Why Open Trailer Auto Shipping?

“Why Open Trailer Auto Shipping?” A question most people who choose to have their new car/vehicle transported ask themselves. Let it be due to the location of the car dealership, or because of moving in general. Assuming the initial location is around 800 miles away from the final location, it would be a terrible decision to drive all the way as:

• With current fuel prices, driving by oneself would cost a fortune.
• Since the distance is pretty long, one would have to make overnight stops which add to the expenses.
• It is rather tiring.
• Damage to car might occur due to unforeseen circumstances.

Hence, the need for auto shipping is established. With this having said, the original question arises again. “Why open trailer auto shipping?” Along with this, one may also ask “Why not closed trailer auto shipping? What will I lose if I choose closed trailer auto shipping?”

Rather than choosing to answer the former question, beginning with the latter would be more optimal as it gives a contrast between the “Why” and “Why not?” Since there exists a general stigma that closed is always better than open, at least with transport. Therefore, it would be ideal to break this stigma first.

Disadvantages of Closed Trailer Auto Shipping:

1. Price:

It is a well-known fact that auto transport may cost a lot based on the distance, fuel prices at that point of time, mileage and a few other factors. And given the closed container, the companies, in general do charge a higher rate albeit even closed trailer auto shipping is driven by fuel prices. Since families which are not particularly well off or wealthy might also need to move, closed trailer auto shipping might come in as a luxury which the family cannot afford. It can then be said that this method of auto shipping is not necessarily economical or within reach of an average citizen.

2. Visibility:

Using of closed trailer auto shipping implies that the cars are locked away from the weather and other environmental conditions, which is good but it is also worthy enough to note that it makes it impossible for the driver to see the cars he/she is transporting. This would then mean that no inspection or routine check can be conducted with simplicity.

3. Time Window:

As compared to open trailer auto shipping, closed trailer auto shipping takes a much larger window of time to deliver its contents to their respective owners. This may be explained by the complicated inspection which eats up a lot of time, the speed at which the driver would be able to drive etc.

Thus, we can conclude that however safe closed trailer auto shipping might seem it comes with its own set of pros and cons. And now, with one of the two questions aforementioned answered, it is ideal to move to the initial one.

Advantages of Open Trailer Auto Transportation:

1. Price:

The price of open trailer auto transportation is at a much more economical tier than closed trailer auto transportation.  Although the prices are also driven by fuel price, it also depends on the route which the driver decides to take. These are usually 14 feet tall and 85 – 90 feet long vehicles which two levels: the bottom level and the top. This implies that about 8 – 10 cars can be stored but this also depends on various factors such as length of car etc. Since the price of open trailer auto transportation is much more economical, it is easily accessible to the average citizen if/when one needs to move. It is also worth noting that closed trailer auto transportation is about 25 – 50 % more expensive than closed trailer auto transportation.

2.   Visibility:

Since open trailer auto transportation includes the use of trailers which are open, it is much easier for the driver to notice small anomalies and movements of the cars which would then enable him/her to make adjustments so that the safety of the cars is ensured. This also allows the driver to conduct routine checks and inspections in a much simpler and faster way as the open trailer eliminates a complicated procedure.

3. Time Window:

Open trailer auto transportation usually completes its deliveries in a much smaller time frame than open trailer auto transportation (provided no unforeseen circumstances arise). This is because all other procedures which have to be carried out by the driver are less complicated.

Having said this, it does not entirely mean that the open trailer auto transportation system comes without any cons. Some of these are listed below:

1. Environmental damage:

Since the cars are left exposed to the environment, they might be affected by the weather. For example, snow and rain. This might lead to discoloration or wearing of paint if the cars are not properly protected.

2. Safety of Cars:

The safety of cars is a bit of a compromise in open trailer auto transportation as it is left in pure visibility of everyone, which might attract “unwanted” attention, hence increasing chances of getting stolen. In the hypothetical scenario of a road fatality, debris from the resulting incident might damage the cars.

Having discussed the advantages and disadvantages, it is advised to keep in mind that both forms of transportation have common limitations such height. This implies that the trucks cannot be driven on roads with bridges which have low clearance, have short trees, signboards with low clearance. This then decreases vastly, the number of routes that are available for use to the drivers and the companies. It can also be noted that fuel prices are never the same and keep fluctuating with the market, and therefore, even the prices of transportation would fluctuate with the price of the market.

It can thus be concluded that, both auto transportation methods though being better than self – driving, do come with their own set of complications. Open trailer auto transportation is the economical bet as more average citizens would be the most common customer, therefore being the most common/ popular.