Car hauling cost and car hauling rates per mile

A note on who we are: GearLoads is a dispatch service for truck owners. We don't move cars for shippers, so this page explains prices from both sides rather than quoting you a ship date.

Car hauling cost by distance

Per-mile prices fall as trips get longer because the fixed work, picking the car up, loading it, inspecting it and delivering it, is spread over more miles. The published figures also put the enclosed premium at 30% to 60% and the extra for a non-running car at $150 to $300. Source These are consumer-facing ranges, not a market index, so treat them as a reference, not a quote.

What moves car hauling rates

• Route: busy lanes between big metros price lower than rural pickups, because the truck is already going that way.
• Direction: lanes into areas that ship few cars out price higher, since the truck may leave empty.
• Vehicle: SUVs and pickups take more deck space and weight than sedans; tall trucks may only fit on the bottom deck.
• Condition: a non-running car needs a winch and more time.
• Trailer: enclosed costs more than open.
• Timing: a tight pickup window costs more than a flexible one; demand and fuel prices move with the season.

Open vs enclosed car hauling cost

Enclosed transport typically adds 30% to 60% to the price. Source On a 1,000-mile trip where open transport costs $925, the published premium puts enclosed at roughly $1,200 to $1,480. The shipper pays for a box that keeps out rain, road salt and stones, a smaller load with fewer stops, often liftgate loading for low cars, and higher cargo coverage. For the carrier, enclosed means fewer cars per trip, so the per-car price has to be higher to keep the truck's revenue per mile in line with an open rig. More in enclosed car hauling.

Car hauling cost by vehicle

A standard sedan is the baseline in every published price. Larger vehicles cost more because they use more of the trailer: a full-size pickup or large SUV can take the space and weight of more than one small car, and on a stinger it may only fit on certain deck positions because of height. Lowered sports cars need careful ramp angles or a liftgate. Non-running vehicles need a winch and more time, which the published figures put at $150 to $300 extra. Motorcycles, classics and oversized vehicles are priced case by case.

Seasons and car hauling rates

Demand for car shipping rises with moving season, and the FreightWaves guide puts prices usually highest in spring and summer. Car haulers also see regional swings: retirees moving cars south for winter and north in spring, auction cycles, new model-year deliveries and rental fleets repositioning before holidays. Carriers that know their lanes price for those swings; shippers who can be flexible on dates usually pay less.

The carrier view: from per-car price to revenue per mile

A shipper thinks in dollars per car. A car hauler thinks in dollars per truck mile, because the truck's costs run by the mile no matter how many cars are on it. The bridge between the two is simple: per-car rate times the cars on the trailer, minus any broker margin. Here is that math run on the midpoint of each published band.

Revenue per loaded mile, by load size

Two things jump out. A full stinger turns modest per-car rates into strong truck revenue, while a 3-car wedge on a long trip grosses less per mile than many van loads. And short trips look rich per mile but carry hours of loading and unloading that the mile figure hides. Real loads rarely have every car going the full distance either: a stinger often picks up and drops along the way, so some slots ride empty for part of the trip.

Car hauling rates per mile on a real trip

A stinger hauls 8 cars 1,000 miles at an average of $740 a car to the carrier after the broker's cut, $5,920 for the load. Add 150 empty miles to the first pickup. At 6 mpg and the US average diesel price of $6.352 a gallon for the week of October 26, 2026 Source, fuel for 1,150 miles is about $1,217. The truck grosses $5.15 per mile over all miles before insurance, payments, upkeep and the driver. Fill only 6 slots and that falls to $3.86. The last two cars decide whether the trip is good.

Pricing a car hauling load: three questions

1. What is my floor per mile? Work out your all-in cost per mile, loaded and empty, and never book a trailer that grosses less than it over all miles.
2. How full will the trailer be, and for how far? Price the whole trip, not one car: a car that fills your last slot for 900 miles is worth more than a car that rides 200.
3. When and how will I be paid? Cash on delivery, quick pay and 30-day terms are different prices once you count the cost of waiting.

Where car haulers find their rates

Most per-car prices are set on auto transport marketplaces, where brokers and dealers post vehicles with a price and carriers accept, counter or pass. Central Dispatch lists carrier plans from $139.95 a month Source, and Super Dispatch offers a free carrier load board with paid upgrades. Source Both show posted prices, which makes them the closest thing to a live rate check for your lanes. Dealers, auctions and rental fleets with steady volume often agree on lane rates directly with carriers they trust.

The broker's share

Most cars shipped by private owners are booked through a broker, who quotes the shipper, posts the car and pays the carrier less than the shipper paid. The margin isn't published as a standard and varies by broker and load, which is why our tables use an EXAMPLE share. As a carrier, you only see the posted price; as a shipper, you only see the quote. If you are a carrier, judge the posted price on your own costs, not on what you think the shipper paid.

Mistakes car haulers make on price

• Comparing per-car prices without converting them to dollars per truck mile.
• Taking a cheap car for a long ride that blocks a better-paying slot later in the trip.
• Ignoring the miles between pickups, which add cost but no revenue.
• Pricing a non-running car like a running one.
• Accepting a tight delivery window without charging for the extra miles or the slot it blocks.
• Forgetting payment terms: a high price paid in 45 days can be worth less than a fair one paid on delivery.

Costs behind the rate

A car hauler's rate has to cover more than fuel. Insurance is a large line: federal rules set at least $750,000 in public liability for for-hire carriers in trucks of 10,001 lb or more Source, and brokers and dealers commonly ask for more plus a cargo limit per load. Securement takes time and gear, with at least two tiedowns on every vehicle Source, and height limits differ by state, since there is no federal limit Source, which can limit where tall vehicles ride. Add trailer hydraulics, tires, damage deductibles and unpaid loading hours, and it's clear why a cheap per-car price only works on a full trailer.

Hauling cost for shippers: getting a fair quote

• Get two or three quotes for the same dates, vehicle and trailer type.
• Ask whether the company is the carrier or a broker, and check its authority.
• Ask what cargo insurance covers and what the deductible is.
• Expect a quote far below the others to sit unassigned; carriers pass on low prices.
• Inspect and photograph the car at pickup, and note any damage on the bill of lading.

Methodology and updates

Shipper-side ranges come from FreightWaves Checkpoint's published guide dated May 29, 2026. The carrier view uses each band's midpoint, an EXAMPLE 80% carrier share after a broker's margin and full-distance cars; real shares and load patterns vary. Diesel is EIA's weekly US average. We review these figures every quarter and replace them when a newer published source is available.

For the full cost side of the business, read how much car haulers make, then enclosed car hauling and car hauling statistics. Run any load through the car hauler load profit calculator, and if you factor dealer invoices, see car hauler factoring. Our desk no longer dispatches car haulers; for the rigs we do book, start at GearLoads or our hauling guides.