What does 'carrying a vehicle' mean?
2 Answers
Carrying a vehicle is a practice aimed at saving costs such as toll fees, fuel expenses, and tire wear. It refers to long-distance drivers placing one vehicle on the cargo bed of another vehicle, making it appear as if they are carrying a car. While this method is effective and cost-saving, it is highly dangerous and can lead to severe traffic accidents. It has been deemed illegal by some traffic authorities and is now prohibited. The main reasons for not transferring ownership after a vehicle transaction include: the license plate registration location being too far away, making the transfer process costly; vehicles used as debt collateral, where the car may have been involved in multiple debt cycles; deceased owners with unregistered vehicles; transferring both the license plate and the car in areas with purchase restrictions; out-of-town vehicles unable to be registered locally due to migration restrictions; and some scammers selling converted commercial vehicles as low-priced 'carrier vehicles'.
A car carrier is when one vehicle transports another, typically a large flatbed truck carrying a sedan over long distances. Over my years driving heavy trucks, I've frequently taken on car carrier jobs—mainly hauling new cars for 4S dealerships or transporting used cars across regions for ownership transfers. This prevents new cars from accumulating mileage during factory delivery and spares owners the worry of highway scratches or dents. When choosing a car carrier company, three things matter: check if they have special permits for oversized loads, verify that the transport insurance covers the full vehicle value, and ensure the wheel-securing anti-slip chains are sturdy. Some illegal carriers overload with five or six cars, making rollovers likely during sudden brakes.
