The Big Rentals Guide to Towing a Car Hauler Trailer in and around Charlotte, NC

In and around Charlotte, hauling a car isn't a chore, it's the local industry. This is the heart of NASCAR — most of the sport's teams are based within an hour of uptown, the race shops line the towns north of the city, and the Speedway sits just up the road in Concord. Where there's that much racing, there's a constant flow of cars on trailers: race cars, project builds, show cars and the enthusiast fleet that follows the sport.

Get the trailer wrong for the car and you can't load it. Get the securement wrong and the car shifts on a Piedmont grade. Take the wrong lane and you find out a car hauler can't use the I-77 Express Lanes. This guide covers the car haulers that match real Charlotte loads, the North Carolina rules that apply the second you couple up, and the shops, the grades and the roads that make a car hauler trailer rental in Charlotte its own particular job.

Why Charlotte Renters Choose Car Haulers

Charlotte is the epicenter of NASCAR, with more than 90% of the sport's teams based in the region. The race shops cluster in Mooresville — "Race City USA" — and Concord, and Charlotte Motor Speedway and zMAX Dragway anchor the racing calendar. All of that runs on cars moving on trailers: race cars between shops and tracks, project builds and show cars. Open decks carry the workhorses; enclosed haulers carry the ones that can't be seen or rained on. Read more about how open and enclosed car haulers compare.

The racing culture spills into a deep car-enthusiast community — shows and swap meets at the Speedway, project cars, classics and collector buys that all need a way home. A car that changed hands or came off a lift needs a hauler, and plenty of them don't run under their own power. Read more about how to tow a non-running vehicle with a rented car hauler.

Underneath the racing, Charlotte is a fast-growing metro, and a booming city buys, sells and moves a lot of cars across a spreading region. Wherever the car is headed, you'll find trailer rentals across the Charlotte area from local owners near you.

North Carolina Towing Laws Every Car Hauler Renter Should Know

A car puts you in the brakes tier

NCGS § 20-124 requires trailer brakes at two tons — 4,000 lb — able to stop the trailer within 40 ft from 20 mph. A car is 3,000 to 4,500 lb on its own, so a loaded car hauler is at or over the line the moment the car rolls on. Assume you need working brakes and a breakaway. Confirm the trailer's brakes and breakaway and your tow vehicle's brake controller, and check the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) before you book. Read more about what GVWR means and how to read it.

Securing the car

NCGS § 20-123 requires the load fastened so that nothing shifts or falls. For a car that means four rated tie-downs to the car's designated points — not to suspension components — with the parking brake set and the car in gear. A car that shifts on the deck is a car that wasn't tied down tightly enough, and it's the most common thing that goes wrong on a car haul. Read more about how to load and tie down a car on a rental trailer.

Hitch, width and license

NCGS § 20-123.1 covers the hitch and safety chains, crossed under the tongue and rated to the load. Width is capped at 8 ft 6 in, which a car hauler sits inside, and a standard North Carolina license covers a personal car haul.

Matching a Car Hauler to Your Vehicle and the Car

Deck length and the car you're actually hauling

Car haulers commonly run 16 to 20 ft of deck. Measure the car rather than trusting the category — a long sedan, a classic with real overhang or a full-size truck uses more deck than people assume. Check the trailer's payload against the car's curb weight, too: a midsize car runs 3,000 to 4,000 lb, and a full-size truck or SUV climbs past that quickly.

Ramps, clearance and the race-car question

Charlotte's loading angle ties straight to the racing scene. A race car, a lowered build or a classic with a long front overhang will drag on a steep ramp, so match the ramp angle and deck height to the car — a low approach angle, longer ramps or a tilt deck for a low car. And if the car doesn't run — a project, a barn-find, a race car between events — you need a winch and a plan, so confirm the trailer has a working winch before you go get it.

Open or enclosed

An open deck is fine for most hauls. For a race car, a show car, a collector buy or a fresh build, an enclosed hauler keeps weather, road grime and eyes off it, which is the call the racing and collector scene makes here all the time. For a beater or a project shell, an open deck is fine and simpler.

Hitch, brake controller and where the car sits

Match the coupler to your ball size, confirm the receiver is rated for the loaded trailer and confirm the brake controller works. Put the car forward on the deck for 10% to 15% tongue weight, because too far back and the trailer sways. Use four rated tie-downs and recheck them after the first few miles. Read more about what hitch and tow vehicle you need to pull a car hauler.

The Race-Shop Haul, the Grades and the Roads

Hauling to the shops and the Speedway

The places a car goes here are specific: the race shops north of the city in Mooresville and Concord, and Charlotte Motor Speedway and zMAX Dragway just up I-85 in Concord. Race weekends — the Coca-Cola 600 in May, the fall races — bring heavy event traffic, so plan the timing and know where you're loading and unloading before you go rather than sorting it out in the crush.

The Piedmont grades

The land rolls here and climbs to the west and northwest, and a loaded car hauler works the brakes on the descents. Downshift and let the engine hold your speed rather than riding the brake pedal, because a car on the deck fades brakes on a long grade.

The lane you can't use and the curb you can't park at

A car hauler has two or more axles, so it can't use the I-77 Express Lanes — keep it in the general lanes. And Charlotte bars parking a rig over 30 ft combined on a street except while actively loading (§ 14-219), with the citation following the renter, so stage on private property or the shop's lot at both ends of the job.

Traffic and the tie-down check

Charlotte traffic and the region's rougher stretches work a car's tie-downs, so recheck them after the first few miles and again at your first real stop. A car creeps and shifts under repeated hard braking, and a little movement, repeated, is how a strap goes slack.

Insurance and Damage Protection

What about insurance and damage protection?

Before towing a rented trailer, contact your auto insurance provider to ask whether your policy covers liability and towing-related damage claims.

Eligible rentals booked through Big Rentals also include Basic Rental Protection at checkout. This added protection can help limit your financial responsibility for certain damage or theft events during the rental period.

For full details on how Basic Rental Protection works, including deductibles, exclusions, and renter responsibilities, review our FAQ and platform terms.

One thing worth being clear about: that protection applies to the trailer. The car riding on it is a separate conversation, and for a race car or a collector buy it's one to have with your own insurer before pickup day.

Ready To Book?

Size the deck to the car, confirm brakes and a winch, secure the car at four points, and choose an enclosed trailer for anything valuable. Do that and a car hauler is the most reliable way to get a car to the shop, home from a show or across the metro. When you're ready, browse car hauler trailer rentals in Charlotte from local owners near you.

The Short Version

• Car haulers move Charlotte's racing world — race cars, project builds and show cars to and from the Mooresville and Concord race shops and the Speedway — plus the enthusiast and collector scene and the metro's everyday car flow.
• A car puts a hauler at or over North Carolina's 4,000 lb brake threshold, so assume working trailer brakes and a breakaway (NCGS § 20-124).
• Secure the car with four rated tie-downs to its designated points, parking brake set and in gear. A car that shifts wasn't tied down tightly enough.
• Match the ramp angle and deck height to the car — a race car or a low build drags on a steep ramp. If it doesn't run, confirm the trailer has a winch.
• For a race car, a show car or a collector buy, an enclosed hauler keeps weather and grime off it.
• A car hauler can't use the I-77 Express Lanes and can't park on the street (§ 14-219), so plan the general lanes and private property.