Vehicle Shippers
Vehicle Shippers
Vehicle shippers move cars, trucks and SUVs between states so you do not have to drive them. Smart Auto Move has done that for over ten years, in all 50 states, on open and enclosed trailers. This page covers what a shipper actually does, what it costs, and what separates a good one from a bad one.
A vehicle shipper picks your car up at your address, hauls it on a multi-car trailer and delivers it to the address you name. You get a price up front, a pickup window, the driver's phone number and a condition record at both ends. Most vehicles ship for $450 to $2,000 on an open trailer, in 1 to 10 days on the road depending on distance.
What do vehicle shippers charge?
Most vehicles ship for $450 to $2,000 on an open trailer. Enclosed runs about 80 percent more. The routes below are ones we run often enough to publish a real range, for open transport and a mid-size vehicle.
| Route | Distance | Price | Days on the truck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta to Orlando | 439 miles | $600 to $700 | 1 to 2 |
| Durham to Miami | 831 miles | $750 to $900 | 2 to 3 |
| Albuquerque to Houston | 884 miles | $750 to $900 | 2 to 3 |
| San Diego to San Antonio | 1,250 miles | $1,100 to $1,250 | 3 |
| Las Vegas to Chicago | 1,760 miles | $1,450 to $1,600 | 4 |
| Chicago to Las Vegas | 1,780 miles | $1,350 to $1,500 | 4 |
| Newark to Los Angeles | 2,781 miles | $1,500 to $1,800 | 7 to 9 |
| San Francisco to Miami | 3,045 miles | $1,900 to $2,100 | 8 |
Prices are estimates. Fuel moves and so do they, so the live number comes from the quote form or a phone call. More routes are priced on the car shipping cost guide. Two of these have their own page: Las Vegas to Chicago and New Jersey to California.
Notice that the same pair costs different money each way
Las Vegas to Chicago is $1,450 to $1,600. Chicago to Las Vegas is $1,350 to $1,500, over almost identical mileage. Plenty of trailers head toward Vegas, so westbound is cheap. Pulling a truck back east out of Vegas competes for fewer trucks, so it costs more. This is worth knowing when you compare shippers. A company quoting your direction off the reverse lane will be wrong, and you will find out when they call back asking for more.
What does a vehicle shipper actually do?
Six things, in this order. Prices your route. Books your spot and holds the price. Puts your vehicle with a carrier whose authority and insurance we have checked. Gets you the driver's number and a pickup window. Records the vehicle's condition at both ends. Answers the phone when you call.
What you should not have to do is chase anybody. If a day slips, you hear it from the driver. If access at either end is tight, that gets sorted before the truck rolls rather than on the curb.
Your car never sits anywhere. It goes from your address straight onto the carrier and stays covered under Carrier Cargo Insurance for the entire trip.
What "vehicle shippers near me" really means
Almost nobody wants a truck parked on their block. What they want is a company that can get a trailer to their address on a date that works.
That comes down to route traffic, not office locations. A busy corridor has trucks running it every day, so pickup is usually quick and the price sits at the average. A quiet route has fewer, so you wait a little longer and pay a little more. A small town off the interstate is still served, it just wants a wider pickup window than a metro address does.
Give us the actual city and ZIP at both ends and we can tell you which one you are.
How long do vehicle shippers take?
Transit runs about 1 to 2 days for a short in-state move. Coast to coast takes 8 to 10 days. Federal hours-of-service rules cap driving time, so a truck covers roughly 400 to 500 miles a day once loading and delivery stops are counted.
| Distance | Days on the truck | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Under 500 miles | 1 to 2 days | Atlanta to Orlando |
| 500 to 1,000 miles | 2 to 3 days | Durham to Miami |
| 1,000 to 1,500 miles | 3 to 4 days | San Diego to San Antonio |
| 1,500 to 2,000 miles | 4 to 5 days | Las Vegas to Chicago |
| 2,000 to 2,500 miles | 5 to 7 days | Chicago to Los Angeles |
| 2,500 to 3,000 miles | 6 to 9 days | Newark to Los Angeles |
| Over 3,000 miles | 8 to 10 days | San Francisco to Miami |
Pickup is a window, not an appointment
The window starts on the date you ask for. Standard shipping uses 6 days. Expedited narrows it to 3. Ask any shipper for their window in days before you compare prices, because a company quoting cheap against a ten day window is not quoting the same thing. Your driver calls you directly as the truck gets close, so you get the day and a rough time.
Open, enclosed or expedited
Most vehicles go on an open trailer, and that is the right call for most vehicles.
Open transport
The standard choice, and the basis of every price on this page. Your vehicle rides on the same kind of trailer that delivers new cars to dealerships. Best value by a wide margin, and the easiest to schedule.
Enclosed transport
Plan on about 80 percent more than open. A $1,000 open move is roughly $1,800 enclosed. A hard-sided trailer holds two to six cars where an open one holds ten, so each car carries more of the cost. Worth it for a classic, an exotic, fresh paint, or a car too low to clear a ramp.
