$1,250 to $1,400 for an operable sedan on an open trailer, based on our recent shipments as of September 2026. A mid-size SUV runs $1,400 to $1,600 and a full-size pickup $1,500 to $1,750. Enclosed transport adds about 80 percent.

Five to six days in transit once the car is collected, over about 2,025 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 I-40 can close at Flagstaff.

Neither. This lane prices the same in both directions, at $1,250 to $1,400 for a sedan. Cars leave Southern California for the Midwest in roughly the same volume they arrive, so drivers rarely run empty either way and neither direction carries a premium. Compare it with a lane like Las Vegas, where the imbalance is real and the two directions differ by about $100.

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.

Out of the basin on I-15 to Barstow, east on I-40 across Arizona, New Mexico and the Texas panhandle, up through Oklahoma City on I-44, then north on I-55 into Chicago. It is the old Route 66 in reverse. The Mother Road ran from Chicago to the Santa Monica pier, and I-40 follows a good stretch of the same ground.

Yes, and it is one of only three lanes where that is true. Los Angeles is at 5111 Harold Way Suite 301 with a local line on 213-766-0064, and Chicago is at 742 E 87th Pl with a local line on 312-300-7773. Both are logistics offices rather than depots, so nothing is stored and visits are by appointment. What they give you is somebody local on Pacific time at collection and Central time at delivery.

Yes, at Flagstaff. I-40 crosses Arizona at about 7,000 feet there and closes in snow between December and March. It surprises people, because the rest of the run through the Mojave and the Texas panhandle is dry. A driver will wait it out rather than take a loaded 75 foot trailer over the pass in bad conditions.

Open for anything you drive daily. Plan on about 80 percent more for enclosed, so a $1,325 open move is roughly $2,400 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. Los Angeles has deep demand for enclosed, so book it further ahead than you would open.

Yes. Your vehicle travels under Carrier Cargo Insurance from the moment it loads in Los Angeles until it comes off in Chicago. 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 yes, and where it cannot we come to you a different way. Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and most of the San Fernando Valley take a full-size carrier without difficulty. Hillside streets in Silver Lake, Echo Park and the canyons are the tightest, and Koreatown, Venice and Downtown have permit blocks with no gap long enough to load. In those cases a lot on a main boulevard minutes away is used instead, at no extra charge.

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.

GPS tracking is available when the carrier and the truck support it, and plenty of trucks do not carry a reliable system. Companies promising live tracking on every shipment are overselling it, because nobody controls whether a driver's truck is tracked. What you always get is the driver's phone number for a call or text, plus email updates.

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.