Services
Insurance
Loans
Repairs
Advice
About

How do you transport a car on a trailer?

My wife and I are in the process of moving, and I borrowed a friend’s trailer to transport an old sports car to our new house, but I’m not entirely sure how to load it onto the trailer. How do you transport a car on a trailer?

avatar
Jack Walsh · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Congratulations on the move and new house! It was nice of your friend to let you borrow the trailer, and fortunately, loading a car isn’t too challenging.
To successfully load the car, follow these steps:
  • Park the trailer on flat ground and use wheel chocks to be safe.
  • Extend or attach the rear ramps and be sure they can support the weight of a car.
  • Line up your car behind the trailer and adjust the ramps if necessary.
  • Slowly drive onto the trailer and ask a friend to help direct you if possible.
  • Park the car in the trailer’s center or with 60% of the weight on the front half, and engage the emergency brake.
Now that the car is loaded, you have to anchor it down. To anchor it down, you should:
  • Use tire straps if the car is small or made after 1990.
  • Use axle straps if the car is large or made before 1990.
After the car is secured on the trailer, you should take it for a test drive to get accustomed to the handling and then check the straps within the first 10 to 25 miles and tighten or adjust if necessary.
Once the move is complete, don’t forget to let your
car insurance
company know! Location plays a significant role in your insurance rate, so now is also a great time to shop around and compare quotes from a few companies.
If you’d rather leave the hard work of gathering quotes to someone else, use
Jerry
. The Jerry app can collect quotes from 50+ top insurance companies, like Travelers, Nationwide, and Progressive, in seconds! They even help cancel your old policy once you’ve made your pick.
View full answer 
WHY YOU CAN TRUST JERRY
Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.

Join 4M+ members in lowering their car insurance

Easiest way to compare and buy car insurance

√
No long forms
√
No spam or unwanted phone calls
√
Quotes from top insurance companies
Find insurance savings