The destination sets it. Across the site we publish a national band by distance, which is the right starting point: 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. Put both zip codes and the vehicle into the calculator for the real figure, or call and we will work it through with you.

The river. The Port of Huntington Tri-State is the second busiest inland port in the United States and the largest in West Virginia, so a town of 46,842 people moves freight far out of proportion to its size. That means terminals, truck services and steady commercial traffic, and drivers who cover this region know the exits already. Barges do not carry cars, but the infrastructure a port town builds is there either way.

Ten days to two weeks is usually enough, which is less than most West Virginia markets ask for. Give three weeks around the last two weeks of August and early May, when Marshall University moves and the calendar tightens, and three to four weeks if you are heading to Florida between October and December.

East and west, and that is the whole of it. I-64 is the only interstate here. West takes you to Ashland in 15 miles, Lexington in 150 and Louisville in 200, all on one road. East takes you to Charleston in 50 miles, then over the mountains to Richmond at 340. North and south are US 52, US 60 and WV 10, which are good roads but not interstate, so those runs want a few more days.

They are near opposites, 50 miles apart. Charleston is where I-64, I-77 and I-79 all meet, and I-79 starts there, so it has four working directions. Huntington has one interstate and a river port. Both are easy markets for different reasons, and if either city would suit you it is worth getting both priced rather than assuming the capital is the better bet.

All of it, and it is one market to us. Chesapeake, Proctorville and Ironton sit across the river in Ohio. Ashland, Catlettsburg, Russell and Flatwoods are fifteen minutes west in Kentucky. The one thing we ask is that you give the full street address with the state and the zip code, because three states of small towns sit within twenty minutes here and a few of them share street names.

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 loaded, figure one to two days across Kentucky and Ohio. Two to four to the Carolinas or the Northeast. Three to five to Florida or Texas. Seven to ten to the West Coast. Federal hours-of-service rules cap the miles a driver can cover in a day.

A spread of dates rather than a booked hour. Standard gives six days, expedited three, counted from whichever day you pick. The reason is that your car is one of nine or ten on a trailer and a single route has to suit every one of them. You get a call the evening before with a real time. Widening the spread tends to bring your pickup forward, not push it back.

Often, and it is one of the steadier reasons cars move here. The two weeks that matter are the end of August and the start of May, when everyone wants the same trucks at once. Book three weeks out for either of those and you will get the dates you asked for. Outside them a Huntington pickup is one of the easier ones in the state to arrange.

Less than you would think. The valley floor sees less snow than the mountains east of here, so a storm moves a pickup by a day now and again and rarely more. The stretch worth knowing about is I-64 climbing east out of the valley past Charleston, which holds weather longer; we build that into the estimate for a Virginia run. Book a week earlier than usual in January and the schedule looks after itself.

Nearly always. Barboursville, Milton, Ona, the eastern neighborhoods off US 60 and the Kentucky and Ohio suburbs all have room for a full-size trailer to turn and load. Two spots need a word at booking: the older blocks near Marshall and toward the riverfront, which are narrow with cars parked both sides, and any address up a hollow with a tight turn at the end. Either way we agree a meeting point beforehand at no cost to you.

Everywhere in the state. Charleston, Morgantown, Parkersburg, Wheeling, Beckley, Martinsburg and Clarksburg are all routine, as are Ashland, Ironton and Portsmouth across the state lines. The southern coalfield towns are regular work too and simply want a few more days of notice, because the roads in are slower than the mileage suggests.

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. It earns its money on a classic, an exotic, fresh paint, or a winter run through Ohio Valley road salt.

In most of the Tri-State it does. Size is what decides it: 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. Where a street or a hollow cannot give it that, your driver picks a wider spot close by and squares it with you first. No extra charge, and it adds a few minutes to your morning.

Yes, the whole way. Carrier Cargo Insurance rides with the truck and the carrier is the party holding it. We take its certificate on file as soon as a truck accepts your order, and it is yours for the asking. You can verify any carrier without us too: FMCSA SAFER is a free federal database, and a USDOT number returns that carrier's operating authority and the insurance filed against it. 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 through a couple of Ohio Valley winters is worth mentioning even if you think 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.

There is a deposit when you book, and the balance goes to the driver at delivery by cashier's check, money order or cash. Paying the whole thing on a card at booking is fine as well. Plans shift, and while your order is still waiting for a carrier a change costs you nothing. Once a truck has taken it, call us early and we will sort out where that leaves you.

No, though whoever does it needs to take it seriously. The condition report gets signed at both ends and that sheet is your protection, so the person there has to walk round the car before signing. A relative, a friend, a colleague, a neighbor, any of them is fine. Give us the name and number at booking and your driver contacts them rather than you.