The invention involves a cargo carrier for vehicles that facilitates loading and unloading of items onto an enclosure; the cargo carrier may be automated and self-loading via actuators and a motorized mechanism that may be remotely controlled. The actuators may be configured to tilt the enclosure or a component thereof and one or more motors may be configured to deploy a deployable tray housed within the enclosure, which minimizes user loading or unloading labor. Typically, on a front end of the enclosure, one or more actuators may couple the enclosure to a portion of a vehicle support structure. The deployable tray may include a tiltable mechanism to further facilitate loading or unloading.