Plan Before Pickup Day
Confirm the animal, pickup appointment, address, contact numbers, payment status, health paperwork, registration documents, destination rules, route, weather, and estimated travel time before leaving. Whether you're hiring a transporter or picking the animal up yourself, most if not all of these will apply depending upon if you live in Texas or are from out of state. Check your state's CVI rules at least 3 weeks before pick up so that we have time to plan for a veterinary visit and any additional testing that your state requires for transport.
Use Species-Appropriate Transport
Trailers and crates must be secure, ventilated, correctly sized, free of dangerous gaps or sharp edges, and appropriate for the species, age, horns, number of animals, and trip length. Avoid tying or mixing animals in unsafe ways. When transporting pigs, make sure you hire a transport company that has safely hauled pigs before and knows to keep pigs hydrated during transport. For cattle, especially bred cows, make sure the transport provides a stall mat and shavings to keep the animal from slipping and falling during transport.
Biosecurity and Hired Transport
Hired transporters also need to have species appropriate biosecurity protocols and decontamination methods between jobs. It would be unfortunate to be sold a healthy animal only to have it pick up a disease from another previously hauled or joining the trip in the transport vehicle.
Weather, Bedding and Stops
Heat, cold, wind, rain, traffic, and delays change transport risk. Use suitable bedding and ventilation, avoid unnecessary stops, and plan water or rest according to species, age, distance, and professional guidance. This includes your hired transport as well. Rest for the transporter is essential as well as the animals.
Communication
One of the most frustrating experiences we ever had with hiring a livestock transporter was the breeder we bought from insisted we only use their approved transporter. That's fine, but that transporter needs to be professional and answer their phone and talk to us, too. (We're the ones paying them upon arrival after all!) A hired transporter needs to be willing to communicate over the phone and not just by text or email and provide phone numbers for emergencies. There's nothing more unprofessional than transporting $4,700 worth of livestock and never speaking to the livestock buyer! We not only keep a current list of the good transport companies to recommend to our livestock buyers, but we keep a list of the bad ones, too and we ABSOLUTELY share them when requested. Protect your reputation, our animals, and be professional -- that's all we ask.
Risk Management
We are all about de-risk. When we purchase livestock ourselves, we will drive within a reasonable distance to pick them up, usually a few hours away. Anything beyond that, and we prefer to hire transport. A good transporter can usually provide services for the same price as it would cost us in fuel, food, and lodging. Our time also has a dollar value on it. Our time away from the farm makes the expense go up depending upon if we need to hire a farm sitter, put wear and tear on our own vehicle, etc.
Time on the road can also increase your personal risk and safety as well and needs to be taken into consideration. We hired a transporter in July 2026 to bring some new breeding pigs from Florida to our farm in Texas. The transporter broke down half-way here and was stranded for over a day. We opted to take the time and go get our pigs. On the way home that night and only 45 minutes from our house, a driver ran a red light, t-boned us, and totaled our truck. The pigs were in the truck bed in crates and were ok, we were ok, but it could have been worse. Hiring a transport places the risk on them instead of you, and we're 100% for offloading that risk.
Paperwork and Interstate Requirements
Health certificates, identification, testing, entry permits, or other documents may apply. Requirements can change, so buyers and haulers must verify current origin, destination, and carrier rules.
Prepare the Destination
Have quarantine space, secure fencing, shelter, water, forage or feed, compatible companions, and an unloading plan ready before departure. Review our purchase process or confirm pickup details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can livestock ride in an open pickup bed?
Animals require secure, species-appropriate containment. An ordinary open truck bed is not a safe default transport plan.
Who arranges transportation?
The listing and sale terms state responsibilities. Buyers commonly arrange or pay for transport unless agreed otherwise.
Do interstate moves require health papers?
They often do, but requirements vary by species, age, origin, destination, and current law. Verify before travel.
Should new animals be quarantined?
A planned separation and observation period is a common biosecurity practice. Develop a protocol appropriate to your herd with knowledgeable veterinary guidance.