What Enclosed Auto Transport Costs, and What Moves the Number
What enclosed auto transport really costs: the $400-$800 premium over open, per-mile ranges by distance, what drives price up, and when the deposit hits.
On this page
- How much does enclosed auto transport cost?
- How much more does enclosed transport cost than open?
- What does enclosed transport cost per mile?
- Why does the per-mile rate drop as the distance gets longer?
- What makes an enclosed transport quote go up?
- What should an enclosed transport quote include?
- Why is the cheapest quote usually the most expensive outcome?
- When do you pay, and how much is the deposit?
- When is enclosed transport not worth the extra money?
- How do I get an actual enclosed transport quote?
Most cost pages in this industry are lead forms with a paragraph on top. This one is the actual math: what the enclosed premium is, what a per-mile rate means and does not mean, the nine things that move a quote, and why the lowest number in your inbox is usually the one that ends up costing the most.
How much does enclosed auto transport cost?
Enclosed auto transport in the lower 48 typically runs about $800 to $2,350 for a single standard vehicle as of August 2026. Short regional hauls sit at the bottom of that band and coast-to-coast moves at the top. AMG Transport Co. prices enclosed as the live open-market rate for your lane plus an enclosed premium of $400 to $800.
That band covers ordinary cars, trucks and SUVs on ordinary lanes. It does not cover solo service, where you are buying the whole trailer instead of one slot in it, and that lands well above the top of the range. It also assumes the vehicle rolls, steers and brakes. AMG serves the lower 48 only; Alaska and Hawaii require ocean freight and are priced by a different market. Treat any number you find online, including these, as a starting band rather than a quote. The lane, the vehicle and the week you ship all move it.
How much more does enclosed transport cost than open?
Enclosed costs $400 to $800 more than open on the same lane with AMG Transport Co. as of August 2026. On a cross-country move that is roughly a 30% to 60% increase. On a short regional run the same dollar figure can nearly double the total, because the premium is a fixed cost, not a percentage of the base.
What the premium buys is a hard- or soft-sided trailer, no road debris, no weather, and a two- to seven-car load instead of a ten-car open deck. Fewer neighbors, fewer straps, and a driver who hauls high-value freight for a living. What it does not buy is speed. Enclosed trailers are a minority of the fleet, so pickup windows are the same or slightly longer than open. Open transport is 85% to 90% of everything moved industry-wide, and for most vehicles it is the right call. The full side-by-side is at enclosed vs open transport.
What does enclosed transport cost per mile?
Enclosed transport runs roughly $0.50 per mile on a coast-to-coast run and up to $3.50 per mile on a short regional hop, as of August 2026. Distance is the single largest driver. AMG Transport Co. quotes a flat total for the lane rather than a per-mile rate, but the market underneath the quote prices it this way.
Per-mile figures are good for sanity-checking a quote and useless for booking one. Two 1,200-mile moves on different corridors can differ by several hundred dollars purely on freight density: a lane that feeds a truck its next load is cheaper than one that strands it. The table below combines industry-norm open rates as of August 2026 with AMG's $400 to $800 enclosed premium. It assumes a running, standard-clearance vehicle, a flexible pickup window, and metro endpoints on both ends.
| Distance band | Example lane | Typical open total | Enclosed premium | Typical enclosed total | Enclosed per mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 500 mi | Dallas to Memphis (~450 mi) | $400 - $775 | +$400 - $800 | $800 - $1,575 | $1.80 - $3.50 |
| 500 - 1,000 mi | Atlanta to Dallas (~780 mi) | $550 - $860 | +$400 - $800 | $950 - $1,660 | $1.20 - $2.15 |
| 1,000 - 1,500 mi | Chicago to Miami (~1,375 mi) | $700 - $1,100 | +$400 - $800 | $1,100 - $1,900 | $0.80 - $1.40 |
| 1,500 - 2,500 mi | Dallas to Seattle (~2,100 mi) | $850 - $1,350 | +$400 - $800 | $1,250 - $2,150 | $0.60 - $1.05 |
| 2,500+ mi | Los Angeles to New York (~2,790 mi) | $1,000 - $1,550 | +$400 - $800 | $1,400 - $2,350 | $0.50 - $0.85 |
Why does the per-mile rate drop as the distance gets longer?
Because a large share of the cost has nothing to do with miles. Dispatch, the empty run to your address, loading, strapping, the photo inspection, the paperwork and the unload cost the same on a 450-mile move as on a 2,790-mile one. Spread over six times the distance, they nearly disappear from the per-mile figure.
The second reason is corridor density. Long-haul lanes run through the busiest freight corridors in the country, so a carrier finishing your delivery has a good chance of loading again nearby. Short regional lanes often strand a truck somewhere thin, and that empty repositioning is priced into your quote whether anyone itemizes it or not. The exception worth knowing: a long move between two rural points can behave like a short one, because the deadhead at both ends is real and the corridor advantage never shows up. AMG Transport Co. flags those lanes at quote time instead of discovering them at dispatch.
What makes an enclosed transport quote go up?
Nine things move an enclosed quote, and eight of them are knowable before you book. Vehicle size, whether it runs, ground clearance, whether you need the trailer to yourself, season, how tight your pickup window is, how far the endpoints sit off a major interstate, fuel, and how many vehicles ship together.
