Seasonal lane
From $1,100 · 4–7 days · Door-to-door on I-55 and I-44 and I-40 and I-17
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Price by vehicle
Ranges come from carrier quotes received on the Illinois to Arizona lane, last checked September 12, 2026. Your firm price depends on the exact addresses and dates.
No deposit until a carrier is assigned.
| Vehicle | Open carrier | Enclosed carrier |
|---|---|---|
| Sedan / coupe | $1,100 – $1,550 | $1,600 – $2,250 |
| SUV / crossover | $1,225 – $1,725 | $1,800 – $2,525 |
| Pickup truck | $1,325 – $1,850 | $1,925 – $2,700 |
| Van / minivan | $1,375 – $1,950 | $2,000 – $2,825 |
| Motorcycle | $875 – $1,250 | $1,275 – $1,800 |
What moves the price: the season (peak months run 5–10% higher), whether the vehicle runs (winch loading adds about $150), how flexible your pickup window is (a 3–5 day window beats a fixed date), and modifications such as lift kits or oversized tires.
Arizona is the Midwest's other winter. For every Chicagoland family with a place in Naples there is one with a place in Scottsdale, Sun City, Mesa or the Tucson foothills, and from October to January the trucks leaving the western suburbs on I-55 are as full as the ones leaving on I-65. The lane is longer than Florida, about 1,750 miles, and crosses two mountain ranges and a high plateau, which makes it a four-to-seven-day trip and puts the price a step above the Florida run.
The customers are the same mix as any snowbird corridor with an Arizona twist: retirees to the East Valley and the Sun Cities, Cubs fans to spring training, golfers to Scottsdale, relocations to the Phoenix tech and health-care employers, and students to Arizona State and the University of Arizona. The quote form above is set to the lane; add your vehicle and a specialist calls with a firm carrier price within business hours.
Seasonality
Peak demand runs October–January. Booking ahead of the peak keeps your price at the lower end of the range.
Outlined bar is the current month. Amber months are when carrier space sells out first.
Peak is October through December, with the largest wave after Thanksgiving. Prices then sit at the top of the range and a fixed pickup date adds to them. Two to three weeks of lead time with a three-day window keeps most customers in the lower half. The return north runs late March through May, later than Florida because Arizona's spring is pleasant, and February and March are the cheapest southbound months as a result.
There is a second quiet window in September, after summer relocations and before the season starts, when trucks are light and Phoenix is still too hot for most snowbirds. Winter weather is a real variable on this lane: a snowstorm in Chicago holds the pickup, and I-40 over the Flagstaff plateau closes in a blizzard.
On the ground
Carriers pick up and deliver anywhere in these regions; addresses outside them are quoted on request.
From the Chicago suburbs the truck runs I-55 to St. Louis, then I-44 through Springfield, Missouri, Tulsa and Oklahoma City. At Oklahoma City it joins I-40 and stays on it through Amarillo, Albuquerque and Gallup to Flagstaff, then drops 5,000 feet on I-17 into Phoenix. Drivers cover 450 to 550 miles a day and reach the Valley on the fourth day; a few prefer to continue on I-40 to Kingman and come into the west Valley on US-93.
Phoenix and its suburbs are first. The truck typically works the East Valley, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert and Scottsdale, before the West Valley and the Sun Cities, or the reverse depending on the load. Tucson is a day later down I-10, and Prescott or Sedona are handled from the I-17 corridor on the way in.
A key, a quarter tank, the I-PASS out of the windshield and belongings under about 100 pounds and uninsured. Photograph the car and the odometer before pickup. A car sitting four to seven days on an open deck across the plains gathers dust; budget for a wash at the far end.
Timeline
Most shipments on this lane are complete 5–10 days after booking. Expedited pickup shortens the front end.
Day 0
Confirm your route, vehicle and first available pickup date.
1–3 days
A licensed carrier accepts the load; you get the name, DOT number and insurance certificate.
Agreed window
Driver inspects the car with you and both of you sign the bill of lading.
4–7 days
About 1,750 miles at 400–500 miles per driving day, with stops for other customers.
Driver calls ahead
Inspect against the pickup report, sign, and pay the carrier the balance.
Open vs enclosed
This lane crosses salted Midwest roads in winter and the open plains of Oklahoma and the Panhandle, where a spring hailstorm or a summer dust storm is possible, and that is the argument for enclosed transport on a car with paint you care about. For a daily driver, open is the answer and the 40 to 60 percent saving is considerable on a lane this long.
