RV Transport, Nationwide

RV transport runs on a calendar, and it’s a brutal one. The trucks and qualified drivers who move oversized rigs get booked out fast every spring as people haul motorhomes south-to-north for the camping season, and again in the fall as the snowbird stampede reverses toward Arizona, Florida, and Texas. Add in dealer auction season and the early-summer rush after every “we bought it two states away” purchase, and the capacity for a 40-foot coach can vanish a couple of weeks before you even start calling. The honest move is to book ahead and lock real equipment early, because the right RV hauler is a far scarcer thing than the next open car-carrier deck.

That scarcity exists because an RV isn’t a car and can’t be shipped like one. Whether you’ve bought a motorhome across the country, need a travel trailer relocated, or want a non-running rig moved without adding miles, it’s bigger, heavier, taller, and usually worth far more than anything riding on a standard auto carrier. That changes the method, the price, and who’s even qualified to touch it. Simple Car Ship handles RV transport with straight estimates, a real person you can reach, and a carrier we pick by hand for having the exact equipment your rig demands. You’ll know the plan before pickup day, and even when your rig is the size of a small house, it’s never just a number on a load board to us.

What Makes RV Transport Different

Shipping a sedan is a fairly standardized job. RVs are not, and four things drive that difference. The first is operability. Some RVs are drive-away motorhomes (Class A, B, and C) that can be driven onto a transporter or driven the route by a professional driver; others are towable trailers and fifth-wheels that have no engine at all and must be hitched and hauled. A non-running motorhome is different again, requiring winching and specialized loading. The carrier and the method have to match what your rig actually is.

The second is dimensions. A Class A motorhome can run 30 to 45 feet long, push 12 to 13.5 feet tall, and weigh 15,000 to 30,000+ pounds. Those numbers matter because height and weight dictate bridge clearances, legal axle limits, and sometimes permits and route planning that a normal car move never touches. The third is value. RVs frequently run from the mid five figures into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with finishes, slide-outs, awnings, and interiors that are expensive and slow to repair. The fourth is insurance. A standard car-carrier policy is sized for cars. Moving a high-value, oversized RV calls for confirming the carrier’s coverage actually fits the rig’s real value before it ever leaves your driveway.

How RV Transport Actually Works

There are three common ways an RV moves, and the right one depends entirely on your rig. Drive-away is when a qualified, insured driver drives a running, road-legal motorhome from origin to destination. It’s efficient for larger Class A and Class C coaches that are perfectly capable of the trip, and it avoids the cost of a trailer big enough to haul them. Tow-away is the standard method for travel trailers and fifth-wheels: the carrier hitches your towable to a properly rated truck and hauls it the whole way. Flatbed or specialized hauling is used for smaller units, non-running rigs, or anything that shouldn’t or can’t travel on its own wheels.

Once you book, we match your RV to a carrier who runs that kind of equipment and that kind of trip, not whoever happens to bid lowest on a load board. The rig is inspected and documented at pickup, the same as any vehicle, and again at delivery. Because RVs are oversized, pickup and delivery often need a little more room than a tight driveway or a low-clearance street allows, so we sort out an accessible spot with you ahead of time rather than discovering a problem on delivery day.

Open vs Enclosed for an RV

Here’s where RVs differ from a typical car-shipping recommendation. Most RVs are not moved on an open multi-car auto carrier at all, because they don’t fit the deck the way a sedan does. A running motorhome usually travels drive-away on its own wheels, and a trailer travels tow-away behind a truck. Both of those are “open” in the sense that the RV is exposed to weather, which is normal and safe for the vast majority of recreational vehicles that are already built to live outdoors.

Fully enclosed transport for an RV is rare and generally reserved for small, exceptionally valuable, or show-condition units that physically fit inside an enclosed trailer. For most rigs the realistic choice isn’t open versus enclosed; it’s drive-away versus tow-away versus flatbed, decided by whether the RV runs and what type it is.

What RV Transport Typically Costs

We won’t pretend a single number fits every RV, because it doesn’t. Skipping the precise route math, here’s the honest picture: RV transport almost always costs more than shipping a standard sedan over the same distance, and the premium is real, not a markup. As a rough, estimated guide, a typical RV move tends to run somewhere in the range of about 1.5 to 3 times what a standard sedan would cost on the same trip, and an oversized Class A coach can sit at or above the top of that range. Treat that as a planning estimate, not a guaranteed price.

The premium exists for concrete reasons. An RV’s size and weight mean specialized equipment and, for the biggest rigs, permits and planned routing around height and weight limits. Drive-away moves require a qualified driver’s time for the full distance. Towables need a truck rated to pull serious weight. Higher value means more insurance coverage in play. And RVs simply take up far more space and capacity than the cars a normal carrier hauls several at a time. The main cost drivers to keep in mind are: length, height, and weight; whether the rig runs; the transport method; how far off main highways your pickup and delivery sit; the season; and how quickly you need it moved. The only way to get your real number is a quote on your actual RV and ZIP codes, with no teaser rate and no “best price” gimmick.