The figures below are industry norms as of August 2026, not AMG Transport Co.'s internal pricing. They are directional, meant to explain why two quotes on the same route differ. The one variable you cannot control is fuel, which moves the whole market at once and is the reason a quote has a shelf life. Everything else is a disclosure problem: the cost of a non-runner or a low front lip does not change based on when AMG finds out, but the odds of a refused pickup do.
| What changes | Typical market effect (Aug 2026) | Why it costs more |
|---|---|---|
| Full-size truck, dually, long-wheelbase SUV | +10% to +25% | Eats deck length and weight allowance, displacing another car |
| Non-running vehicle | +$150 to +$400 | Needs a winch and a driver willing to use it; smaller carrier pool |
| Under ~4 in ground clearance | +$100 to +$300 | Liftgate trailers are a minority of the enclosed fleet |
| Solo / single-car service | Often 2x to 3x the shared rate | You are paying for the whole trailer and its return trip |
| Peak season on the lane | +10% to +30% | Snowbird and summer demand against a fixed number of trailers |
| Expedited or narrow pickup window | +$200 to +$500 | A carrier has to break or reroute a planned run |
| Pickup or delivery 50+ mi off an interstate | +$100 to +$300 | Deadhead miles nobody else is paying for |
| Diesel price swings | Moves the entire market | Fuel is a carrier's largest single variable cost |
| Two vehicles, same lane, same trailer | -5% to -15% per vehicle | One dispatch, one pair of stops |
Two of these are not price questions at all, they are eligibility questions. Lifted vehicles go open only, because they will not clear an enclosed trailer's roof. Lowered vehicles go enclosed only. If your car sits low enough to need a liftgate rather than ramps, read liftgate vs ramp loading before you shop on price, and if it does not start, see inoperable vehicle transport.
What should an enclosed transport quote include?
A real enclosed quote is one number that covers door-to-door pickup and delivery, the carrier's cargo insurance while your vehicle is in transit, loading and unloading, securing, photo inspection at both ends, and all fuel, tolls and taxes. With AMG Transport Co, that number is the final price, and as of August 2026 it holds for 30 days from issue.
"Door to door" means the closest safe and legal spot a 75-foot trailer can reach, which on a narrow residential street is often a nearby lot, not your driveway. That is logistics, not an upcharge. Documentation is included too: Super Dispatch e-BOL, photo inspections and VIN scanning, so condition is recorded before the vehicle moves and again when it lands. What should never show up after you book is a fuel surcharge, a market or carrier-availability adjustment, a terminal or storage fee you did not agree to, an insurance upcharge, or a liftgate fee invented at the curb. Coverage details are at insurance and coverage.
Why is the cheapest quote usually the most expensive outcome?
Because the lowest number in your inbox is often a number no carrier has agreed to. A broker can type any figure into an email. The load then gets posted at that rate, no driver takes it, and your car sits in the driveway while the pickup date you planned around passes. The cheap quote did not save money. It cost you a week.
There are three versions of this and they run in sequence. First, the lowball post: a price set below what any enclosed carrier will actually run, so the broker wins the booking. Second, the deposit taken before a carrier exists, written as non-refundable. Third, the call, where the carrier suddenly needs a few hundred dollars more. A carrier that will not commit to a real 72-hour pickup window on a fairly priced load is telling you something about the load or itself, and you want to hear that before your money moves. How to check a broker yourself is at how to verify a carrier.
When do you pay, and how much is the deposit?
You pay nothing to get a quote and nothing to have your load worked. The AMG Transport Co. deposit as of August 2026 is $207.70, which is $200 plus 3.85% card processing, and it is charged only after a specific carrier is confirmed and you have approved the pickup date. It stays refundable right up until that carrier is dispatched.
That ordering is the whole point. Money moves after a truck exists, not before, which means the deposit is confirmation of a real assignment rather than payment for a search. Payment is by Stripe card only. AMG never asks for a wire, a Zelle transfer, or gift cards for a deposit, and any transport company that does is running a fraud, full stop. The balance settles with AMG, not with the driver. You never hand cash or a check to a driver at delivery, and nobody should ever ask you to. Quotes hold for 30 days, so there is no pressure to decide on the phone.
When is enclosed transport not worth the extra money?
Most of the time. If the vehicle is a daily driver with standard ground clearance and replaceable paint, and you are shipping outside heavy winter weather on a flexible schedule, open transport moves it safely for $400 to $800 less. That is why 85% to 90% of all vehicles ship open, and AMG Transport Co. will say so rather than upsell you.
Enclosed earns its cost in a narrower set of cases: paint or trim that is expensive or impossible to reproduce, a vehicle low enough that ramps will not work, an unrestored survivor with original finishes, a car heading to a show or an auction where arrival condition is the point, or a winter run through the salt belt. If the vehicle is lifted, the decision is made for you: it goes open, because it will not fit under an enclosed roof. Start with the enclosed auto transport overview if you are still deciding, or lowered car transport if clearance is the issue.
How do I get an actual enclosed transport quote?
Call AMG Transport Co. at (800) 494-5059 or request a quote online. The price is built against your real lane, your real vehicle and your real dates, and the price you approve is the price you pay — if carrier availability or corrected shipment details change the workable amount, you see the new option and approve it before anything is charged.
Have a few things ready and the number will be right the first time: year, make and model, both ZIP codes, whether the vehicle runs, and roughly when you want it picked up. Mention any modification that changes clearance or dimensions, because a low front lip or a lift kit decides which trailer can take the car, and a surprise at the curb sends a driver away empty. If open transport turns out to be the better buy for your vehicle, AMG will say so on the call. Alaska and Hawaii are the one hard no, since those require ocean freight. When you are ready, call (800) 494-5059. Nothing is charged until a carrier is confirmed and you have approved the pickup date.