Loading and unloading an auto transport trailer

by | Transport Tips

​How we load and unload an auto transport trailer

When you book an auto transport order, the main concerns people have is how much does it cost to ship their car, how soon can it be picked up and how soon can it be delivered, all of which are valid questions. But they rarely know the effort that goes into getting their vehicles delivered to their door.

Not a lot of wiggle room!

auto transport Chill out…I got this! A J&S driver carefully loads a truck onto his trailer

Getting your car delivered safely, quickly, and damage-free is J&S Transportation’s primary concern. How do we do this? The first step is loading your vehicle onto our car hauler. Getting the vehicles on and off the trailer takes a lot of skill! Our drivers have only a few inches of leeway on either side of the vehicle, and the bigger the vehicle, the less wiggle room they have. Slow and steady not only wins the race, it’s how we load and unload our auto transport trailers.

J&S auto transport trucks use double decker trailers and haul up to 12 vehicles, depending on their size. The trailers are hydraulic and allow the driver to lower the upper and lower decks to load vehicles on to the trailer. They are also able to raise the upper deck once loaded to create space on the lower deck to fully load the truck.

Once on board the trailer, we secure the vehicles to the trailer. This is an industry safety standard. All of J&S Transportation’s trucks are soft strap vs. chains. In the past, chaining a vehicle via the tow holes was standard operating procedure, but over the past few years the auto transport industry has been moving to soft strap. The main reason being there is much less chance of damage to the vehicles using soft straps to secure them vs. chains.

ship a car One of our drivers adjust the hydraulics to create room for vehicles on a trailer

Loading an auto tranport trailer: a 3D puzzle

Watching an experienced auto transport driver load and unload the vehicles on the trailer is like watching someone solving a 3D puzzle. All the moving parts have to come together to make the transport as safe and efficient as possible. The driver has to take into account size of the vehicle, order of pickup and order of delivery. The first car on should not be the first car delivered or else the entire trailer has to be unloaded and reloaded. To make everything fit, some cars are backed on to the trailer or driven on nose first to maximize space or meet height or overhang restrictions. A general rule of thumb is that larger vehicles go on the top level, with average or smaller vehicles on the bottom.

auto transport trailerJ&S has been transporting vehicles for auto auctions, car dealerships and the public since 2000, and in an industry with a less than sterling reputation, we are a beacon of customer service and satisfaction. We are primarily a transporter, but we are also a licensed broker which gives us the flexibility to meet all your auto transport needs!So whatever your reason for moving cars, book your interstate car transport order with us and avoid the stress and headache of a long distance road trip.