{"id":578,"date":"2026-10-09T12:33:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T04:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.review-season.com\/blog\/?p=578"},"modified":"2026-10-09T12:33:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T04:33:08","slug":"can-a-cargo-truck-be-used-for-transporting-vehicles-41c2-435d61","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.review-season.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/09\/can-a-cargo-truck-be-used-for-transporting-vehicles-41c2-435d61\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a cargo truck be used for transporting vehicles?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey there, what\u2019s up if you\u2019re here asking yourself \u2013 can a cargo truck actually move other vehicles? Let me cut straight to the chase as a cargo truck supplier who\u2019s fielded this question at least twice a week for the last three years straight. Spoiler: yeah, it can \u2013 and way more often than you might think, not just for like, moving junkers from a junkyard or a car to a college kid\u2019s first apartment. Let\u2019s chat through the real stuff, no fancy jargon, just what I\u2019ve seen and what works for our customers. Cargo Truck<\/a><\/p>\n

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First off, let\u2019s get one thing out of the way: people mix up cargo trucks and car haulers like they\u2019re totally separate things, but that\u2019s not the case at all. A lot of folks assume car haulers are this whole other specialized machine, but no \u2013 most standard cargo trucks can be adapted to haul vehicles, as long as you do it right. I\u2019ve seen everything from a medium-duty 18-foot box truck with a ramp that we sold to a local independent mechanic, to a heavy-duty workhorse we rented out (wait, no, sold \u2013 yeah, sold) to a small auto transport company that uses it for 3-4 everyday cars around a city. The key here is matching the right cargo truck to the job, not forcing a square peg into a round hole.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break down the types of vehicles we\u2019re talking about too, because that matters. If you\u2019re moving a compact car, like a Honda Civic or a Toyota Corolla, or even a small SUV like a RAV4, that\u2019s totally doable with a standard light-duty cargo truck (think class 3 or 4, 12,000 to 16,000 GVWR, for the newbies). Even a full-size sedan, like a Ford Taurus, fits on a lot of our 16-foot flatbed cargo trucks without any issues. The only time you start needing something bigger is if you\u2019re hauling a heavy-duty truck, an RV, or a fancy sports car that\u2019s low to the ground \u2013 but even then, we have heavy-duty cargo trucks built for that.<\/p>\n

Wait, but hold on \u2013 some people say \u201cwait, if it\u2019s a car, why not use a regular car trailer?\u201d And that\u2019s fair, but car trailers have their own headaches. You need a separate tow vehicle, you have to back up the trailer which is a nightmare in tight city streets, and if you\u2019re moving more than one car, you need a really long trailer. Cargo trucks? They\u2019re one vehicle, no separate tow setup, you drive them like any other truck once you get used to the size. Our mechanic customer, Joe, he was hauling a broken-down van from a shop to a body shop last month, and he told me he saved like $150 that day because he didn\u2019t have to rent a trailer and pay for that extra tow time. That\u2019s the real win for small operators, not just big transport companies.<\/p>\n

Now, the science and the practical stuff, because I know you don\u2019t want to hear just hype \u2013 you want to know if it\u2019s safe, right? Let\u2019s talk weight first, because that\u2019s the big safety factor. Every cargo truck has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), which is the total weight it can carry including itself, fuel, driver, and whatever you\u2019re hauling. A standard compact car is like 3,000 lbs, a midsize is 3,500, a full-size is 4,000 \u2013 so even a light-duty cargo truck with a 10,000 GVWR has 6,000 lbs of payload capacity after accounting for the truck itself, so you can easily haul one car, or even two smaller ones if you spread their weight out right. For heavier stuff, our class 7 cargo trucks go up to 33,000 GVWR, so you can haul a 10,000-lb semi or a full-size pickup no problem.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s securing the vehicle. This is where a lot of people mess up, and it\u2019s not the truck\u2019s fault \u2013 it\u2019s how you use it. We sell every customer that buys a cargo truck for vehicle hauling a basic kit: heavy-duty wheel straps, corner anchors for the flatbed, and if they want, adjustable ramps that hook right into the truck\u2019s frame. You don\u2019t just tie the wheels to the bed and call it a day, by the way \u2013 you want to wrap straps around the wheel hubs, not just the rubber, and attach them to the truck\u2019s D-rings or built-in anchors, not the side rails. I\u2019ve seen a customer lose a entire Civic on the highway once because he used cheap rope instead of proper straps \u2013 never again, now we make sure everyone knows the basics before they take off.<\/p>\n

