Who Can Use Flatbed Car Transport Services
One of the lesser-known methods of shipping a vehicle is what is known as flatbed car transport. Simply put, unlike open and enclosed transportation, a flatbed hauler literally has a flat bed on the back of their truck.
Open haulers can usually ship up to ten cars at a time, while enclosed carriers help to protect vehicles being shipped from the elements and debris on the road. Flatbed haulers don’t do that – typically, they’re only used when you need to ship something that can’t fit on a standard open carrier or in the back of an enclosed truck. Flatbed car transport is mostly used to ship vehicles that decidedly are not cars.
Things like large pickup trucks, extended cargo vans, construction equipment, motorhomes and cargo trailers, tent trailers – really, anything that simply cannot fit on a standard carrier is what you’ll need flatbed car transport services for.
They’re used to handle those types of vehicles because they can’t fit on a standard open or enclosed carrier, and how else are they going to be shipped? However, you have to keep in mind that auto shipping companies don’t often handle things that need flatbed transportation services, so you should expect longer wait times for pickup and also transit.
Flatbed car transport is also more expensive than open or enclosed shipping services. This is because there are fewer flatbed car transport carriers on the road than either of their open or enclosed counterparts, and this is mostly because there’s little demand for their services.
Most vehicles can be shipped via an open or enclosed carrier; flatbed haulers simply don’t have the freight available to them to charge less or warrant more on the road. Therefore, it’s considered a niche shipping service. This tends to result in longer wait times for pickup and also longer transit times and wait times for delivery.
However, not all is lost. If you are interested in – or believe you need – flatbed car transport services, don’t hesitate to fill out our free quote form. If your vehicle is large or cumbersome, it may be a good idea to have the dimensions of the vehicle on-hand and call one of our agents. They can take your information right over the phone and can include all the pertinent details so you get an accurate quote.
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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