Guides
What it costs, how long it takes, which trailer to choose and how to protect yourself. Every guide starts with the short answer.
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These guides are the long answers to the questions our specialists hear every day: how shipping actually works, what it costs and why, how long it takes, which trailer to choose, what the insurance covers, what to do to the car before the truck comes, and how to tell a good quote from a bait. Each one is written from the shipment's point of view rather than the sales pitch's, uses the same prices and transit windows as the rest of the site, and is dated so you know when it was last reviewed.
They are grouped by topic. The basics cover the process, the cost and the timeline. The decisions cover open versus enclosed and broker versus carrier. The situations cover snowbird seasons, military orders and cars bought online or at auction. And the protections cover insurance, claims, preparation and scams. Every guide ends with the questions people ask after reading it, and every one links to the route and service pages where the numbers for your own trip live.
Topic
9 min read
Get quotes, pick a carrier, hand over the keys with an inspection report, and receive the car on delivery. The whole process takes 60 seconds to start and 1–10 days to finish, depending on distance.
Read the guide
7 min read
Wash the car, photograph every panel, leave a quarter tank of fuel, remove personal items and toll tags, fold in mirrors, note existing damage on the Bill of Lading, and hand over one set of keys.
Read the guideTopic
7 min read
Most shipments deliver 1–3 days after pickup for under 500 miles, 3–5 days for 1,000–1,500 miles and 7–10 days coast to coast. Add 1–5 days for the carrier to be assigned and reach you.
Read the guideTopic
10 min read
Book southbound shipments 2–3 weeks before you fly, ideally before mid-October. Expect $900–$1,450 open from the Northeast or Midwest to Florida and 3–6 days in transit. Reverse the plan in late March.
Read the guideTopic
8 min read
Open transport is the right choice for most daily-driver cars and costs 30–45% less. Choose enclosed for cars worth more than about $70,000, classics, low-clearance exotics, or when you cannot accept any exposure to weather.
Read the guide
7 min read
A carrier owns the truck and physically moves your car. A broker finds and books the carrier from a network of thousands. Most shipments involve both, and that is normal: the broker’s job is matching, the carrier’s is driving.
Read the guideTopic
8 min read
Your car is covered by the carrier’s cargo insurance while it is on the truck, typically $100,000–$250,000 per load on open carriers and more on enclosed. The Bill of Lading inspection at pickup and delivery is what makes a claim provable.
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8 min read
The common scams are lowball quotes that jump after pickup, large non-refundable deposits, fake DOT numbers and cars held for “storage fees”. Verify the MC number on FMCSA, never pay a deposit to an unlicensed party, and get the price in writing.
Read the guideTopic
8 min read
Confirm the seller or dealer will release the car to a carrier, get the pickup contact and hours, ship on an open carrier for most purchases, and inspect on delivery before the driver leaves. Expect $550–$2,000 depending on distance.
Read the guideTopic
8 min read
The government ships one privately owned vehicle for OCONUS moves; for CONUS PCS you drive or pay to ship. Second vehicles and most stateside moves are out of pocket, and a monetary allowance may offset part of the cost. Book as soon as orders are in hand.
Read the guideQuestions
Not covered here? A specialist can answer route-specific questions in a couple of minutes.
888-706-8784With the complete guide to shipping a car, which walks through the whole process from quote to delivery. Then the cost guide for your lane and, if the trailer question is open, the open versus enclosed comparison.
Our shipping specialists, from the questions customers ask on the phone every day. Each guide is reviewed and dated, and the facts in it match the prices and windows on the rest of the site.
They use the same distance bands as the quote form and the route pages, and every guide shows the date it was last updated. The form is always the most current number for a specific trip.
There are guides for the common ones: snowbird seasons, military moves, cars bought online or at auction, insurance and claims, scams to avoid, and how to choose between a broker and a carrier. If yours is not here, a specialist can answer it on the phone.
Yes. Call or use the contact page; the questions we get most often become the next guide.
When prices, seasons or rules change enough to matter, and at least once a year. The date on each guide is the last review.
Sixty seconds in the form and a specialist calls with a firm carrier quote within business hours.
Average response time under 5 minutes during business hours (Mon–Sun 7am–9pm ET).