Wait, also: can you put a car inside a box cargo truck? Oh, that\u2019s another thing people ask all the time. Yeah, you can, if the box is tall enough and long enough. We have 20-foot box trucks that have 12-foot ceilings, so you can drive a car right inside, close the doors, and protect it from rain, dust, bird crap, even minor road debris. That\u2019s a huge plus if you\u2019re moving a car that\u2019s not running, too \u2013 no need to worry about a flat tire or rust from the elements when it\u2019s inside an enclosed space. The only catch is, you have to make sure the car fits \u2013 measure the length, width, height of the car before you buy the truck, because a lot of old box trucks are smaller than you think.<\/p>\n

Now, who actually uses cargo trucks to move vehicles, beyond the random guy moving his own car? Let\u2019s list the real customers we work with, so you get a sense of the demand. First, independent mechanics and small body shops \u2013 they need to move cars between their shop, parts suppliers, and the body shop, and they don\u2019t want to pay for a dedicated car hauler every time. Then there\u2019s auto dealerships, especially used car lots \u2013 a lot of our dealership clients use our cargo trucks to pick up trade-ins from private sellers or other dealerships, so they don\u2019t have to pay a third-party transport company. We have a client in Arizona that uses three of our 24-foot cargo trucks to move pickup trucks between their lot in Phoenix and their new location in Tucson, saves them like $2,000 a month on transport fees. Then there\u2019s people moving cross-country \u2013 not just families, but people who have a classic car they want to drive, or a truck they use for work, and they want to haul another vehicle without renting a big trailer. And don\u2019t forget disaster relief teams \u2013 when there\u2019s a hurricane or a tornado, emergency teams use cargo trucks to move damaged vehicles out of the way, and new ones or parts in, because they\u2019re versatile and can go places big car haulers can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Wait, but is there a downside? Let\u2019s be honest, no one\u2019s product is perfect. Cargo trucks for vehicle hauling aren\u2019t ideal if you\u2019re moving more than four cars at a time, right? Because even a big flatbed cargo truck can only fit so many. And if you\u2019re hauling super fancy, high-end cars, like a $200k sports car, some people prefer a dedicated enclosed car hauler because it has extra cushioning and tie-downs designed specifically for that. But for 90% of the people moving vehicles \u2013 small businesses, private individuals, local operators \u2013 a cargo truck works just fine, and it\u2019s way cheaper than getting a separate car hauler.<\/p>\n

Another point: fuel efficiency? Let\u2019s compare. A standard car hauler (the big, separate ones) get like 6-8 MPG on the highway, right? Our medium-duty cargo trucks get 10-12 MPG, that\u2019s a big difference for someone who\u2019s driving hundreds of miles a month. Heavy-duty ones get around 8-10, which is still better than a dedicated hauler. That adds up over time \u2013 if you\u2019re driving 10,000 miles a year, that\u2019s like $1,500 in fuel savings, easy.<\/p>\n

Wait, I should mention something about modifications, too, because a lot of people ask if they need to modify their cargo truck to haul vehicles. The short answer is: usually not, if you pick the right one. A lot of our flatbed cargo trucks have pre-installed D-rings along the sides, adjustable stake pockets, so you can add ramps or extra tie-downs without doing major work. If you do need something specific, like higher load capacity, we can upfit the truck for you \u2013 that\u2019s our thing, actually, we offer custom upfits for any job, not just moving vehicles, but if that\u2019s what you need, we can do it.<\/p>\n