Expedited
Narrows the pickup window from 6 days to 3. Useful when a closing date, a lease handover or a report date is fixed. Transit days stay the same, because federal driving-hour rules set those.
Each service has its own page: standard door to door, enclosed and expedited. There is also a side by side open and enclosed comparison.
How shipping a vehicle works
Six steps, and you only need to be present for two of them.
Get a quote
Pickup and delivery cities, the year, make and model, whether it runs and drives, and the earliest date you are ready.
Pick your service
Open or enclosed, standard 6 day pickup window or expedited 3 day. A deposit holds the booking and locks the price.
We assign a carrier
We check the carrier's authority and insurance are active, then send you the driver's details. Ask and we will send the certificate of insurance too.
Pickup and inspection
The driver calls ahead and walks the vehicle with you. Its condition goes on the Bill of Lading. Take your own photos too.
On the road
Your vehicle is strapped down and runs the interstate corridors. Call or text the driver whenever you want an update.
Delivery
Walk the vehicle again against the pickup record, pay the balance and take the keys.
Insurance, access and personal items
Your vehicle travels under Carrier Cargo Insurance. It is held by the motor carrier assigned to your shipment. We check that the authority and the coverage are active before any vehicle goes on a truck. Once a carrier is assigned, ask us for the certificate of insurance and we will send it the same day.
Is door to door really door to door?
Yes, wherever a truck can legally and safely reach you. A car hauler is about 75 feet long. Tight streets, low branches, steep grades and posted neighborhood rules can stop one at the corner. Tell us the address when you book and we will pick a wide lot a few minutes away. It takes ten minutes and there is no extra charge.
Can I track my vehicle?
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 load are overselling it. What you always get from us is the driver's phone number for a call or text, plus email updates.
Can I leave personal items in the car?
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.
Getting the vehicle ready
- Wash it so the inspection photos are clear
- Leave about a quarter tank of gas
- Take out the toll tag and anything loose in the cabin
- Fold the mirrors and turn off the alarm
- Note any dents you already have, and take timestamped photos
- Tell us about big tires, a lift or a lowered suspension
Full detail is in the vehicle preparation guide.
Booking, payment and changing your mind
How payment works
A deposit is due when you book. The balance is due at delivery, usually by cashier's check, money order or cash. You can also put the full amount on a credit card, but only at the time of booking, so the funds clear and are ready for the carrier.
Two to three weeks of notice gets you the best choice of dates. We can work with less, and often do.
If your plans change
Cancel any time before we assign a carrier and your deposit comes back to you. Once we assign one and send you the driver's details, that money is spoken for. It is not gone, though. You can push the move back and use it on a later shipment.
Closings slip and orders change. Tell us early and we will move the date.
What separates a good vehicle shipper from a bad one
Start with the paperwork. Every company moving vehicles across state lines has a USDOT number and an MC number. Both are public. Ours are USDOT 2887232 and MC 969368. You can pull our authority and insurance on the FMCSA SAFER system in about thirty seconds. Then ask the five questions below.
Five questions worth asking any shipper
- How many days is the pickup window?
- Is that price confirmed, or an estimate that can move?
- Do I get the driver's phone number?
- Can I have the certificate of insurance once a carrier is assigned?
- What happens to my deposit if I need to change the date?
A company that answers all five plainly is usually a company that will do what it says.
The one people get backwards
Plenty of advice says a good company never asks for money up front. The opposite is closer to the truth. A company taking nothing up front is often not confident it can find a carrier at the price it quoted. Those are frequently the same companies that call back a week later saying drivers turned the load down and the rate has gone up. A deposit means we are booking committed customers and holding the price we gave you.
The number one red flag
A quote far below everyone else. If four companies say $1,000 to $1,200 and the fifth says $500, ask that company straight out whether the rate is confirmed. If they say yes, go read their reviews looking for the words bait and switch. Loading, securing, the inspection and the slot on the trailer cost a driver about the same at any distance. There is a floor below which the route cannot be run.
Read reviews for detail, not for stars. Every review we publish sits on a public Google profile you can open and read yourself. We do not write testimonials. Our BBB profile is accredited with an A+ rating. The complaint history is there to read too.
Who uses vehicle shippers
Relocating
A new job, retirement or a move closer to family. Shipping one vehicle and driving the other is the usual pattern for a two-car household.
Buying online
You found the right vehicle three states away. Shipping beats a one-way flight and a long drive home in something you have not driven yet.
Military moves
Read your orders first. Depending on the move, they may cover shipping or pay you to drive. See the military page.
College
The academic calendar sets the price, so shipping ten days before move-in beats shipping in the rush. See the student page.
Snowbirds
South in the fall, north in the spring. Book early on both legs, because everyone on your street is doing the same thing. See the seasonal page.
Classics and collectors
Enclosed keeps the miles off and the paint clean. Low-clearance vehicles need a driver who knows how to load them.
Vehicle shipping terms, in plain words
Nine words you will hear from any shipper, and what each one actually means.
Open carrier
The standard trailer, holding about ten vehicles, open to the weather. Around eight in ten shipments go this way.
Enclosed carrier
A hard-sided trailer holding two to six vehicles. Costs about 80 percent more than open.
