Car hauler trailer types: how many cars, what they weigh, what they cost.

Pickup-pulled trailers (hotshot)

Bumper-pull 2-car trailers

The entry point. A typical example: 34 to 36 feet long, GVWR 14,000 lb, base price from about $11,090 (Kaufman). Easy to back into a dealer lot or a driveway.

Gooseneck and wedge trailers, 3 to 4 cars

• 43-foot 3-car gooseneck: GVWR 14,800 to 18,000 lb, three cars or two pickups, from about $13,390 (Kaufman).
• 53-foot wedge, triaxle: "3-4 car", GVWR 14,000 to 18,000 lb, from about $14,891 (Kaufman); other builders rate their 53-footers at 20,000 lb.

A gooseneck hitches in the truck bed, over the rear axle, so more of the trailer's weight rides on the truck than with a bumper pull. That is why three- and four-car trailers are usually goosenecks.

"From" prices are base configurations as listed on 6 October 2026, before options, taxes and delivery.

Semi trailers

High-mount

A 53-foot trailer behind a regular fifth wheel, carrying about 6 to 8 vehicles: Cottrell's CX-5307LS is rated for 7, Boydstun's 9108-53HM-LS for 6 to 8, at about 20,500 lb empty. A new 2026 Boydstun high-mount was listed at $160,000.

Stinger (stinger-steered)

The classic long-haul car carrier: the trailer's hitch sits behind the tractor's rear axle and cars ride over the cab. Cottrell rates its 9-car stinger for "9 to 10 vehicles depending on trailer and head ramp combination". New equipment is a major purchase: a dealer listed a 2025 Peterbilt 589 with a Cottrell 80-foot stinger at $389,900 for the pair.

More cars per trip spread the fuel. They also raise every other bill.

Enclosed trailers

• 1 to 2 cars, bumper pull: 16 to 32 feet long (Featherlite's 4926 range).
• Enclosed gooseneck: a 44-foot, 18,000 lb trailer listed at an MSRP of $62,999 (Millennium).
• Multi-car enclosed semi: 4 to 6 vehicles on an 80-foot combination (Cottrell C-9ENCFA).

Enclosed carries fewer cars for higher rates on classic, exotic and high-value vehicles, and needs higher cargo cover. Car hauler insurance.

Federal size limits

• Width: 102 inches; states may not set more or less on the national network.
• Length: the regulation (23 CFR 658.13) lists 65 feet for auto transporters and 75 feet for stinger-steered ones, with load overhangs of 3 feet in front and 4 feet behind. The statute (49 U.S.C. 31111, as amended by the FAST Act in 2015) allows 80 feet for stinger-steered transporters, with 4 feet in front and 6 feet behind, and manufacturers build 80-foot "FAST Act" combinations.
• Height: no federal limit; states set it, commonly 13 feet 6 inches to 14 feet. Top-deck cars and route clearances decide this one.

State rules and routes vary. Check the states you run before you buy.

Which setup needs a CDL

A Class A CDL is required when the combination is rated or weighs 26,001 lb or more and the trailer is rated over 10,000 lb. Every trailer above is rated over 10,000 lb, so the question is the total: a 14,000 lb 2-car trailer behind a truck rated 11,500 lb is 25,500 lb combined, non-CDL as long as it never actually weighs more; an 18,000 lb gooseneck behind the same truck is 29,500 lb, Class A. Every semi setup is Class A. The full arithmetic is in hotshot car hauling.

Car hauler or flatbed?

A flatbed or equipment trailer can carry a car, but a car hauler is built for it: ramps or a tilt deck for low cars, wheel-strap and tie-down points, and on multi-car trailers, decks that adjust so cars nest closely. For a business moving cars every day, the purpose-built trailer loads faster and carries more per trip.

Choosing for the loads, not the brochure

The right trailer is the one that fills on the lanes you run. Fuel on the loaded leg is shared by every car on the deck, so a 7-car trailer running half full can earn less per mile than a full 3-car wedge. Before you buy, price a few weeks of real loads on your lanes with the net-profit calculator, set to the trailer's slots. On loadez, every load on the board is priced for your own trailer's capacity on Growth, so you see which loads fill it.

Common questions

How many cars can a car hauler trailer carry?

A bumper-pull car trailer carries one or two cars, a 3-car gooseneck three cars or two pickups, a 53-foot wedge three to four, a high-mount semi trailer about six to eight, and a stinger nine to ten depending on the trailer and head ramp. Enclosed trailers carry fewer: one or two behind a pickup, four to six on an 80-foot semi.

How long can a car hauler be?

Federal law allows stinger-steered automobile transporters up to 80 feet overall, with load overhangs of 4 feet in front and 6 feet behind, under 49 U.S.C. 31111 as amended in 2015. The regulation text at 23 CFR 658.13 still lists 65 feet for auto transporters and 75 feet for stinger-steered ones. Width is limited to 102 inches; height is set by each state.

How much does a car hauler trailer cost?

Published base prices on 6 October 2026: about $11,090 for a 2-car bumper-pull trailer, $13,390 for a 3-car gooseneck and $14,891 for a 53-foot wedge (Kaufman). A new high-mount semi trailer was listed at $160,000, an enclosed 44-foot gooseneck at an MSRP of $62,999, and a new tractor with a 9-car stinger at $389,900.