Let me tell you a recent example to make this real. Last quarter, we sold a 16-foot flatbed cargo truck to a guy named Mike who starts a small business called \u201cLocal Auto Moves\u201d \u2013 he moves cars for people around our city, no long hauls, just within 50 miles. He told me he looked at three dedicated car haulers, but they were all like $10k more expensive than our cargo truck. He added a set of adjustable ramps and heavy-duty straps for like $1,200 total, and now he\u2019s moving 2-3 cars a day, paying $300 less a month in fuel than he would have with a dedicated hauler. He just texted me last week saying he\u2019s ordering a second one, that\u2019s how well it\u2019s working.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s get past the myths, because there are so many. Myth 1: Cargo trucks can only carry small loads. No, we have cargo trucks that can carry up to 20,000 lbs of payload, that\u2019s more than enough for most vehicles. Myth 2: You need a special license to drive a cargo truck that hauls vehicles. That depends on the GVWR \u2013 if it\u2019s under 26,000 lbs, you don\u2019t need a CDL in most states, which is huge. A lot of our customers are small business owners who don\u2019t want to spend money on a CDL training. Myth 3: Hauling a vehicle in a cargo truck is less safe than a trailer. If you do it right, it\u2019s actually safer \u2013 you\u2019re not dealing with a trailer that can sway, you\u2019re driving a single vehicle, and if you have an accident, your car is right there with you instead of being a separate load that can come loose.<\/p>\n

Wait, but what about road restrictions? A lot of people ask if cargo trucks can go the same places as regular cars. Yeah, mostly \u2013 as long as you stay under the height limit, which most cargo trucks are under 13 feet 6 inches, same as any other commercial truck. The only time you run into issues is if you\u2019re going through really narrow backroads or old bridges, but that\u2019s the same for any commercial vehicle, not specific to hauling cars.<\/p>\n

So, putting it all together: can a cargo truck be used for transporting vehicles? Absolutely, and it\u2019s not a hack job or a workaround \u2013 it\u2019s a legitimate, cost-effective solution for everyone from small business owners to private individuals. The key is picking the right size truck for the job, using proper securing equipment, and following basic safety rules. We\u2019ve sold hundreds of cargo trucks for vehicle hauling over the last few years, and almost all our customers are repeat buyers or refer us to other people in the auto business.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re someone who\u2019s thinking about moving more than just cargo \u2013 moving cars, pickup trucks, SUVs, whatever \u2013 and you\u2019re tired of overpaying for dedicated car haulers, or dealing with the hassle of renting trailers, we can help. We have a range of cargo trucks from light-duty for personal use to heavy-duty for business, and we can upfit them exactly how you need for vehicle transport. If you want to chat through what size is right for your needs, how much it would cost, or anything else, hit us up to get the ball rolling on your next purchase.<\/p>\n

Bulldozer<\/a> References:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2022). Commercial Vehicle Weight and Safety Guidelines for Light and Medium-Duty Trucks.<\/li>\n
  2. American Trucking Associations. (2023). Market Trends in Specialty Vehicle Transport for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses.<\/li>\n
  3. U.S. Department of Transportation. (2022). Statewide Commercial Driver\u2019s License Requirements for Vehicles Under 26,000 GVWR.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Jining Dafu Machinery Sales Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    As one of the most professional cargo truck suppliers in China, we’re featured by quality products and low price. Please rest assured to wholesale bulk cheap cargo truck from our factory. We also accept customized orders.
    Address: Room 1-115, Building 7, Luxinan Auto Parts City, Qiantongdian Village, Quanpu Town, Liangshan County, Jining City, Shandong Province
    E-mail: jiningdafu@163.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.dafumachinery.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hey there, what\u2019s up if you\u2019re here asking yourself \u2013 can a cargo truck actually move … Can a cargo truck be used for transporting vehicles?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":324,"featured_media":578,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[541],"class_list":["post-578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-cargo-truck-4c56-4408e4"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.review-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.review-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.review-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.review-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/324"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.review-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.review-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.review-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.review-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.review-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.review-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}