Auto transport route
From $975 · 3–5 days · Door-to-door on I-10 and I-20
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Price by vehicle
Ranges come from carrier quotes received on the Los Angeles to Dallas 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 | $975 – $1,350 | $1,400 – $1,975 |
| SUV / crossover | $1,100 – $1,500 | $1,575 – $2,200 |
| Pickup truck | $1,175 – $1,625 | $1,675 – $2,375 |
| Van / minivan | $1,225 – $1,700 | $1,750 – $2,475 |
| Motorcycle | $775 – $1,075 | $1,125 – $1,575 |
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.
More people move from Los Angeles to Dallas–Fort Worth than between almost any other two metros, and the car goes with them. Corporate transfers to the Plano and Frisco headquarters corridor, families trading the Valley for Southlake or McKinney, tech workers, retirees, students at SMU and UT Dallas, and Texas buyers collecting a rust-free California car all ship on the same lane. It is a daily run for dozens of carriers, which makes it one of the fastest lanes to book and one of the best priced for its distance: $975 to $1,350 for a running sedan on an open carrier, three to five days on the truck.
There is no snowbird season here. The busy months are summer, when school calendars and corporate moves stack up, and the quiet ones are winter. The quote form above is set to the lane; add your vehicle and a specialist calls with a firm carrier price within business hours.
On the ground
Carriers pick up and deliver anywhere in these regions; addresses outside them are quoted on request.
A truck loads across the Los Angeles basin, often the Valley and the Westside in a morning and Orange County and the Inland Empire in the afternoon, and runs I-10 east through Palm Springs, Phoenix, Tucson and Las Cruces to El Paso. At the Permian Basin it leaves I-10 for I-20 through Midland, Abilene and Fort Worth into Dallas. Drivers cover 450 to 550 miles a day and are in the Metroplex on the third day. Some run I-40 through Flagstaff, Albuquerque and Amarillo instead and drop down US-287; the mileage is close and the northern route is cooler in summer.
The Valley, the South Bay, Long Beach, Orange County and the Inland Empire are direct to the door where the street lets a 75-foot truck turn. The Westside, Hollywood, the hills, Silver Lake and downtown mean a meeting point at a big-box lot near the 405, the 10 or the 101. LAX hotel lots on Century Boulevard are the usual handover for anyone flying the same day.
The Metroplex is built for trucks. Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Richardson, Irving, Las Colinas, Arlington, Southlake, Keller, Flower Mound and the Fort Worth suburbs are direct to the door or to a community gate, which admits the truck with a call. Uptown, Highland Park's narrower streets, Deep Ellum and Bishop Arts mean a lot on a main road. DFW hotel lots are the handover for anyone arriving by air.
Timeline
Most shipments on this lane are complete 4–8 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.
3–5 days
About 1,440 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.
Seasonality
Peak demand runs May–August. 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.
School calendars and corporate relocation cycles set the rhythm. Late May through August is the crunch, with June and July the priciest fortnights of the year and a fixed-date pickup in those weeks costing more again. Give the booking two to three weeks and a three-day window and the price drops into the lower half of the range. From November to February the Metroplex moves slow down, the trucks still run daily, and the same shipment is at its cheapest.
Weather is almost never the reason for a delay on this lane. The exceptions are a January ice storm in North Texas, which can shut I-20 for a morning, and the rare heavy snow on the Flagstaff plateau for drivers using the northern route. Neither is charged, and neither is common.
