Open carrier beat enclosed for my $28k car haul from Phoenix to Nashville, saved $700 and zero damage

Val Webb · 2026-11-04T09:45:05.949624+00:00

I moved from Phoenix to Nashville back in March and spent two solid days getting quotes for my '19 Camry. Every broker kept pushing enclosed transport, saying open carriers would leave it full of rock chips and dirt. I went with an open carrier anyway, paid $1,150 instead of the $1,850 they wanted for enclosed, and the car showed up with normal road dust and not a single new scratch. Here's what made the difference: I picked a carrier with a recent DOT number and real reviews, not just the cheapest bid on the board, and I asked the dispatcher straight up how many stops the truck was making. Enclosed trailers on this route were getting bumped two weeks out anyway, and my open carrier picked up on the exact day they promised. The whole 'enclosed is always safer' pitch feels like a sales tactic to me, unless you're moving a show car or something with a fresh paint job. The dirt washed off in 20 minutes at a car wash in Nashville. What's the real case for paying that enclosed premium, am I missing something here?

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Open carrier beat enclosed for my $28k car haul from Phoenix to Nashville, saved $700 and zero damage | Auto Transport Discussions - Rigidtalk