$800 to $950 for an operable sedan on an open trailer, based on our recent shipments as of September 2026. A mid-size SUV runs $900 to $1,050 and a full-size pickup $1,000 to $1,200. Enclosed transport adds about 80 percent.

Two to three days in transit once the car is collected, over about 925 miles. A truck covers roughly 400 to 500 miles a day once loading and delivery stops are counted. It is one of the quickest long lanes we run, because the distance is short for a cross-region move and the route is busy the whole way.

Pickup happens inside a window that starts on the date you ask for. Standard shipping uses a 6 day window and Expedited narrows it to 3 days. Your driver calls you directly as the truck gets close, so you get the day and a rough time rather than waiting all week.

Yes, by around $100 on a sedan. Dallas is about 925 miles from Chicago and Houston about 1,085, so Dallas is the closest major Texas metro and the cheapest to reach. Dallas is also inland, which means no hurricane season to plan around at the delivery end.

February through April. Those are the quietest months, so there is more trailer space than freight to fill it. The only weather to plan around on this lane is a Chicago winter at the pickup end, from December to March, and that affects street access rather than the highway. May through August is the busiest and priciest stretch.

Open for anything you drive daily. Plan on about 80 percent more for enclosed, so an $875 open move is roughly $1,575 enclosed. An open trailer holds seven to ten cars where an enclosed one holds two to six, so each car carries more of the cost. Enclosed is worth a thought in a Chicago winter, because the first hundred miles run through road salt.

Yes. Your vehicle travels under Carrier Cargo Insurance from the moment it loads in Chicago until it comes off in DFW. The coverage belongs to the motor carrier rather than to Smart Auto Move, and we confirm the authority and coverage are active before a car is assigned. Once a carrier is assigned, ask us for the certificate of insurance and we will send it.

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.

North Texas is a service area rather than a staffed office, so there is no street address and nowhere to visit. That is how the Google listing is configured too. In practice it means a team covering the whole metroplex from McKinney for the delivery end. The Chicago end is handled from our staffed South Side office, and both run on Central time.

All of them. Our North Texas team covers McKinney, Frisco, Plano, Allen, Prosper, Denton, Carrollton, Richardson, Garland and Rockwall, along with Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Irving and Grapevine. Name the suburb when you book rather than just Dallas, because it decides which day of a driver's Texas run you fall on.

The whole metro. The Loop, River North, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Hyde Park, Wicker Park, Logan Square, the South Side and the O'Hare area, plus Evanston, Skokie, Oak Park, Naperville, Schaumburg, Aurora and Joliet. Chicago is one of our four staffed offices, so collection here is handled by people in the city.

Usually. The pinch points are permit-parking blocks on the North Side, alleys, and narrow streets in winter when snow routes are active. A car hauler is about 75 feet long. Tell us the address when you book. If it is tight, a retail lot on a main road a few minutes away is used instead, at no extra charge.

Yes, as long as it rolls, brakes and steers, and the trailer carries a winch. There is no flat fee. Expect about $200 or more above the price of the same car running, and the exact figure is worth a short conversation. Book it as inoperable up front, because a car re-rated at the curb costs more and can lose the pickup slot.

A deposit is due when you book and the balance is paid to the driver at delivery, usually by cashier's check, money order or cash. You can also put the whole amount on a credit card at booking. Cancel any time before we assign a carrier and your deposit comes back to you. After that it carries over to a later shipment instead.

Check the USDOT and MC numbers on the FMCSA SAFER system, which takes about thirty seconds and is free. Ours are USDOT 2887232 and MC 969368. Then read reviews on public profiles rather than testimonials on a website, check the BBB complaint history, and treat a quote far below everyone else as the warning it usually is.