paint?
Not normally. The vehicle meets the same weather and road spray it meets when you drive it, for a few days, with nobody in it. The realistic outcome is that it arrives dirty and occasionally with a stone chip. Wash and photograph it before pickup: clean paint is the only way to prove what was already there.
Can a low car be shipped on an open carrier?
Sometimes, on the top deck, with race ramps to flatten the loading angle. It depends on the truck and the driver, so agree it before dispatch rather than discover it on the day. Give the ground clearance when you describe the vehicle. If nobody will commit, an enclosed trailer with a liftgate is the answer.
Is a soft-sided enclosed trailer as good as a hard-sided one?
A soft-sided trailer stops road debris, weather and sightlines, which is most of what people buy enclosed transport for. A hard-sided trailer adds a rigid wall and, on many rigs, a liftgate and tie-downs built for high-value cars. Ask which you are getting and what the cargo limit per vehicle is.
Do you book the carrier for me?
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 explain how carrier pricing works and what the paperwork protects, then pass your route and vehicle to licensed carriers. They quote you, contract with you and are paid by you.
Last updated
Send the route and have carriers price both
Give us the pickup and delivery ZIP codes, the vehicle and which trailer you are leaning toward. We pass the details to licensed carriers, who quote you and contract with you directly. We book nothing and take no payment.
Estimates only. The local operator confirms the final price before dispatch.