Most popularSedan on this route · Baseline price
PremiumSedan on this route · 40–60% more than open
City pairs
The same lane priced to and from the individual metros. Each row links to the city guide with pickup notes for that area.
| City pair | Road miles | Open carrier | Enclosed | On the truck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago to Phoenix | 1,750 mi | $1,100 – $1,550 | $1,600 – $2,250 | 4–7 days |
| Chicago to Scottsdale | 1,761 mi | $1,100 – $1,575 | $1,600 – $2,275 | 4–7 days |
| Chicago to Tucson | 1,761 mi | $1,100 – $1,575 | $1,600 – $2,275 | 4–7 days |
| Chicago to Mesa | 1,758 mi | $1,100 – $1,575 | $1,600 – $2,275 | 4–7 days |
Running sedan on a flexible pickup window. City rows are priced from road miles on the same curve as the lane range above; SUVs add about 12%, pickups 20%.
Chicagoland pickups are direct to the door across the suburbs, from Naperville and Aurora to Schaumburg, Orland Park and the North Shore. In the city, the driver names a lot on a main road or off an expressway; O'Hare and Midway hotel lots are the usual handovers for people flying the same day. Rockford, Peoria and Springfield are on the truck's way out of the state on I-90 and I-55 and are collected regularly.
Arizona is the easiest delivery in the country. Wide streets, no snow, and communities built around cars. The gated developments in Scottsdale, the Sun Cities, Anthem and the East Valley usually admit delivery vehicles with a call to the gate; where they do not, the driver meets you at a nearby plaza. HOA rules against trucks parking overnight do not apply to a twenty-minute unload. Sedona and Prescott are reachable on the way down I-17 and add a little to the price.
The Arizona sun is worth a word. A car parked outdoors through the season should have a windshield shade; a car stored through the summer while you are back in Illinois should be under cover with the battery on a tender. Neither affects the shipment, but both come up at delivery.
At pickup the driver needs a key and a photo ID and nothing else; the title stays with you and a financed car needs no lender approval within the country. If the car was just bought at an Illinois auction, book the day the sale closes.
After delivery
Shipping to Arizona: the paperwork Arizona asks of a new resident, so you can book the DMV visit for the week the car lands rather than discover it at the counter.
Register as soon as you establish residency or take a job in Arizona; the state gives no fixed grace period.
A Level I VIN inspection (free at an MVD office) is required for some out-of-state vehicles, typically when the title or registration cannot be presented.
Emissions testing is required in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas for most vehicles more than five years old, and must be passed before the first Arizona registration. Out-of-state emissions certificates are not accepted.
Fully electric vehicles are exempt from emissions testing.
Source: Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD) . Checked September 15, 2026. Deadlines and inspection rules change; confirm on the official page before you go.
Related
Pickup state
Chicago is the Midwest’s carrier crossroads: southbound to Florida on I-65, southwest to Arizona on I-55 and I-40.
State guideDelivery state
The Midwest’s winter destination, served by the I-40 and I-10 corridors into the Valley.
State guideQuestions
Not covered here? A specialist can answer route-specific questions in a couple of minutes.
888-706-8784$1,100–$1,550 for a running sedan on an open carrier and $1,600–$2,250 enclosed, for roughly 1,750 miles. It is priced a little above Illinois to Florida because there are fewer trucks running the southwest lane. SUVs and pickups add 12–20%.
Four to seven days on the truck. A Chicago pickup is usually in Oklahoma on day two, in New Mexico on day three and in Phoenix on day four. Add one to five days for a carrier to reach you.
I-55 to St. Louis, I-44 across Missouri and Oklahoma, I-40 through the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico to Flagstaff, then I-17 down to Phoenix. Some drivers run I-40 all the way to Kingman and come in on US-93.
About $50–$100 more and usually a day later, since the truck reaches Phoenix first and continues down I-10.
February and March, and again in September. Southbound trucks are light before the spring return and after the summer heat. October through December is peak.
Yes, at both ends. Snow in Illinois can hold a pickup, and I-40 over the Flagstaff plateau at 7,000 feet closes in storms. Carriers wait it out at no charge.
Not on the same truck; car haulers carry vehicles with a VIN. A golf cart can be shipped separately as freight and your specialist can arrange it.
Guides
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 guide
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 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 guideCarriers on this lane are quoting $1,100–$1,550 for a running sedan. Lock in a pickup window in about a minute.
Average response time under 5 minutes during business hours (Mon–Sun 7am–9pm ET).
Last updated September 12, 2026 · Written by the AutoShippingUS Editorial Team · Reviewed by Christofer Whiteman, Editor · Industry review by Sarah Williams, Independent auto transport consultant, 20 years in the industry
