The head rack is the section of a car hauler's upper deck that extends forward over the tractor cab, carrying one or two vehicles above the driver's head. It is also called the head ramp, high rack, or over-cab position. It exists to add capacity and to put weight on the tractor's drive axles for traction and legal weight distribution.
If you have ever seen a car carrier with a vehicle sitting on top of the truck's cab, that is the head rack. On a standard 9- or 10-car multi-car carrier, the trailer's upper deck continues forward past the fifth wheel and sits over the tractor. That over-cab section is the head rack, and it typically holds one vehicle, sometimes two on longer configurations.
Why drivers use it: Constraints that decide what goes up there: You almost never request the head rack. But knowing it exists explains several things customers ask about. It is a top load position by definition — nothing above it, no drip risk. It is also the most exposed position on the trailer for wind, sun, and weather, and it is the last car off at most stops because the driver has to reposition the deck.
It also explains why the driver said no. When a driver tells you he cannot take your lifted Tacoma on the run leaving Thursday, it is often because the load plan needs a light car on the head rack to balance the axles, and your truck cannot go there. That is physics, not a sales tactic.
Assuming a car on the head rack is unsafe or improperly loaded. It is standard, legal equipment, secured with the same rated straps or chains as every other position, and covered by the same cargo insurance. Customers occasionally see it at pickup and object. There is nothing wrong with it — but if you have a genuine preference, say so at booking, when the load plan is still being built, rather than at the curb when nine other cars are already on. We build our own load plans on our own trucks out of Seabrook, New Hampshire — so if you have a placement question, you can talk to the people who make the decision. Get a quote or read about our fleet.