The destination sets it. Across the site we publish a national band by distance, which is the right place to start: roughly $450 to $900 under 500 miles, and $900 to $1,600 from 500 to 1,500. Where you land inside a band depends on how neatly your dates fit a run a driver is already making, and in a snowbird month that matters more than the mileage. Put both zip codes and the vehicle into the calculator for the real figure, or call and we will work it through with you.

It is worth a thought, yes. Lambeau Field seats 81,441 and Green Bay has 107,395 residents, so a home date brings in a crowd the size of three quarters of the city and sends it home again the same afternoon. Lombardi Avenue and the Ashwaubenon approaches are busy from the morning on. None of it stops us collecting a car and none of it costs you extra. Give a window instead of a single date and the driver simply works round it.

I-41 comes up from Milwaukee through Appleton and I-43 comes up the lakeshore from Manitowoc, and both finish on the northwest side of the city. North and east of here you are on US 41, US 141 and WI-57. In practice it means a carrier taking a Green Bay load has planned the trip around this market rather than grabbing your car on the way past, so your booking is less likely to get bumped for something further down the road.

Ten days to two weeks is normally plenty, which is better than most northern markets manage. The reason is the Fox Valley: I-41 threads Oshkosh, Neenah, Appleton and De Pere on the way up, so a driver has had several chances to fill the trailer before he gets here. Give three to four weeks from mid-October to the end of December, and again in March and April, when everyone in the upper Midwest wants the same trucks.

Count the collection window first, then the road. The window is six days on standard and three on expedited, from the date you name. Once the car is loaded, figure one to two days to Chicago or Minneapolis. Two to three to Detroit or St. Louis. Three to five to Dallas or Denver. Five to seven to Florida or California. Federal hours-of-service rules cap the miles a driver can cover in a day.

A range of dates rather than a booked hour. Six days on standard and three on expedited, counted forward from whichever day you choose. Your car shares a trailer with nine or ten others and one route has to work for all of them, which is why a range beats an appointment. The driver rings the night before with a real time. In the snowbird months a wider range is the single best thing you can give us.

Constantly, and it is the backbone of this market. October through December is the busy southbound stretch to Orlando, Fort Myers, Tampa, Naples and Phoenix, and March and April are when it all comes back north. Book three to four weeks ahead in either of those windows. If two vehicles have to go and there is one driver between you, shipping one and driving the other usually beats buying a flight home.

Less than people expect. Wisconsin ships all winter and the interstates are cleared quickly, so a storm moves a pickup by a day now and again, rarely more. Book a week earlier than usual for a January move. On the day, clear and treat the loading spot so the ramps go down on solid ground, and brush the snow off the car so the condition report is accurate.

It is one of the better cases for it. Wisconsin and every state south of it salts heavily from November on, and on an open trailer your car rides through all of it for several days. If the paint is fresh, the car has been restored, or the underside is something you look after, the enclosed premium is doing real work between November and March. For an everyday car, open is still the sensible answer.

Nearly always. The east and west side subdivisions, Bellevue, Howard, Suamico, Ashwaubenon and the newer parts of De Pere all have room for a full-size trailer to turn and load. Broadway, Astor, Navarino and the Olde North East blocks are older and narrower, with cars parked both sides and trees overhead, and a carrier stands about 13 and a half feet. There we pick an open spot a few minutes away, at no cost to you.

Everywhere in the state. Appleton, Neenah, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Milwaukee, Madison, Wausau, Stevens Point and Eau Claire all come off the same runs. Sturgeon Bay and the Door County towns, Marinette, Oconto and the northern lakes are regular work as well, and because they sit past the end of the interstate they simply want a few more days of notice.

It helps a lot, and it is the quiet reason this market books well. Chicago is 205 miles south and one of the densest freight origins in the country, and we keep a staffed office there. A car heading south or west out of Green Bay usually joins a run that formed in or near Chicago rather than starting one from scratch.

Open for almost everything. It is how new cars reach dealerships and it is what nine out of ten customers choose. Enclosed runs about 80 percent more, because a hard-sided trailer carries two to six cars instead of ten. Where it earns its money is a classic, an exotic, fresh paint, or a winter run through Midwest road salt.

In Green Bay it usually does. What decides it is size: a loaded trailer runs about 75 feet nose to tail and stands 13 and a half feet, and it needs room to swing round and get out again. Most of Brown County gives it that. Where a street does not, your driver picks a roomy spot close by and agrees it with you beforehand. There is no extra charge and it adds a few minutes to your morning.

Yes, from the Green Bay driveway to the far one. The cover is Carrier Cargo Insurance and it belongs to the carrier moving your car. The moment a truck takes your order we get hold of that certificate, and you can have a copy whenever you want one. You are also free to check any carrier yourself: FMCSA SAFER is a free federal lookup that returns operating authority and insurance on file for a USDOT number. Ours is 2887232, MC 969368.

Usually yes, within reason. Most drivers will take a few things as a courtesy. Keep it under about 100 pounds, pack it neatly, and keep it out of sight from outside the car. Think a few boxes in the trunk rather than a carload. The one thing to know is that you are paying to move the vehicle, so the carrier's insurance covers the car itself. Keep anything you would hate to lose with you.

Yes, provided the wheels turn, the steering works and the brakes hold, and provided the trailer has a winch on it. No set surcharge, but budget $200 upward of the running price. Flag it when you ask for the quote so we send a winch truck rather than find out on the driveway. A car that has sat out a Wisconsin winter is worth mentioning even if you are fairly sure it will start.

Wash it, so the driver can see what he is writing down. Run the tank down to about a quarter. Fold the mirrors, take the roof bars off, empty the cabin. He needs one key and nothing else. Take your own photos before he pulls up, which is two minutes well spent. Say at booking if the car sits low or has been modified. In winter, clear the snow off first so the condition report is accurate.

A deposit goes down at booking and the rest is paid to the driver on delivery, by cashier's check, money order or cash. Some people prefer to settle the lot on a card up front, and that works too. As for changing your mind, there is nothing to pay while your order is still waiting for a carrier. Once a truck has it, give us a ring as soon as you know and we will work out where that leaves you.

Yes, as long as they will take the job seriously. A condition report is signed at both ends, and that sheet is what protects you if anything is ever in question. Whoever stands there has to actually walk round the car and read it before signing. A neighbor, a relative, a colleague, a friend, any of them are fine. Pass us the name and a number at booking and your driver contacts them straight.