RV Prep Checklist Before Pickup

Prepping an RV takes more than prepping a car, and a little effort here prevents the most common transport headaches. Walk through this before your carrier arrives:

• Secure everything inside. Cabinets, drawers, the fridge, loose gear, and anything that can slide or fly during transit should be latched, packed, or removed. RVs have a lot of interior to come loose.
• Retract and secure slide-outs, awnings, antennas, and steps. Anything that extends past the body must be fully closed and locked so it can’t catch wind, debris, or clearance.
• Check and document the height. Know your true loaded height including roof units. It affects routing and clearance for the whole trip.
• Top off or drain fluids appropriately and disconnect the propane. Close propane valves, and for tow-away, make sure tires are properly inflated and the hitch is in good shape.
• Empty the waste tanks and reduce fresh water. Less weight and no sloshing is better, and full tanks are heavier than you’d expect.
• Disconnect or fully charge the battery per the carrier’s guidance, and disable any alarm that could drain it or trigger en route.
• Remove personal valuables and lock it up. Don’t leave anything in the rig you’d hate to lose.
• Photograph the RV inside and out and have your registration and any keys ready for the pickup inspection.

How Simple Car Ship Handles Your RV

Here’s the part that’s actually different. RV transport is exactly the kind of move where the typical broker takes a deposit, posts your rig to a board, and goes quiet, and exactly the kind we built Simple Car Ship to do right. You get a straight estimated quote with no bait-and-switch, a carrier we picked by hand because their equipment and insurance genuinely fit your rig’s type and value, and a real person you can reach from pickup to delivery anywhere in the country. We pin down operability, dimensions, and the right method up front, plan around the access your rig needs at both ends, and keep you posted the whole way. Whether it’s a towable travel trailer or a 40-foot Class A coach, you’re a customer here, not a number on a board. Ship your RV the simple way.

Ready for a real number on your RV move? Get your free quote in about a minute, or call and talk to an actual human. No pressure, no spam, just a straight answer, and the sooner you reach out, the easier it is to lock the right equipment before peak season tightens it up. If you’re also relocating other vehicles, you may want to compare luxury and exotic car shipping for high-value rides, look at oversized and heavy vehicle transport for trucks and large rigs, or read about snowbird and seasonal vehicle shipping if your RV makes a regular seasonal trip.

RV Transport FAQ

How much does it cost to ship an RV?

RV transport almost always costs more than shipping a standard sedan over the same distance. As a rough, estimated planning guide, an RV move tends to run about 1.5 to 3 times what a sedan would cost on the same trip, and an oversized Class A coach can sit at or above the top of that range. That premium reflects the rig’s size and weight, the specialized equipment or qualified driver required, possible permits, and higher insurance value. The only way to get your real number is a quote on your actual RV and ZIP codes.

What’s the difference between drive-away, tow-away, and flatbed RV transport?

Drive-away means a qualified, insured driver drives a running, road-legal motorhome the full route, which is efficient for larger Class A and Class C coaches but adds miles to the odometer. Tow-away is for travel trailers and fifth-wheels: the carrier hitches your towable to a properly rated truck and hauls it with no added engine miles. Flatbed or specialized hauling handles non-running rigs, smaller units, or anything that shouldn’t travel on its own wheels. The right method depends on whether your RV runs and what type it is.

Should I ship my RV open or enclosed?

For most RVs the real choice isn’t open versus enclosed; it’s drive-away versus tow-away versus flatbed. RVs generally don’t fit a standard open auto carrier the way a car does, so a running motorhome usually travels drive-away on its own wheels and a trailer travels tow-away behind a truck, both exposed to weather, which is normal and safe for vehicles built to live outdoors. Fully enclosed transport is rare and reserved for small, exceptionally valuable units that physically fit inside an enclosed trailer.

How do I prepare my RV for transport?

Secure everything inside, then fully retract and lock slide-outs, awnings, antennas, and steps so nothing extends past the body. Disconnect the propane, check tire pressure and the hitch on towables, empty the waste tanks and reduce fresh water to cut weight, and disconnect or fully charge the battery while disabling any alarm. Remove valuables, lock it up, photograph the rig inside and out, and have your registration and keys ready for the pickup inspection. A little prep prevents the most common transport headaches.

Does my RV need to be running to ship it?

No. A running motorhome can travel drive-away on its own wheels, but a non-running rig can still be moved using flatbed or specialized hauling with winching and oversize handling. Towable units like travel trailers and fifth-wheels have no engine at all and always ship tow-away behind a properly rated truck. We confirm your RV’s operability and type up front so it’s matched to a carrier with the right equipment for its exact condition, whether it runs or not.

Why is RV insurance handled differently than a car?

A standard car-carrier policy is sized for cars, but RVs frequently run from the mid five figures into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with expensive finishes, slide-outs, and interiors that are slow to repair. That means we confirm the carrier’s coverage actually fits your rig’s real value before it leaves your driveway, rather than assuming a typical auto policy is enough. Matching insurance to the RV’s true value is part of selecting the right carrier for an oversized, high-value move.