Auto Transport Tips: Preparing a Dually Truck for Transport
Here at American Auto Shipping, we specialize in transporting vehicles of all different makes, models, shapes, and sizes. From a standard compact car to a massive dually pickup truck, we can help you move it and get it moved. But, there are some things you should be aware of when shipping a vehicle, especially when you’re shipping something as large as a dually.
Dually pickup trucks (also known as “duly” pickups) are large, heavy-duty pickup trucks with four rear tires instead of two. In addition to additional tires, dually pickup trucks also come with heavy-duty shocks, brakes, suspension and more, in order to handle heavier loads.
When it comes to transporting a dually truck, though, there are a few things you need to be aware of, as said factors will likely have a direct impact on your price, carrier availability and pickup/delivery times. Most dually trucks will be able to fit on a standard car transport carrier, though the longer and bigger ones may not.
Article Overview
Who needs to transport a dually pickup truck?
You see dually pickup trucks most commonly in the construction industry, where workers will have to carry around tools, equipment, and supplies. Typically, dually trucks are reserved for the larger pickup models within a given line – for instance, the GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD models both support dual wheels in the back.
So, who needs to transport a dually pickup? Anyone who owns one and needs to ship it! It’s not just construction workers who own dually pickup trucks, after all. Plenty of fleets own them for various reasons, as do departments of transportation and even park ranger organizations.
Of course, they’re also available for anyone to buy, but they can be expensive and are really only useful for people who have to haul a lot of heavy things around regularly.
What you need to know when you ship a dually pickup truck
Dually pickup trucks are big, long, and wide, and therefore harder to move than a smaller, standard pickup truck. Whereas something like a Toyota Tacoma can fit snugly on the back of a standard ten-car hauler, dually pickup trucks take up more room, especially if they have longer cabs and beds. This means that not all auto transporters will be able to haul a dually pickup truck, so it’s important to let us know if your pickup is a dually or not.
Dually pickup trucks will often take up two spaces on a standard car carrier, which results in higher prices. If a ten-car hauler can only take nine vehicles, then either the price for each vehicle has to go up, or the price for the vehicle taking two spaces will. Typically, they’ll charge for the vehicle that’s taking two slots. If that’s your dually pickup truck, that’s to be expected.
This additional cost is built into the price you see when you fill out our free online quote request form. So, for most standard dually trucks, such as a GMC Sierra 3500 HD, the price you see should be the price you pay.
That said, it often takes longer to find a carrier willing to move a dually pickup, so don’t be surprised if you’re waiting a few more days than the average to get your vehicle assigned to a carrier. Dually pickup trucks are notorious for taking longer to move as there are fewer carriers on the road that can move them.
What if my dually can’t fit on a standard hauler?
If your dually can’t fit on a standard car hauler, it will likely require a flatbed transport carrier. These can be difficult to find if your area is not a popular auto shipping area. Shipping larger duallys is generally easier out of major metro areas, as there are usually more carriers in the area and thus a wider selection of companies that are able to do it – who’s willing to, on the other hand, is a different story, so keep that in mind as well.
Not all car transporters haul duallys, either because they can’t or they won’t. Some don’t like them for their size, other their weight, and still others more because they’re a pain to load and unload.
This doesn’t mean that shipping a dually is impossible; on the contrary, it’s just going to cost more. Auto shippers run largely on incentive – if there’s two different vehicles traveling along the same route, and one is paying $200 more than the other, then the carrier is going to want to haul the one for $200 more.
This is partly why dually shipping is so expensive; in addition to the extra size, weight and bulk, an auto shipper, if presented with a car or a dually on the same route for the same price, will always – always – ship the car. They’re less of a hassle.
Is weight important when shipping a vehicle?
Weight is perhaps one of the most important things that can impact a vehicle shipment. Like any other on-the-road carrier, auto shippers have weight restrictions they have to abide by. For those that haul upwards of ten vehicles around, they get pretty close to the weight limits with even standard vehicles. This is also why most carriers won’t load vehicles with household items in them – they can be pushed overweight quite easily.
The same can be said for larger vehicles. Carriers that won’t take dually trucks often do not because of either space concerns or weight concerns – and, many times, both.
So while weight is important when shipping a vehicle, it’s especially important when shipping a dually truck. Auto transporters have to be careful with how much weight they have on their trucks, and going overweight can mean being sidelined by authorities until the weight is removed. This costs them crucial time – and money – so they avoid being overweight at all costs.
We take all of this into consideration when we first book your order and we make sure to find carriers that can haul your dually. It’s important you are honest and up-front with your vehicle information as well, lest we find the wrong kind of carrier because we didn’t have all the information. This, like being overweight, will lead to problems and delays, and we like to avoid those as a general rule.
Ship your dually today with American Auto Shipping
If you’re interested in shipping your dually pickup truck, we here at American Auto Shipping can help. We know how to move any kind of vehicle that has wheels, be it a car, truck, SUV, dually, cargo van, semi-truck, or something else.
Our unique auto transport rates calculator takes into account the size of your truck as well as whether it’s a dually or not in order to get the most accurate quote to ship your vehicle. Our calculator uses over 500 points of data in real-time for every quote it gives, so our prices are always accurate when they are given.
You can get a free quote to ship your dually today via our online quote request form. It’s free and easy and gets you a quote instantly. We can also give you a free quote right over the phone and even help you place an order if you’re ready to ship. So no matter what you’re shipping, let us here at American Auto Shipping help you get it moved.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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