It does not have to start. It does have to roll, steer and brake.
A vehicle that will not start is routine work for a car hauler with a winch. Some of our trucks carry one and some do not, so a non-runner has to be declared at booking to get the right truck. What is not routine is a vehicle that will not roll, steer or brake — that needs different equipment, and it is the most common reason a pickup fails at the gate.
Illustrative photography — not Prime Trans equipment.Can a car be transported if it does not run?
Yes. A car hauler with a winch can load a non-running vehicle as long as it rolls, steers and brakes. If any of those three is missing, the vehicle needs a forklift, the yard's loader or a rollback at the origin instead. Tell the carrier it does not run, and which of the three apply, when you book.
Answer these and the quote will be right.
- 01
Does it roll?
Are all four wheels on and will they turn freely? Locked brakes, a seized transmission in park, missing wheels or a bent frame all mean no.
- 02
Does it steer?
Can the front wheels be turned to line the car up on the ramp? A wrecked front end often cannot.
- 03
Does it brake?
Once it is on the deck it has to hold still. No brakes means it has to be secured differently, and some positions on the truck cannot take it at all.
Three yeses and it goes on a winch truck at a modest surcharge over a running vehicle. One no and it needs a forklift, the yard's loader or a rollback at the origin. We will tell you which before a truck is sent, rather than send one that cannot do the job.
Say it at booking: winches are on some of our trucks, not all of them. A non-runner declared when you book gets a winch truck. A non-runner discovered at the gate gets a wasted trip and a second dispatch, and both of those cost you a day.
Non-running is a category, not a problem.
- Salvage and total-loss unitsCopart and IAA pickups across the Southeast, including insurance total losses. See Copart and IAA.
- Auction units that died on the lotManheim, America's Auto Auction and ADESA (Carvana) units that ran through the lane and will not start for the truck. See Auction transport.
- Trade-ins that diedThe unit a customer drove in on that will not go back out. Common, and no drama.
- RepossessionsRecovery to the storage lot or straight to the auction.
- Project and restoration carsLong-parked vehicles with flat tyres and stuck brakes — tell us now, not at the gate.
- Seized and forfeited vehiclesGovernment seizure work, which has its own chain-of-custody paperwork; see Government & fleet
What it costs and why.
| Equipment | 8 open car haulers: high-mount rigs carrying seven to nine cars, and three-car low pros. Winches on some of them, so declare a non-runner at booking |
|---|---|
| Surcharge | A non-running unit that rolls, steers and brakes carries a modest inoperable fee over the running rate — it takes longer to load and it needs a specific position on the deck |
| What we cannot take | Vehicles that will not roll, vehicles with no front-end steering, and vehicles that have been in a fire and are structurally unsound. We will say so on the phone |
| Condition report | Photographed at pickup and delivery on the electronic bill of lading, which matters more on a damaged vehicle than an undamaged one |
| Insurance | Auto liability $1,000,000 · Cargo $1,000,000 per load, $350,000 per vehicle |
| Dispatch | Mon–Sat, 7am–7pm ET |
Honest scope: we are a car hauler, not a tow company. If the vehicle needs to be dragged out of a ditch, pulled from a building or extracted before it can be loaded, that is a recovery job and you want a wrecker service first. We will load it once it is somewhere a truck can reach.
Straight answers
How much extra does it cost to ship a non-running car?
Expect an inoperable surcharge over the running rate on a vehicle that rolls, steers and brakes. If it does not do all three it needs a forklift, a yard loader or a rollback at the origin, and that changes the job and the price.
Do you need the keys?
Yes, ideally. Without keys the steering may be locked, which stops the vehicle from being lined up on the ramp. If there are no keys, say so at booking — there are ways around it, but they need to be planned.
Can you pick up from Copart or IAA?
Yes, we hold accounts with both. At Copart, release the lot to us with Send to Transporter and we book the pickup appointment in the Copart Transportation App. At IAA, give us the stock number and your buyer ID and we check in on the IAA Tow App. Either way, tell us the unit does not run, and remember that pickup happens only in yard hours.
What if the car is missing wheels?
Then it will not roll, and it needs a forklift or a rollback rather than a winch. Tell us before the truck is dispatched. A wasted dispatch costs you a day and it costs us a driver's morning.
Where to go next
Auction transport
Auction pickups from Manheim, America's Auto Auction, Copart, IAA and ADESA on our own car haulers. Release handled, photos at the gate, delivered to your lot or your exporter's warehouse.
Read onCopart
Copart pickups on our own trucks. Copart Spartanburg is five miles from our yard. Gate PIN and appointment handled, non-runners on a winch truck, delivered to your shop or exporter.
Read onIAA
IAA pickups from IAA Greenville in Simpsonville, Asheville (Fletcher), Charlotte and the Atlanta branches: checked in on the IAA Tow App, non-runners on a winch truck, photos on every unit.
Read onGovernment & fleet
Pickup for buyers at GovDeals, GSA Auctions, DLA and U.S. Marshals sales, plus state, county and fleet vehicle moves, on our own car haulers.
Read onA unit on the lot costs you every day it sits there.
Tell us where the units are, where they are going, how many and when. A written quote comes back the same business day, from the carrier that will haul them.