How to ship a classic car

A classic or collector car can go on a truck. Nothing in federal auto-transport rules we checked turns on a model year. The decision is open or enclosed, and it follows the car in front of you: Does it run, steer, and brake? How much space is under the nose and the exhaust? What would you mind having exposed for several days? Answer those, and a company can price the job. A year such as 1967 does not, by itself, pick the trailer.

RideShipper shows a price range and sends a quote request. It does not haul the car, set the carrier's price, take a deposit, or insure the vehicle. Companies that receive a request may pay RideShipper. The money page states that in one place.

What should I tell them about the car?#

Say what a driver needs before the truck is on the street.

• Year, make, and model, plus any replica or kit identity if the car is not what the badge says.
• Whether it starts, steers, brakes, and rolls. A car that fails one of those is an inoperable shipment, even if the paint is perfect.
• Length, height, and the lowest point. A front spoiler, side pipe, or lowered suspension is the fact that stops a steep ramp. Ground clearance is measured on the car, not copied from a catalog for a stock model.
• Soft top or hardtop, missing trim, loose bumpers, and whether the brakes hold without the engine running.
• An agreed value you and your insurer use is your insurance fact. It is not, by itself, the cargo limit on the truck. Ask the company what the contract covers and what it excludes.

There is no single national definition of "classic" that we could tie to a trailer rule. A state antique plate, a club class, and an insurer's agreed-value policy can each use a different year. Use those for registration and insurance. Use condition and size for the truck.

Open trailer or enclosed trailer?#

Open transport is a shared trailer. The car sits in the weather with other vehicles. It is the usual way a daily driver moves, and it is a fair option for a solid driver-quality classic whose owner accepts dust and rain.

Enclosed transport is a different truck, with a roof and walls. It keeps rain, gravel, and most road debris off the paint. It is the usual request for fresh paint, a soft top, a low nose, or a car whose value is the bodywork. It is often a tighter fit. A car that is too tall, too long, or too low for that box cannot be forced into an enclosed quote.

The gap between those prices is not a fixed percent. See open versus enclosed cost for how to read the two numbers, and use the chooser if you want the questions in order:

A current sedan range is only a yardstick. A classic is often not priced as that sedan, because enclosed demand, a winch, or a low nose changes the truck.

That table is the RideShipper range for a sedan on that lane, open and enclosed, with its date. It is not a quote for your car. The carrier that accepts the load sets the price.

Will it load without dragging?#

The driver has to get the car onto the deck. A steep ramp plus a low spoiler, a long overhang, or a stiff old suspension is how a front valance cracks. Before you book, look at the car the way the driver will.

1. Measure from the ground to the lowest point at the nose, the exhaust, and the side steps. Write the inches down.
2. Note anything that was added after the factory: a chin spoiler, side pipes, a trailer hitch, a roof rack.
3. Say if the car can creep under its own power. A running car can pause on the ramp. A car that only rolls needs a winch and a plan for steering and brakes.
4. If the doors are long, say so. A car-carrier deck is crowded. A long door that hits the next car is a pickup problem, not a surprise to save for the curb.

If you do not know whether it fits, do not guess a trailer height. The will-it-fit check is the place for height, length, and clearance. If those fields are blank, leave them blank until you measure.

What happens at pickup?#

The driver and you, or the person releasing the car, should walk the car and mark what is already there. That sheet is the condition report, and it rides with the bill of lading. Chips, dents, a cracked lens, and a stain in the seat belong on it. Take photos in daylight, including the roof and the rockers.

Do not sign a blank report. If the light is bad, say so and photograph anyway. Damage that is not on the origin report is hard to separate from damage that was already there.

At delivery, walk the car before you sign the delivery side. If you see new damage, note it on the paper before you sign. A signature that says the car arrived clean is what the carrier will point to later. Deadlines for a claim live in that company's contract. RideShipper does not decide the claim.

What should I take out of the car?#

Take out personal things you would not want to lose. Many auto-transport contracts limit or forbid items left in the car, and those items are often outside the cargo coverage. The page on personal items is the short version. A classic's loose spare, a tool roll, or a set of hubcaps in the trunk can also slide. If the contract allows a spare and a jack, secure them. If it does not, take them out.

Remove toll tags if the contract or the tag issuer says to. Fold in antennas that come off by hand. Do not disable an alarm in a way you cannot undo at the other end, and do not hand over the only key without a plan to get it back with the car.

How do I check the company before I pay?#

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration tells consumers that an auto broker arranges the move and an auto transporter hauls the car. Both, when they work across state lines, are supposed to be registered. Brokers and transporters receive an MC docket number. Transporters also receive a USDOT number. FMCSA's advice is to avoid a company that does not show its MC number, and to look the number up before you treat the offer as real. The advisory was last updated on the FMCSA page on 10 February 2015, and the registration check is still the step it names. You can file a complaint at the number on that page, 1-888-368-7238.

Under 49 CFR 371.2, a broker is a person who, for compensation, arranges or offers to arrange the transportation of property by an authorized motor carrier. RideShipper does not do that. It does not assign a truck. Use the company check on the name, MC, or USDOT you were given, and match the legal name to the company that asked you to pay. A price far under the range for the lane is a reason to slow down, not a reason to send a deposit to a wallet app. The quote checker compares a number you already have with the range.

When you are ready for companies to price your car, send the condition in the request, not a guess that it is "just a coupe."

A quote is an offer from a company, not a locked price from RideShipper. Read how to compare three quotes before you pay a deposit: who the carrier will be, whether the price can move if the car is lower or not running, and what the contract says about cancellation.

What if the car is worth more than a daily driver?#

Say that in the request, and then read the contract's cargo section. An agreed value on your collector policy is a number you and your insurer use. It does not automatically become the limit on the truck. Ask what the carrier's cargo filing or policy pays, what it excludes, and whether a diminished-value argument is even considered. We are not printing a limit, because the contract is the limit. If the number is too low for the car, that is a reason to choose a different company or to talk to your own insurer about the gap. It is not a reason to skip the condition report. A high value makes the photos more useful, not less.

If the car is a replica, a kit, or a heavily modified shell, say that too. A catalog length for the donor car will be wrong. Measure. A missing bumper or a temporary exhaust is a loading fact, the same as on any project car.