High-mount, stinger or wedge?
Open car haulers come in three common shapes, and the right one depends less on distance than on how many units you have, where they are parked, and whether the lot can take a long truck. Here is what each one is for, and what to tell dispatch so the truck that turns up can actually do the job.
What is the difference between a high-mount, a stinger and a wedge car hauler?
A high-mount car hauler hooks to a standard fifth wheel over the tractor's drive axles and typically carries seven to nine cars. A stinger hitches low, behind the drive axles, carries the most units and is common on factory work. A wedge is a three-car trailer, usually behind a heavy pickup, for tight lots and urgent single units.
Same job, different shapes.
| High-mount | Stinger | Wedge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it hitches | Standard fifth wheel over the tractor's drive axles | Low hitch behind the drive axles, with a rack carrying cars over the cab | Usually a gooseneck behind a heavy-duty pickup |
| Typical capacity | 7 to 9 cars, depending on the mix | Often 9 or more | 3 cars |
| Fits best | Auction runs, multi-unit dealer trades, long scheduled lanes | High-volume factory and haulaway work | Tight lots, home deliveries, one urgent unit |
| Watch for | Needs room to swing in and turn around | Tractor is dedicated to car hauling; hardest to place in a tight lot | Fewer units, so a higher cost per car on a long run |
The numbers are typical, not fixed. A car hauler is limited by weight and height as much as by positions on the deck, so a load of full-size pickups or heavy EVs carries fewer units than a load of sedans on the same truck.
Units spread the cost.
Most of the cost of a long trip is the truck and the driver's time, and that cost is much the same whether the rig carries three cars or nine. Put seven to nine units on a high-mount and the per-car price of a thousand-mile lane drops to something a wholesale margin can carry. The same logic runs a sale-day auction pull: one truck, one gate visit, a full deck. Because it hooks to a standard fifth wheel, a high-mount is also more manageable than a stinger in a crowded yard or in reverse.
Short, nimble, and it goes now.
A wedge is a fraction of the length of a loaded high-mount, so it fits the places a long truck cannot: a service drive, a body-shop lot, a residential street, a customer's driveway. It also leaves the moment the unit is ready instead of waiting for a load to fill. The trade is capacity. Three cars is the ceiling, heavy units can bring that down, and over a long lane the per-car cost is higher.
The big haulaway rig.
The stinger is the rig most people picture leaving an assembly plant. Its low hitch and cab rack let it carry the most units, which is why it is common on high-volume factory and haulaway work. The trade-offs are that the tractor is committed to car hauling and the long rig is the hardest of the three to place in a tight lot. Prime Trans runs high-mounts and 3-car low pros (a low-deck three-car trailer), not stingers.
So the right truck turns up.
- 01
How many units, and what they are
Year, make and model for each. Weight and height follow from the model, and they decide how many ride on one truck.
- 02
Anything oversize
Lifted trucks, duallies, full-size vans, anything on oversized tyres or with a roof rack. Height matters most, because the loaded rig has to stay inside the legal height, thirteen feet six inches in most states.
- 03
Anything that does not run
Say which units, and whether each one rolls, steers and brakes. A non-runner needs a winch truck, and not every car hauler carries a winch.
- 04
The lot, honestly
How much room there is to pull in and turn around, low wires or branches, gate width, and whether loading on the street is allowed. If a long rig cannot get in, the units get shuttled out to it, or a wedge makes more than one trip.
- 05
Who hands over the keys
A named person at each end, keys counted, paperwork ready. The dealer trade checklist covers the rest.
Our fleet, plainly: 8 open car haulers — high-mount rigs carrying seven to nine cars and three-car low pros, with winches on some trucks. Tell us the units, the non-runners and the lot, and we will send the truck that fits, or tell you if none of ours does.
Straight answers
How many cars fit on a car hauler?
A high-mount typically carries seven to nine cars depending on the mix, a stinger often nine or more, and a wedge three. Heavy or tall vehicles reduce the count, because the limit is weight and height as well as deck positions.
Is a wedge cheaper than a big car hauler?
For one to three cars on a short run, often yes, because nobody waits for a load to fill. Over a long lane, a full high-mount spreads the trip cost across more units and usually wins per car.
Can a big car hauler get into my lot?
Tell dispatch how much room there is to pull in and turn around, and about any low wires, branches or tight gates. If a long rig cannot get in, a wedge can, or the units can be staged somewhere the rig can reach.
What is a stinger car hauler?
A car hauler whose trailer hitches low, behind the tractor's drive axles, with a rack carrying cars over the cab. It carries the most units and is common on factory and haulaway work, but the tractor is dedicated to car hauling.
Read next
Auto transport
Open car hauling on our own trucks: dealer trades, auction pickups, export-warehouse runs and OEM overflow across the Southeast, with photos of every unit at both ends.
Read onDealerships
A standing dealer-vendor agreement: trades, auction-to-frontline, customer deliveries and recon shuttles, one call, photos at both ends, Net 15 for approved accounts.
Read onDealer trade checklist
What a dealership should have ready before a car hauler arrives: keys, paperwork, condition photos, lot access, and the three causes of most failed pickups.
Read onStill want a person to answer it?
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