Open vs enclosed
With no salt and no mountains between Los Angeles and Dallas, the trailer question is about the car alone. A Plano-bound commuter sedan or a family SUV rides open and arrives with a film of desert dust that a wash removes. A classic, a low sports car that needs a liftgate, an exotic or a car straight out of the paint shop goes enclosed for 40 to 60 percent more.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles to Houston | 1,672 mi | $1,000 – $1,375 | $1,450 – $2,000 | 4–7 days |
| Los Angeles to Austin | 1,494 mi | $1,025 – $1,400 | $1,475 – $2,025 | 4–6 days |
| Los Angeles to San Antonio | 1,466 mi | $1,000 – $1,375 | $1,450 – $2,000 | 4–6 days |
| Los Angeles to Fort Worth | 1,473 mi | $1,000 – $1,375 | $1,450 – $2,000 | 4–6 days |
| Los Angeles to El Paso | 853 mi | $675 – $950 | $1,000 – $1,350 | 2–4 days |
| San Diego to Dallas | 1,441 mi | $975 – $1,350 | $1,425 – $1,950 | 4–6 days |
| San Francisco to Dallas | 1,806 mi | $1,075 – $1,475 | $1,575 – $2,175 | 5–8 days |
| San Jose to Dallas | 1,768 mi | $1,050 – $1,450 | $1,525 – $2,125 | 4–7 days |
| Sacramento to Dallas | 1,754 mi | $1,050 – $1,425 | $1,525 – $2,100 | 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%.
The lane's advantage is speed, and the way to use it is to plan the receiver for days three and four rather than a wide window. Trucks are assigned within one to three days in any month, the third day on the road is the usual arrival, and expedited pickup within 48 hours is available for $200 to $400 more if a job start or a lease return makes the date immovable. If you are flying to DFW ahead of the car, name the person who will meet the driver and hand them the pickup photos and the driver's number.
Nearly every booking on this lane is a household move, so the belongings question is answered on every call: under about 100 pounds, below the window line, not insured, and never anything you would miss. The FasTrak comes off the windshield before pickup. Take the photographs in daylight, all sides, wheels, glass and the odometer, before the truck arrives.
The driver takes one key and glances at a photo ID. The California title stays with you and a financed or leased car crosses state lines without anyone's permission. Texas registration and the state inspection happen after the car arrives and have nothing to do with the carrier. If the car is coming from a dealer in the Valley or Orange County rather than your driveway, give your specialist the sales desk's number and the pickup is arranged with them.
After delivery
Shipping to Dallas: the paperwork Texas 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 within 30 days of moving to Texas.
No stand-alone VIN verification form for a vehicle with a clean out-of-state title; the county tax office handles title and registration together. Ask the office whether an inspection report must accompany the title application in your county.
The annual safety inspection for non-commercial vehicles ended on 1 January 2025. An emissions inspection is still required before registration in 17 counties, including Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Travis, Williamson and El Paso. Out-of-state inspections are not recognised.
Proof of Texas insurance is required.
Source: Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) . Checked September 15, 2026. Deadlines and inspection rules change; confirm on the official page before you go.
Related
Pickup state
The largest outbound state, with daily carrier departures east on I-10 and I-40.
State guideQuestions
Not covered here? A specialist can answer route-specific questions in a couple of minutes.
888-706-8784$975–$1,350 for a running sedan on an open carrier and $1,400–$1,975 enclosed for about 1,440 miles. It is one of the best-priced long lanes in the country because so many trucks run it. SUVs and pickups add 12–20%.
Three to five days on the truck. A Los Angeles pickup is usually in El Paso on day two and in Dallas–Fort Worth on day three. Add one to three days for pickup on this busy lane.
I-10 through Phoenix, Tucson and Las Cruces to El Paso, then I-20 through Midland, Abilene and Fort Worth into Dallas. Some drivers run I-40 through Flagstaff and Amarillo and come down US-287.
The Valley, the South Bay, Orange County and the Inland Empire are direct to the door. The Westside, Hollywood, the hillsides and downtown mean a big-box lot near the 405 or the 10.
Yes; the whole Metroplex is on the same load. Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Arlington, Irving and Southlake are direct to the door.
November through February. May through August is peak for relocations and the price sits at the top of the range.
Usually within one to three days year-round. Los Angeles to Dallas is a daily run for many carriers, and expedited pickup within 24–48 hours is available for about $200–$400 more.
Guides
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
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 guide8 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.
Read the guideCarriers on this lane are quoting $975–$1,350 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
