Can I dictate where my car rides in transit?
People often ask if they can request their car to be transported only on the top rack or only on the bottom rack of the transport truck during transit. Normally, a well-meaning friend or neighbor told their horror story of why to choose one over the other.
The top rack is usually requested to prevent road grime and to avoid the possibility of another vehicle leaking fluid onto the lower rack of vehicles. Other people request the bottom rack to avoid flying debris or weather from doing damage to their vehicle.
There are advantages and disadvantages to either location, but we cannot dictate to a carrier where they place a car during transit. Drivers place vehicles based on whether the vehicle is 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive, the heights and weights of the vehicles, which cars are leaving when and to balance their load for the safety of all the vehicles.
This video is a transport truck driver telling in detail the reasons for placing vehicles where they do. It’s rather lengthy, but from about 3:45 to about 6:30 is a good 3-minute segment that tells you why he places the cars in their respective positions and 8:15 to about 9:45 shows the cars that were loaded on the truck and why he placed them where he did.
So, while we may ask, it is ultimately up to the driver to decide the proper placement for the entire load of vehicles and we need to respect their decision. Millions of vehicles travel across the US throughout the year and only a very small percentage experience any issues, no matter where they are placed.