1. Choose enclosed, dedicated or top-load
This one choice drives most of your price. Shared enclosed is the standard for luxury vehicles: a sealed trailer carrying two to six cars, loaded with a lift gate. It protects against weather, road debris and prying eyes, and suits almost every car we move.
Dedicated enclosed puts your car alone on the truck, with a firm pickup date and a direct route. It costs roughly twice as much and is worth it for deadlines, auctions and very high-value vehicles.
Top-load open places your car on the upper deck of an open carrier so nothing drips on it from above. It is the budget option for premium daily drivers, not for show cars or fresh paint.
2. Get a real quote
A quote should reflect what enclosed carriers are actually accepting on your lane this week. Price moves with:
- Distance and lane. Busy interstate corridors cost less per mile than remote pickups.
- Vehicle size and weight. A Cullinan uses more deck and weight allowance than a Cayman.
- Clearance and condition. Very low or non-running cars need lift gates or a winch.
- Season and events. Snowbird months and Monterey Car Week fill enclosed trailers early.
Your coordinator explains exactly what drives your price. Get a free quote.
3. Prepare the car
Twenty minutes of preparation prevents nearly every dispute that comes up later.
- Wash the exterior so the inspection records the real condition, not road film.
- Photograph every panel, the wheels, the roof and the interior in daylight, with timestamps on.
- Leave about a quarter tank of fuel, or 30–60% charge for an EV.
- Remove personal items, toll transponders and garage remotes.
- Note ground clearance, nose-lift operation and any transport mode for the driver.
- Disable or explain the alarm, and hand over one key only.
- Check tyre pressures and battery health before pickup.
4. Understand the Bill of Lading
The Bill of Lading is the most important document in the shipment. It records the car's condition at pickup, and you sign it again at delivery. Any insurance claim rests on it.
Walk the car with the driver at pickup. If a mark already exists, make sure it is on the form. Never sign a blank or pre-completed Bill of Lading.
5. Pickup and transit
Shared enclosed shipments use a pickup window rather than a fixed time, because the route depends on the other cars aboard, traffic and weather. The driver calls the day before and again on approach.
Where a full-size carrier cannot legally reach your street, a smaller single-car enclosed truck handles the final leg. You still get your car at your door.
6. Inspect at delivery, then sign
This is the step people rush, and the only one that is hard to undo.
- Inspect in good light. If it is dark, use a torch or wait.
- Compare against your pickup photos, panel by panel.
- Check the roof, the lower sills and the front lip, the easiest places to miss.
- Start the car and confirm warning lights and electronics behave.
- Record anything new on the Bill of Lading before you sign.
