Can I Get Quotes to Ship a Semi-Truck?
In today’s auto transport industry, you can get quotes to ship just about anything from anywhere, to anywhere in the United States, and that’s saying something. One type of vehicle that has seen a pretty significant rise in popularity over the past few years has been the semi-truck.
Though they go by many different names, the semi-truck for purposes of this blog post is the cab of many of the giant 18-wheelers that you see with huge 53′ trailers behind them. Let’s be clear, though: we’re just talking about the cab, the engine, the front – you can’t ship the trailer. There’s a reason why the trailers are detachable, namely because if you’re looking to ship a commercial trailer like that with a car transport company you need to rethink what you’re trying to accomplish.
Read on to learn more about how shippers ship a semi-truck and how we here at American Auto Shipping can help you get yours moved.
Article Overview
How to ship a semi-truck – an overview
Many times customers need to ship their truck (the part with the engine, minus the trailer – we cannot stress this enough) because it’s broken down somewhere, or they can’t find any freight in their area and need to get out, or they’re selling it and don’t want to put the miles on. Honestly, there are too many possible reasons to try to name the most commonly used one, so let’s just say that yes, people do look to ship semi-trucks, no, they aren’t kidding, and yes, we can help you with that.
Naturally, you can’t ship a semi-truck on an open or an enclosed carrier. They’re too small and they aren’t designed for something as big as a semi. So the only real options that are available to people trying to ship a semi-truck is either flatbed transport or bumper pull.
Flatbed shipping services are used on an as-needed basis and are priced differently than standard vehicles. Bumper-pull is the same way. With a flatbed, the semi goes on a truck, but it’ll have to be a big flatbed. Likely a lowboy, which is expensive to find and more expensive to move freight on.
Many carriers can also offer bumper-pull services, but semi-trucks may be harder to move that way. Bumper-pull is the same as towing it, basically. They hitch the vehicle to the back of a truck and it gets towed along.
Is flatbed shipping or bumper pull service better?
It’s not exactly easy to answer this question because much of it depends on what kind of service you’re looking for.
There are a lot of reasons why someone may need to ship a semi-truck, of course. So that plays a big role in the kind of shipping services that you want. If you’re selling the semi, it may be best to find a lowboy or other flatbed truck big enough to move it. If it’s broken down and you need to ship it to your repair guy three states over, bumper pull likely can save you some money.
Both of these will require us to find the right kind of auto shipping carrier for your needs, and it’s not going to be cheap or easy. We offer some of the cheapest auto transport services in the industry, while still remaining competitive. It’s the competitive part of that sentence that really can make it expensive when compared to shipping a regular car on the same route.
Because flatbed haulers aren’t as common, they take longer to find. And, because of the weight of the semi, it’s going to be much more expensive than a standard car, even one that’s inoperable.
Bumper pull can be a bit cheaper, as there are more types of trucks that can offer the service, so there are more options available to you. At the same time, though, bumper pull does add more wear and tear on the vehicle than shipping it, as it’s in contact with the ground. Remember, bumper pull is basically a fancy term for “towed.” It’s important to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each before making a decision.
Things you’ll need to ship a semi-truck
The most important thing you’ll need when you first try to ship a semi-truck is its dimensions. Yes, the year, make, and model of it are important. But how big it is will also play a big factor in the price you pay and the services available to you.
Bigger vehicles cost more to ship. That’s just the way it goes in this industry. Standard coupes and sedans can get grouped together with a single price due to their similar size and weight. But larger vehicles are more nuanced, as not all carriers are going to be able to handle larger vehicles.
This is true for SUVs and pickup trucks and minivans just like it’s true for semi-trucks. The larger the vehicle, the more expensive it is to ship. Bigger vehicles take up more space on a truck, which leaves less space for other vehicles. They are heavy, which will impact a carrier’s fuel economy, which ends up costing them more to ship it.
Having the dimensions of your semi-truck on-hand when you start shopping for a shipping company will go a long way to getting a price that will move your semi-truck when you need it moved. We’ll definitely need the dimensions of it when you contact us to ship it.
Ship your semi today with American Auto Shipping
Our online quote form doesn’t have an option for a semi-truck, as it’s not a very common thing to want to ship. That said, when you fill out our form, make sure to mark it as an “other” under both the make and model.
Is it easy? No. And it likely won’t be cheap, either, so keep that in mind. We recommend filling out our free quote form to get a quote and then speak to an agent in order to discuss your shipment in more detail.
Keep in mind that non-standard auto transport methods require non-standard quoting practices. So if you’re trying to ship a semi-truck not only should you have an ample budget, you should also have an ample amount of time.
Regardless, though, we can help you get it moved. We specialize in all types of freight so long as it can roll, brake, and steer – and even then we may be able to help if they don’t! So call or use our online quote form today to see what American Auto Shipping can do for you.
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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