Car hauling

Enclosed car hauling: open vs enclosed, trailers, insurance and rates

By Mike Shelton, truck dispatcher, 15 years in trucking · Reviewed and updated October 2026 · How we check facts

Open vs enclosed car transport, side by side

	Open	Enclosed
Cars per load	Up to 9 to 11 on a full stinger	1 to 2 behind a pickup; often about 6 on a tractor-trailer
Protection	Exposed to weather, salt and stones	Covered, often with liftgate loading
Price to the shipper	The baseline	Typically 30% to 60% more
Customers	Makers, dealers, auctions, rental fleets, private owners	Collectors, exotic dealers, auction houses, makers' test fleets
Cargo insurance	Sized to everyday cars	Much higher limits per load
Where loads come from	Load boards and contracts	Repeat relationships, specialist brokers, boards

Open counts come from makers' specs, such as Cottrell stingers rated for 9 to 11 vehicles depending on the combination; Cottrell also builds an 80 ft enclosed trailer. The enclosed premium comes from FreightWaves Checkpoint's May 2026 shipping cost guide.

Enclosed car hauling trailers

Single-car enclosed trailers: bumper-pull or gooseneck boxes behind a pickup, used for local and regional moves of one valuable car.
Two and three-car gooseneck enclosed trailers: often two-level inside with a lift deck; the common setup for small enclosed operators.
Soft-side tractor-trailers: curtain sides over a car carrier frame; lighter, but less protection than a hard box.
Hard-side tractor-trailers: full aluminum boxes with hydraulic liftgates and upper decks, the standard for long-distance enclosed work.

Liftgates matter because many enclosed cars are low and can't climb ramps without scraping. Soft tie-downs, wheel straps and padded interiors protect paint and wheels. Each vehicle still needs at least two tiedowns, front and rear, under federal rules.

Soft-side or hard-side?

A soft-side trailer uses heavy curtains over a car carrier frame. It weighs less and costs less, and it keeps off rain and most road spray, but a curtain flexes, lets in some dust and offers less protection from a thrown stone or a break-in. A hard-side box is heavier and costs more to buy and pull, but it seals the cars from weather and view and usually carries a liftgate. Most high-end collectors and auction houses ask for hard-side; many dealer moves of luxury cars are happy with soft-side at a lower price.

Enclosed car hauling companies

From each company's own pages, checked October 2026, with no ranking:

Reliable Carriers (Canton, Michigan) calls itself North America's largest enclosed auto transport company, with a fleet of 400+ specialized trucks and five regional hubs, serving auto brands since 1960.
Intercity Lines (Warren, Massachusetts) has shipped rare cars in enclosed trailers since 1980, runs no brokerage, and leases owner-operators at 65% of each line haul to the truck.
United Road (Plymouth, Michigan) offers enclosed transport alongside its open fleet, describing white-glove handling for classic and exotic vehicles.

Many enclosed operators are small: one or two trucks with a reputation among collectors in their region. More on choosing between carriers in car hauling companies.

Exotic and luxury car hauling: what customers expect

Owners of exotic and luxury cars are buying care as much as transport. Expect to be asked for your cargo certificate before you are offered the car, to photograph every panel at pickup and delivery, to load with a liftgate rather than ramps, to keep the car covered until it is inside the trailer, and to deliver to a named person at a set time. Some customers ask for drivers with years of enclosed experience and a clean claims history. A single scratch on a car worth more than your truck can end a relationship, so slow and careful is the job.

Enclosed car hauling rates

Enclosed rates are set per car and run well above open rates, because the trailer carries fewer cars and the risk per car is higher. For the carrier, the arithmetic still ends in revenue per truck mile: price per car, times cars on the trailer, divided by all miles.

Open vs enclosed, one lane

EXAMPLE

A 1,200-mile lane pays an open hauler about $800 a car after the broker's cut. An enclosed hauler charging 45% more gets about $1,160 a car. The open stinger carries 9 cars: $7,200, or $6.00 a loaded mile. The enclosed tractor-trailer carries 6: $6,960, or $5.80 a loaded mile. The enclosed truck earns about the same per mile from fewer cars, but its trailer, liftgate and insurance cost more, so it only works when it runs full and the customers come back.

Fuel is the same for both: at the US average of $6.352 a gallon for diesel in the week of October 26, 2026 , a 1,200-mile run at 6 mpg burns about $1,270. Read the full cost side in car hauling cost and rates per mile.