Door to door
Pickup and delivery at your address, or the nearest spot a 75 foot truck can legally and safely reach.
Bill of Lading
The condition record. Signed at pickup and again at delivery, and the document that settles any dispute about damage.
Carrier Cargo Insurance
The coverage held by the motor carrier hauling your vehicle. It covers the vehicle for the whole trip.
Certificate of insurance
Written proof of that coverage. Available on request once a carrier is assigned to your shipment.
Pickup window
The span of days, starting on your requested date, in which the truck arrives. Six days standard, three expedited.
Inoperable
A vehicle that does not start but still rolls, steers and brakes. Needs a winch-equipped trailer and costs about $200 more.
Backhaul
The load a driver picks up after dropping yours. Whether one exists at your destination is the biggest single factor in your price.
What our customers say
Every review below sits on a public Google profile. Open any of them and read the whole thing.
Crystal Evans was very helpful.
Vehicle shipper FAQs
How much do vehicle shippers charge?
Most vehicles ship for $450 to $2,000 on an open trailer. A short in-state run can come in near $450, and coast to coast usually sits between $1,800 and $2,400. Price follows the route, the vehicle, whether it runs, the trailer type and your dates. The routes on this page show real ranges for a mid-size vehicle.
How long does a vehicle shipper take?
About 1 to 2 days under 500 miles, 3 to 4 days around 1,200 miles, and 8 to 10 days coast to coast. A truck covers roughly 400 to 500 miles a day once loading and delivery stops are counted. Federal hours-of-service rules cap the time a driver can be behind the wheel.
How do I find vehicle shippers near me?
Look for route coverage rather than a nearby office. What decides whether a truck can reach you quickly is how much traffic runs your corridor, not how far away a company is based. Give any shipper the actual city and ZIP at both ends and ask what pickup window they can hold. A metro address on a busy interstate usually moves within days.
When will the truck pick up my vehicle?
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. Ask any shipper for their window in days before comparing prices, because a cheap quote against a ten day window is not the same product. Your driver calls you directly as the truck gets close.
Should I choose open or enclosed transport?
Open for a daily driver, enclosed for a vehicle that justifies the premium. Plan on about 80 percent more than open. A $1,000 open move is roughly $1,800 enclosed, because a hard-sided trailer holds two to six cars where an open one holds ten. Worth it for a classic, an exotic, fresh paint, or a car too low to clear a ramp.
Why is one quote much cheaper than the others?
Ask that company whether the rate is confirmed. Loading, securing, the condition report and the slot on the trailer cost a driver about the same at any distance. So there is a floor below which a route cannot be run. A number well under everyone else usually means something has been left out, or that the price will move once a carrier actually has to be found.
Is my vehicle insured while it is being shipped?
Yes. Your vehicle travels under Carrier Cargo Insurance, held by the motor carrier assigned to your shipment. We confirm the authority and the coverage are active before a vehicle is assigned. Once a carrier is assigned you can ask us for the certificate of insurance and we will send it. You can also check any carrier yourself on the FMCSA SAFER system.
Can I leave personal items in the car?
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.
Is door to door shipping available everywhere?
Just about. The limit is what a truck can legally and safely reach. A car hauler is about 75 feet long, so tight streets, low branches and posted neighborhood rules can stop one at the corner. Tell us the address when you book and a wide lot a few minutes away is used instead. There is no extra charge.
How do I prepare my vehicle for pickup?
Wash it so the inspection photos are clear, leave about a quarter tank of gas, and take out the toll tag and anything loose in the cabin. Fold the mirrors, turn off the alarm, note any dents you already have and hand over one key. Tell us about oversized tires, a lift or a lowered suspension when you book.
How do I pay, and when?
A deposit is due at booking and the balance at delivery, usually by cashier's check, money order or cash. You can also put the full amount on a credit card, but only at the time of booking, so the funds clear and are available for the carrier. Some customers prefer that because it spreads the cost rather than paying out of pocket on the day.
Can I cancel or change my pickup date?
Cancel any time before we assign a carrier and your deposit comes back to you. Once we assign one and send you the driver's details, that money is spoken for. It is not gone, though. You can push the move back and use it on a later shipment.
Can you ship a vehicle that does not run?
Yes, with a winch-equipped carrier, as long as it rolls, steers and brakes. There is no flat fee for it. Expect it to run about $200 or more above the same vehicle running, and the exact number needs a short conversation. Book it as inoperable up front. There is no penalty for that, and it costs less than sorting it out at the curb.
What kinds of vehicles can be shipped?
Sedans, SUVs, pickups, vans, classics, exotics and most dealer or auction purchases. Published prices are for a mid-size vehicle on an open trailer. Anything oversized, heavily modified or lowered past normal wants a phone call, because the right trailer and the right driver matter more than the price on those.
How do I know a vehicle shipper is legitimate?
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 the 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.
Ready to ship your vehicle?
Fill in the route, the vehicle and the week you are ready. You get a price, not a phone call. Asking early gives you the widest choice of pickup dates and usually the better number.
Prefer email? Contact Smart Auto Move.