The Big Rentals Guide to Towing a Car Hauler Trailer in South Florida
Morgan Wisneski
October 26, 2026
From Miami to Tampa Bay, South Florida is full of cars worth protecting: snowbird daily drivers, weekend exotics, collector buys and auction finds. What shapes a haul here is not grades or cold, it is the coast itself. Salt hangs in the air, crosswinds wait on every causeway, and a few times a year a storm sends everyone moving cars to higher ground. A car hauler is how the valuable ones travel, and the sea air is along for the ride.
Loading the car and chaining it down is the same job anywhere. This guide covers the sizes that fit real South Florida hauls, the Florida rules that apply the second you couple up, the salt, the causeways and the storms to plan around, and where you can legally leave a trailer in a region that is strict about it.
Why South Florida Renters Choose Car Haulers
The luxury and exotic market leads. South Florida moves a lot of high-value cars between dealers, collectors and a busy auction scene, and the valuable ones ride on trailers rather than under their own power. Read more about how open and enclosed car haulers compare.
Snowbird season adds its rhythm, with winter residents bringing cars south in the fall and storing or shipping them in the spring, and a non-running project or a barn-find needs a hauler and a winch either way. Read more about how to tow a non-running vehicle with a rented car hauler.
Hurricane season brings its own logistics, moving cars to higher ground or inland storage when a storm threatens, and the enclosed hauler protects a car from a season of salt and sun in between. You will find trailer rentals across Florida from local owners near you.
Florida Towing Laws to Know
Brakes and breakaway
Florida requires brakes on all wheels over 3,000 lb, plus a breakaway that holds at least 15 minutes (Fla. Stat. § 316.261). A loaded car hauler clears 3,000 lb, so assume brakes and a breakaway, and confirm the trailer's brakes and your tow vehicle's controller. Check the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) before you book. Read more about what GVWR means and how to read it.
Securing the car
Florida requires the load secured so nothing shifts or escapes (Fla. Stat. § 316.520). For a car that means four rated tie-downs to the car's designated points, not the suspension, with the parking brake set and the car in gear. Recheck the straps after the first few miles, and watch for salt-stiffened ratchets, which are a coastal fact of life. Read more about how to load and tie down a car on a rental trailer.
Speed and the Express Lanes
Florida sets no separate towing speed limit, so the posted number applies. The 95 Express and 595 Express lanes bar vehicles pulling trailers regardless of occupancy, so keep the trailer in the general lanes. Height is capped at 13 ft 6 in and width at 8 ft 6 in, and a standard Class E license covers the haul.
Where you can leave it
South Florida is strict about trailers at home. Miami-Dade, as a representative example, requires a trailer or recreational vehicle to be stored in a rear or side yard behind the front building line, not on the street or in front of the house, and the rules vary by municipality with HOAs often stricter still. The practical takeaway across the region is the same: do not leave a car hauler at the curb or in a front driveway, and stage on private property or approved storage.
Matching Trailer to Car
Deck length
Car haulers commonly run 16 to 20 ft of deck. Measure the car rather than trusting the category, since a long sedan, a classic with overhang or a full-size truck eats more deck than you would guess, and check the trailer's payload against the car's curb weight.
Ramps and winch
A low or lowered car drags on a steep ramp, so match the ramp angle and deck height to the car. If it does not run, you need a working winch and a plan, so confirm the winch before you go get it.
Open or enclosed
This is the South Florida decision, and salt makes the case. For a daily driver or a project, an open deck is fine. For an exotic, a collector car or anything with a finish you care about, an enclosed hauler keeps salt spray, sun and road film off it, and over a coastal season that protection is worth the cost for the valuable cars this market moves.
A long trailer on causeways and in gated communities
A truck and a 20 ft hauler is a long rig, and South Florida routes it over narrow causeways and into gated communities and tight coastal streets where turning room is scarce. Plan the approach and the turnaround before you commit, and expect real wind on the spans, because a car up on a deck gives a crosswind a big surface to push.
Hitch and balance
Match the coupler and receiver to the loaded weight, confirm the brake controller, and set the car forward on the deck for 10% to 15% tongue weight. Too far back and the trailer sways, which you will feel first on a causeway.
Salt, Causeways and Storms
Salt air on everything
Coastal salt corrodes the hitch, the ratchets and the trailer's wiring and lights, so test the lights before you pull out and check the hardware. A tie-down that will not cinch because it is crusted with salt is a problem to find in the yard, not on the ramp.
Causeway and bridge crosswinds
South Florida is flat and laced with causeways and high bridges on both coasts, and a car on a deck catches the wind on an exposed span. Keep the load balanced, keep a little weight forward, and ease off in a strong crosswind rather than fighting the wheel.
Heat and tires
Year-round heat is hard on trailer tires under a car, so check pressure when the tires are cold and mind the date code on a rental's tires. A blowout with a car on the deck is the failure to prevent.
Hurricane season and where to leave it
When a storm threatens, plan the move early rather than into the teeth of it, and give yourself room on crowded evacuation routes. And because trailers have to be stored off the street in a rear or side yard, stage on private property rather than the curb, during storm prep and the rest of the year alike.
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 an exotic or a collector car it is one to have with your own insurer before pickup day.
Ready To Book?
Size the deck to the car, confirm brakes and a winch, chain the car down at four points, choose enclosed for anything salt and sun would hurt, and stage on private property. Find a car hauler with a local owner near you, whether you are on the Atlantic side or over on the Gulf Coast; the links for each city are just below.
The Short Version
- Car haulers move South Florida's luxury and exotic market, its snowbird seasonal cars, and hurricane-season moves to higher ground.
- A loaded car hauler is over Florida's 3,000 lb brake threshold, so assume brakes and a breakaway (Fla. Stat. § 316.261).
- Chain the car down at four points to its designated points (Fla. Stat. § 316.520), and recheck for salt-stiffened ratchets.
- No separate towing speed limit, and the 95 Express and 595 Express lanes bar trailers, so stay in the general lanes.
- Choose enclosed for a car you care about in salt and sun, and ease off in causeway crosswinds, which catch a car up on a deck.
- South Florida requires trailers stored off the street in a rear or side yard, with HOAs often stricter, so stage on private property. Keep 10% to 15% of the weight on the tongue.
Find car hauler trailer rentals near you:
