Vehicle transport is a relatively complicated process. From the time you first start your search for vehicle transport companies until your vehicle transport is complete, auto shipping is a long and complicated process, especially when it comes to dealing with your auto shippers. In the vehicle transport industry there are two main ways that auto shippers go about moving a vehicle: open vehicle transport and enclosed vehicle transport. Most of the time, you will receive vehicle transport quotes for open transport, as it is the most common type of transportation in the industry.

With open transport, your vehicle is loaded onto a large, ten-car vehicle transport truck – the exact ones you can see on the freeways with all those cars squished on there. Open vehicle transport is actually fairly safe, despite evidence to the contrary – with open vehicle transport, you are exposing your vehicle to the same elements as if you were to drive it to the destination, only you don’t put the wear and tear on your vehicle by using a vehicle transport service. With open vehicle transport, you are exposing your vehicle to wind and rain and snow and ice (depending on the season, of course), just like you would if you were driving it around town. Open vehicle transport is safe and reliable as well as cheap – it is how 90% of vehicles are transported, and most auto shippers out there give their auto shipping quotes based on open transport prices.

Enclosed vehicle transport, however, is exactly what it sounds like – your vehicle will be shipping in an enclosed trailer on the back of a giant semi truck – the same design as those huge 18-wheelers you see on the freeways. However, enclosed vehicle transport is often much more expensive than open vehicle transport – sometimes as much as 100% more expensive depending on the route. Enclosed vehicle transport is also harder for auto shippers to find – remember, auto shipping companies have to find an enclosed auto shipping truck if you request enclosed vehicle transport, and there aren’t nearly as many on the road as there are open vehicle transport trucks. We recommend enclosed vehicle transport for anyone with an exotic or classic car that they don’t use for a daily driving vehicle. Basically, if you’d drive your car when it’s raining heavily, you don’t need enclosed vehicle transport. If your vehicle is something that you see at an auto show, it’s something you’d probably want enclosed shipping for.

Of course, if you have the time and the money, enclosed vehicle transport is available for virtually any vehicle (unless it is oversized and can’t fit in the vehicle transport container), but unless it is a vehicle that is rare or expensive, it usually isn’t worth it. Open vehicle transport, as any auto shipping company will tell you, is perfectly safe and reliable, and thousands of cars are shipped literally every day by auto shippers on open vehicle transport trucks. The decision lies with you, as always, but remember that vehicle transport can get expensive, so don’t break your wallet to get your car moved if you don’t have to.