Donate a car hauler when the hauling work has dried up

Where donated car haulers come from

Independent haulers and small transport companies. One truck, one operator, and when the operator retires or the freight rates turn, the truck sits. A wedge or a stinger is not something you sell to a neighbor.

Dealerships and auctions send retired units. A wedge bought to move inventory between lots gets replaced or the dealer moves to a contract carrier.

We also get single-car and two-car haulers from collectors and restoration shops, which are lighter, easier to move and sell into a much broader market.

It hauls itself, when it runs

A running registered car hauler drives to the sale. On a truck this specialized that is a real saving, because hauling a hauler is expensive and awkward.

If it will not run, moving it means a heavy rollback or a lowboy, and the deck structure makes it taller and longer than a comparable straight truck. Tell us whether it rolls, steers and holds air, and whether the decks and ramps can be stowed.

Stow the ramps, drop the upper deck if it can be lowered safely, and tell us if any of the hydraulics are stuck. A deck locked in the raised position is a height problem and a permit problem.

What decides what a car hauler brings

• Capacity and configuration. A three-car wedge, a six-car stinger and a two-car open trailer are three different products. Capacity is the first thing a buyer filters on.
• Deck and hydraulics. Whether the decks raise, tilt and lock, and whether the winch works. Deck wear, bent rails and leaking cylinders are what an inspector checks.
• Chassis, mileage and engine. Haulers accumulate highway miles fast. A known-good engine and transmission carry the sale.
• Tie-downs and straps. Wheel straps, chains, ratchets and soft ties. Send them; buyers want a working outfit.
• Rust and frame. Salt-belt frame corrosion on a long-wheelbase truck is the usual limiting factor.

Makes and bodies we accept

Buyers name the hauler body first.

• Hauler bodies and trailers: Cottrell, Boydstun, Sun Valley, Delavan, Kaufman, Appalachian, Take 3, Wally Mo, Infinity, Miller Industries wedges.
• Chassis: Freightliner M2 and Cascadia, International 4300 and MV, Peterbilt 337 and 389, Kenworth T270 and T680, Ford F-550 and F-650, Ram 5500, Hino 258 and 338, Isuzu NRR.
• Related: Jerr-Dan, Century and Chevron rollback carriers, which haul cars and are covered on the tow truck page.

Manufacturer names appear here so you can find your own vehicle. No manufacturer sponsors, endorses or is affiliated with this program.

The paperwork, and what you can deduct

It is a titled vehicle, so the title has to transfer. If it is lost, most states have a duplicate process and the state title rules page walks through yours. If it was financed, we need the lien release. A company-owned vehicle needs whoever signs to have authority to sign for the entity.

Giving Center sells the hauler and your deduction is the gross sale proceeds on Form 1098-C. A working multi-car hauler clears $5,000 in nearly every case, which means the IRS requires a qualified appraisal and Form 8283 Section B. That appraisal is your expense and your decision, and the appraiser has to be independent of us.

If the truck is titled to a company that is closing, start now rather than later. Transferring a title out of a dissolved entity is a much harder problem than transferring it out of an active one.