Multi-Car Carrier Pros and Cons: Is It the Right Choice for Your Vehicle Transport Needs?

Multi-Car Carrier Pros and Cons

When you need several vehicles, it’s important to choose one vehicle especially one which is going to fit your budget and actually be efficient.  Using a multi-car carrier, you can transport more than one car. Multi-car carriers are mainly used for transporting many vehicles at once for cost-saving uses. However, using multi-carriers has disadvantages that render them unusable for all transports.

Through this post, we are going to talk about the pros and cons of a multi-car carrier to see whether it is the best choice for you or not.

Multi-Car Carrier Pros and Cons

What is a multi-car carrier?

A truck designed to carry multiple vehicles simultaneously is known as multi-carrier truck.  Most carriers can transport 5 to 10 cars depending on their size and designs and they usually have two or three levels. Multi car carriers are frequently employed for shipping cars over long distances as when vehicles are taken from the manufacturer to the dealer or when a customer is involved in a cross-country relocation.

Multi-car carriers are a great place to ship a lot of cars. But they are specifically designed or used for a specific situation. While looking for options for your shipping it is important to know their pros and cons.

Advantages of a multiservice automobile transportation carrier

Great for sending many things

Cost savings is one of the key benefits of a multi-car carrier. The carrier’s efficiency increases when multiple vehicles are shipped, which, in turn, reduces the per-vehicle cost. The cost of shipping one vehicle on a multi-car carrier is cheaper than hiring a transport service for every car. Thus, multi car transportation services are chosen by many businesses and individuals to transport their multiple cars.

  • When multiple vehicles are shipped on the same trailer, it makes shipping each vehicle cheaper.
  • Transporting your vehicles via multi-car carriers can be a great way to save money if you are a car dealership or fleet owner.
  • Transporting more than one vehicle can be cheaper as you get a discount on bulk shipping. Also, learn how to get company transport quotes.

Efficient Transport Solution for Long Distances

Shipping through multi-car carriers is very beneficial for LONG DISTANCE shipments because they are efficient. Thanks to their ability to transport multiple vehicles at once, they minimize the number of trips needed to deliver all the vehicles to their destination. Manufacturers are increasingly bringing trailers to market instead of using trucks. This will not only save on fuel cost but will allow quicker overall delivery time than delivering each vehicle separately.

  • When multiple automobiles are shipped on one carrier, it saves time in organizing shipments.
  • More efficient delivery: Because there are fewer vehicles to load up and less downtime between deliveries, multi-car carriers can offer quicker delivery schedules.
  • If you have multiple cars to ship, opt for a multi-car carrier. Transport on this will be more efficient than a regular carrier

Different selections of open or enclosed transport

Multi-car carriers typically offer the choice of open or enclosed transport.  If it is an expensive car that does not need any additional protection while being loaded and shipped, then rail freight is a relatively cheap common method of transport that anyone can conveniently use. If you don’t want the elements to damage your high-end car during transit, you can transport it in an enclosed trailer.

  • For usual vehicles, the lowest-priced alternative is open transport.
  • Using enclosed transport protects vehicles from the elements and damages. It offers excellent protection.
  • When transporting a high-value or rare vehicle, always check whether they have an enclosed multi-car carrier.

Disadvantages of Hiring a Multi Car Carrier

Limited Availability for Select Locations

For important roads and long distances, multi-car carriers are generally used for inter-city transportation.   Not all areas will have access to them, however. These carriers require ample space for movement and operations, especially while loading and unloading vehicles. If your property is located in a congested area or an area with narrow streets, entry to a multi-car carrier will be difficult.

Multi-car carriers find it difficult to access urban sites because of their size of vehicles.

It may be quite difficult to find multi-car carrier services in remote and rural areas.

Living in a congested or isolated region, consider contacting your courier service – for instance, FedEx. Talk to them about other delivery options that work for you.

Open carriers affect your shipping and the elements

Open multi-carrier vehicles incur a major disadvantage due to the bad weather while used for the transporting of goods.

When you transport your vehicle in the open, the rain, snow, hail, dust, dirt and road debris damage it. Normally, the problem only occurs among luxury vehicles, classic cars, or a vehicle that requires extra protection. For the normal car, it is not really a concern.

  • Whether in a hailstorm, snowstorm, or a minor accident, the paint job of a car can get damaged.
  • Vehicles are more likely than not to be stolen or vandalized when being transported on an open carrier.
  • When transporting a valuable car, best to use an enclosed multi-car carrier to protect it.

Extended delivery periods for individual vehicle

Multi-car carriers are better for bulk orders, so a single car may delay the delivery.  The reason is the carrier is likely moving several vehicles along various routes, so the delivery schedule might not be as precise as with a single vehicle shipment. Carrier truck is able to stop a couple of times. Your vehicle’s estimated time of arrival might be delayed.

Delayed delivery occurs due to multi-carrier transport that takes more time in reaching the destination than a single carrier. If you are moving one car on a multi-carrier.

Due to the lengthy routing, if your vehicle is loaded on a carrier with others, the loading and offloading shall happen at different destinations. Your car will be the last one offloaded. Furthermore, you will also be paying for the expensive tolls on the route to its final destination.

When you need something to ship and deliver by a particular date, check with the transport company about the timeframe you will need and see if they have more ‘direct’ options to offer.

 Last Considerations

Multi-carriers are useful because they can be used for bulk shipments of the cars. They are reasonably priced and sound options to transport cars over long distances and can be either open or enclosed. Nonetheless, there are drawbacks too. Some of them include not being able to access all the areas, open transport exposing to the elements, and individual delivery taking a longer time.

When you are looking to ship multiple vehicles, then a multi-car carrier is a good option for you if you are looking to ship them over long distance or for business purposes. Alternatively, shipping a high-value car, or having a set time that the car must be delivered would require you to consider other transport options.

Our shipping professionals will assist you in selecting the most suitable transport solution. We are here to help you select and choose the right carrier for your car whether you are shipping one or multiple cars. Get in touch with us today for a quote and let us help you find the best transport option for your vehicles!