How to Ship a Chevrolet Trax
The Trax is one of the cheapest vehicles in the country to ship, and the reason is that it is small enough to be treated as a compact car rather than an SUV despite being shaped like one. At roughly 178 inches long and under 5 feet 3 inches tall, it fits the upper deck of any standard hauler without a second thought, and it weighs about the same as a compact sedan. There is very little to plan around.
The Numbers, and Why They Are Easy
The current Trax runs about 178 inches long, 71 inches wide and 62 to 63 inches tall, with a curb weight around 3,000 to 3,200 pounds.
Every one of those sits comfortably inside what an open hauler handles. Height well under 7 feet means the upper deck is available, which is where small crossovers travel and where the rate is best. A weight around 3,000 pounds is unremarkable to a carrier working to an 80,000 pound total, and a light vehicle is easy to fit into a load already close to its limit.
The practical effect is that the Trax prices at the bottom of the range, alongside compact sedans rather than with midsize or full size SUVs. If you have been quoted an SUV rate for one, it is worth asking why.
Note that the older Trax, sold through 2022, was smaller again at around 168 inches. Either generation ships the same way; the newer one is simply longer.
What to Take Off
Very little, but the exceptions are the usual ones.
Bare roof crossbars add an inch or two and are normally accepted without comment. A roof box, a cargo basket or a roof mounted bike carrier adds a foot or more, and on a vehicle this low that is a large proportional change. It rarely pushes a Trax off the upper deck, but it needs declaring because the driver is planning a slot.
A hitch mounted bike rack or cargo carrier adds two to three feet of length at exactly the point where a hauler has none to spare, and it fouls the tie down positions. Take it off and put it in the cargo area.
Remove anything else that protrudes, including a temporary flag mount or an antenna that unscrews, and fold the mirrors.
Availability Is Good
The Trax sells in large numbers as an entry level crossover, and that has a direct effect on how quickly your shipment gets assigned.
Carriers move small crossovers constantly, dealers transfer them between stores, and rental fleets rotate them. A driver building a mixed load almost always has an upper deck slot that suits a vehicle this size, so assignment usually takes days rather than weeks.
It also means you have leverage on timing. If your dates are flexible by a few days, say so, because a light vehicle with a flexible window is the easiest thing a dispatcher has to place.
Terminal or Door to Door
Both are available on a vehicle this size and the choice is mostly about your address.
Door to door is what most people use and it means the driver gets as close to your address as a 75 foot truck safely can, which on a narrow residential street means meeting at a nearby lot rather than at the curb. That is normal and it is not a downgrade.
Terminal to terminal, where you drop the vehicle at a carrier’s yard and collect it from another, is occasionally cheaper and can be quicker to assign, because the carrier avoids a difficult pickup. It costs you two trips and any storage fees if you cannot collect promptly, so it suits people with flexible time rather than everyone.
On a Trax the price difference between the two is usually small, because a light vehicle on a major lane is easy either way. Ask for both quotes and compare rather than assuming terminal service is the economical option.
Buying One From Another State
A large share of Trax shipments are remote purchases, because it is an affordable used vehicle and buyers will travel for a good one.
Get daylight photographs of every panel from the seller before you pay, including the wheels, the lower bumpers and the rocker panels. Those pictures are your only baseline at delivery, and without them a damage argument is unwinnable.
Agree who hands over the keys and confirm a contact number at both ends. And confirm the vehicle actually runs and drives, because an inoperable car needs a winch equipped carrier and costs more. Establishing that when the driver arrives is the expensive way to find out.
Open or Enclosed
Open transport is right for essentially every Trax and it is what almost everyone uses, including new vehicles delivered to dealers.
Enclosed costs 20 to 30 percent more and is difficult to justify on a vehicle in this class. The exceptions are a wrap, fresh paintwork after body repair, or a winter move through the salt belt on a car you have just bought and want to arrive clean. Our comparison of truck and car shipping explains how vehicle size drives the price.
Preparing It
Wash it first, because existing marks are invisible on a dirty car and the condition report is what decides any later claim.
Photograph every panel in daylight, including the wheels, the lower bumpers and the rocker panels, which are what loading marks. Check tire pressures, since a low tire on a vehicle being winched or driven onto a ramp is worth avoiding.
Leave about a quarter tank of fuel. Empty the cabin and the cargo area completely, since personal items are not covered by cargo insurance, they add weight and they shift in transit. Disable a motion sensitive alarm, remove a toll transponder so you are not billed for the truck’s route, and hand over a key.
At delivery, inspect before you sign. Compare against your photographs, check the lower bumpers, wheels and rocker panels first because those are what loading damages, and note anything unexpected on the bill of lading while the driver is still there.
Common Questions
Is a Trax cheap to ship? Yes. It is small and light enough to price with compact sedans rather than with SUVs, and it fits the upper deck.
How long does it take? One to two weeks coast to coast once collected, and less on shorter lanes. Assignment is usually quick.
Do I have to remove the roof rack? Bare crossbars usually stay. A box, basket or bike carrier adds height and needs declaring.
Does the older Trax ship differently? No. The pre 2023 model is shorter but ships the same way and at a similar rate.
Should I pay for enclosed? Rarely worth it in this class. Consider it for a wrap, fresh paint or a winter move through road salt.
Get a Quote
Call Ship A Car, Inc. at (866) 821-4555 with both zip codes and your date range, or price the move with the instant calculator.