Costs specific to enclosed rigs

An enclosed trailer costs more to buy than an open one of the same capacity, and the liftgate, interior lighting, winches and soft tie-downs add maintenance. The box is heavier, so fuel per mile runs higher. Cargo insurance is the largest difference, because one load can be worth millions. And enclosed work often includes waiting: auction houses and collectors set appointment times, and a car that isn't ready means a truck that sits. Price those hours into the rate rather than hoping they don't happen.

Damage claims: how enclosed haulers protect themselves

Most enclosed disputes are about small marks: a chip in the paint, a scuff on a wheel, a scratch under the bumper. The defense is the same every time. Photograph every panel, wheel and the interior at pickup in good light, with the owner present if possible, and note anything you see on the condition report before the car moves. Load with a liftgate, strap only to approved points or around the wheels, and keep the trailer closed until it is time to unload. Repeat the photos at delivery and get a signature. A carrier with clean records wins the arguments it can't avoid.

Seasons in enclosed car hauling

Enclosed work follows the collector calendar: the big winter and spring auctions, summer concours and car shows, and fall auction season, plus owners moving cars to and from winter homes. Car makers move pre-production and press cars around launches. Busy weeks fill quickly and pay well; quiet weeks are where an enclosed carrier relies on dealer and restorer relationships to keep the trailer moving.

Questions shippers should ask an enclosed carrier

Are you the carrier, or a broker who will hire one?
What is your cargo limit per load, and what is the deductible?
Is the trailer soft-side or hard-side, and does it have a liftgate?
How many other cars will be on the trailer, and where does mine ride?
Will I get photos and a condition report at pickup and delivery?
Who will drive, and how long have they hauled enclosed cars without a claim?
What happens, and who pays, if the delivery appointment has to move?

Insurance and license

For-hire carriers in trucks of 10,001 lb or more need at least $750,000 in public liability under federal rules. Cargo coverage is where enclosed work differs: the customer decides the limit, and it can be several times what an open hauler carries. Tractor-trailer enclosed rigs need a Class A CDL, and so do pickup and gooseneck combinations rated 26,001 lb or more with a trailer rated over 10,000 lb. Height varies by state, since there is no federal limit ; two-level enclosed boxes are built close to the common limits.

Which fits which job

Choose open for everyday cars, dealer and rental volume, and when price matters most.
Choose enclosed for high-value, rare, restored or low cars, winter moves through salt states, and anything going to a show or auction.
As a carrier, start open if you want volume and boards; move to enclosed once you have the capital, the insurance and customers who return.

Starting in enclosed car hauling

Learn on open or with an experienced enclosed carrier; damage-free loading is the skill customers pay for.
Choose a trailer with a liftgate if you want exotic and low cars.
Price cargo insurance for the cars you plan to carry before you buy the trailer.
Build a photo and condition-report routine you follow on every car.
Build relationships with restorers, collector clubs, auction houses and specialty dealers.

GearLoads no longer dispatches car haulers, so this guide is information only. For pay and costs see how much car haulers make and car hauling statistics, price a trip with the car hauler load profit calculator, and browse hauling, explained by rig or the GearLoads home page.

Enclosed car hauling FAQ

01Is enclosed car hauling worth it?

For valuable, rare, freshly restored or low-clearance cars, usually yes, because the trailer keeps out rain, road salt and stones and the carrier usually carries higher cargo coverage. For an everyday car, open transport moves most vehicles in the US safely at a lower price. Published 2026 figures put the enclosed premium at about 30% to 60%.

02How many cars fit in an enclosed car hauler?

Fewer than on an open rig. Single-car and two-car enclosed trailers are common behind pickups, while full tractor-trailer enclosed carriers often carry about six; Intercity Lines, for example, asks owner-operators for a truck that can pull a full load on a 6-car enclosed carrier. Cottrell builds an 80 ft enclosed trailer. Check the maker's spec for any trailer.

03What insurance does an enclosed car hauler need?

At least the federal minimum of $750,000 in public liability for for-hire carriers in trucks of 10,001 lb or more, plus cargo insurance sized to the cars it hauls. Enclosed loads can be worth far more than open loads, so collectors, auction houses and dealers often require cargo limits well above what an open hauler carries. Ask each customer before you book.

04Who uses enclosed car transport?

Collectors and their restorers, auction houses moving consigned cars to and from sales, dealers of exotic and luxury cars, car makers moving pre-production and press vehicles, race teams, museums and people moving a car to or from a show. Many enclosed jobs come from repeat relationships rather than load boards, because trust matters more than price.

Mike Shelton, Truck dispatcher

Mike Shelton is a truck dispatcher with 15 years of experience in trucking. He writes and reviews the GearLoads hauling guides, calculators, factoring and DOT compliance pages, and checks every rule against its official source.