Moving a classic car in Maine: flatbed and soft straps

Published 24 September 2026

Move a classic car on a flatbed, held down with soft straps, rather than towing it on its own wheels. AAA calls flatbed tow trucks the safest option because they keep the entire vehicle off the road, and Hagerty, a collector-car insurer, says the roadside service in its Drivers Club includes flatbed towing with soft straps.

Those are an auto club's and an insurer's words, not a state rule, but carmakers say much the same about modern cars that should not roll on their wheels. This guide covers why the flatbed matters, where soft straps come in, what Tesla, Subaru and Honda say, how far common trips from Portland run, and what to have ready when you book.

Because the whole car stays off the pavement. AAA describes flatbed tow trucks as keeping the entire vehicle off the road, using winches and a hydraulic bed. A wheel-lift truck, by AAA's description, raises only the front or the rear wheels, with a hydraulic lift or a hook and chains, which leaves the other two wheels rolling on the road.

With all four wheels on the bed, the tires do not turn and nothing in the driveline spins on the way. For a car you have restored, or one whose parts are hard to find, that is reason enough, and it is the method we recommend for any collector car, whatever the distance.

Soft straps are fabric tie-downs rather than chains, and yes, ask for them by name. They are what Hagerty names in its roadside program: its Drivers Club service includes flatbed towing with soft straps. That describes one insurer's own program, not a government or manufacturer rule, but it gives you the right words for the call.

Ask how the car will be held on the bed before you agree to the move. A clear answer names the tie-down and where it attaches, so the car is held without anything bearing on paint, chrome or a fragile bumper. Tell us if the car sits low, has a long front overhang or wears a spoiler, because that changes how it is loaded.

If you have a collector-car policy or club membership, check what roadside help it includes before you book; Hagerty's Drivers Club is one example that includes a flatbed.

Yes, and there it comes straight from the manufacturers. Tesla calls a flatbed truck or comparable transport vehicle the recommended way to move a Model 3 or a Model Y, warns never to transport the car with its tires able to spin because that can cause significant damage and overheating, and says its warranty does not cover damage from improper transport. A Cybertruck needs all four tires off the ground, on a flatbed at least 21 feet long.

Subaru of America calls a flatbed tow truck the recommended way to transport a Subaru, and says all BRZ models, and the Crosstrek Hybrid from the 2019 model year on, must be towed on a flatbed with all four wheels off the ground. Honda's owner's manual for the 2022 Grom calls for a motorcycle trailer, or a flatbed truck or trailer with a loading ramp or lifting platform, plus motorcycle tie-down straps, and warns that towing with a wheel on the ground can seriously damage the transmission.

By distance-cities.com's count, the drive from Portland is 8 miles to Falmouth, 12 miles to Yarmouth and 26 miles to Brunswick by I-295 and US 1, 35 miles to Lewiston by I-95, and 107 miles to Boston by I-95.

Those numbers show why the manufacturers' distance limits matter. Subaru caps flat-towing a CVT or automatic Subaru, all four wheels on the ground, at 20 mph and 31 miles, which is short of Lewiston. Tesla allows wheel lifts and dollies on a Model 3, with all four wheels off the ground, for 35 miles at most. Neither limit is about a flatbed.

Timing is the other half. Portland's normal snowfall is 68.7 inches a year at the Jetport, with January the snowiest month at 18.6 inches (1991-2020 normals), so a car going into or out of winter storage is easier to move on a dry day planned ahead.

The details that decide the truck and the loading plan. As a Portland tow company that runs scheduled moves as well as breakdown calls, we would rather hear them on the phone than discover them at the curb, and we quote the total on the call. Our long-distance flatbed towing page covers trips out of town. Have these ready:

• The car: year, make and model, and whether it runs, steers and brakes.
• How it sits: ride height, front overhang, a spoiler or anything else that affects the loading angle.
• Both ends: the pickup and drop-off addresses, who will be there, and whether a truck can reach the car on a narrow drive or a gravel lane.
• The manual: the towing section of the owner's manual, if the car has one; Subaru, for one, tells owners to follow it.
• Your questions: how the car will be secured, whether soft straps are used, and the total before a date is set.