Last reviewed 5 July 2026
The single most consequential choice on any movement is driven versus transported. Get it right and the job is boring; get it wrong and you have a failed collection, a risky journey, or a damaged asset. The honest test fits in one sentence: if you would hesitate to drive it yourself, do not book it as a driven movement.
Recovery trucks cover the genuinely immobile; enclosed transporters cover vehicles that should not meet weather or stone chips.
Does it start, drive, brake and steer properly? Is there anything you know about this car that a driver setting off on a motorway should know first? What does an extra hundred miles do to its value? Answering these honestly at booking is what keeps collections from failing at the kerbside.
Movement type is declared at booking and drives everything downstream: trade plate jobs require the driver to hold trade plate documentation; transporter, recovery and enclosed jobs go to drivers equipped for them; proof requirements adapt to the movement type and condition. A non-runner cannot be quietly booked as a driven job without the mismatch surfacing at collection proof.
For a single roadworthy vehicle, a driven trade plate movement is usually the more economical option — one driver, no truck. The moment the vehicle should not be driven, the comparison is irrelevant: a transporter is the only responsible choice.
Yes — the vehicle is driven, so the journey goes on the odometer. For low-mileage, high-value or collector cars where every mile matters, transported (or enclosed) movement exists precisely for this.
Trade plates are not an exemption from roadworthiness, and the rules around MOT status and permitted journeys have specific conditions. The responsible default: if MOT or roadworthiness is in doubt, transport it. Check current DVLA/DVSA guidance for the legal position — this guide is practical, not legal, advice.
"It starts" is not the test — "should it be on the road?" is. Warning lights, brake issues, steering play, or anything safety-related makes it a transporter job regardless of whether the engine runs.
High-value, low, wide or classic vehicles where weather, road debris and public visibility are unacceptable risks. It costs more; for the right vehicle it is the only sensible answer.
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