$1,550 to $1,750 for an operable sedan on an open trailer, based on our recent shipments as of September 2026. A mid-size SUV runs $1,700 to $1,950 and a full-size pickup $1,800 to $2,100. Enclosed transport adds about 80 percent. The figure is the same from Tacoma, Olympia or Seattle.

Six to seven days in transit once the car is collected, over about 2,350 miles. A truck covers roughly 400 to 500 miles a day once loading and delivery stops are counted. Add a day between December and March, when the Oregon and Utah passes close in snow.

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.

Houston 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 greater Houston on Central time for the delivery end. The Washington end is handled from our staffed Lakewood office.

Houston, Katy, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Pearland, Cypress, Spring, Humble, League City, Baytown, Conroe, Galveston, Missouri City and Richmond. Greater Houston covers more than 600 square miles. Give the actual suburb when you book rather than just Houston, because it decides which day of a driver's Texas run you fall on.

Coastal deliveries get rescheduled rather than attempted. Hurricane season runs June to November, peaking from August to October. A named storm closes evacuation routes across the region. Inland Houston usually carries on. If a storm is tracking while your car is in transit, the driver holds short and calls you rather than driving into it.

Open for anything you drive daily. Plan on about 80 percent more for enclosed, so a $1,650 open move is roughly $3,000 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 also worth a thought in winter, because the northern half of this route runs through road salt.

Yes. Your vehicle travels under Carrier Cargo Insurance from the moment it loads in Washington until it comes off in Houston. 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.

Often, though it depends on current base access rules for commercial carriers and on your vehicle. When on-base collection is not possible, the driver meets you just outside, usually off I-5 near Lakewood or Tacoma. There is no extra charge. Say it is a JBLM pickup when you book, so it is planned rather than discovered.

Washington is the harder end on this lane, so flag it. Seattle hill streets and Capitol Hill blocks are the tightest in the region. Older Tacoma neighborhoods often have no room at all. A car hauler is about 75 feet long. Tell us the address when you book. If it is tight, a park and ride or retail lot off I-5 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.

February through April. Those are the quietest months, so there is more trailer space than freight to fill it. May and June are tightest here, because PCS orders out of JBLM and energy sector relocations land in the same window. Winter is cheap, but the northern passes can add a day.

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.