How interstate car shipping works
Every shipment we arrange crosses state lines on a single carrier from pickup to delivery; the car is not transferred between trucks or held at terminals along the way. You get an instant quote for your exact ZIP-to-ZIP route, a vetted carrier with cargo insurance is assigned, and the driver picks up, runs the route and delivers. Transit is governed by distance and the driver's legal hours of service, which work out to roughly 400 to 500 miles a day with the stops a multi-car route requires.
Transit times by distance
- Under 500 miles: one to two days. California to Arizona or Nevada, Texas to Oklahoma, the Northeast corridor.
- 500 to 1,000 miles: two to four days. California to Colorado or Washington, Florida to the Carolinas, Illinois to Texas.
- 1,000 to 2,000 miles: four to six days. California to Texas, Florida to New York, Washington to Minnesota.
- 2,000 miles and up: five to ten days. Coast to coast in either direction.
Add a pickup window of one to five days before transit begins; it is shorter from large metros and longer from rural areas and small towns.
The busiest cross-country lanes
California to Texas, Florida and the Northeast; the Northeast and Midwest to Florida; Texas to the West Coast; the Pacific Northwest to the Southwest; and Colorado to both coasts. Busy lanes are good lanes for you. More trucks means shorter windows and better rates. Unusual lanes, say Montana to Mississippi, are entirely possible but may take a few extra days to assign and price a little higher because the carrier has to position for them.
What a long-distance shipment costs
Per-mile cost falls as distance rises. A 400-mile regional run may cost over a dollar a mile; a 2,800-mile coast-to-coast run usually comes in at well under sixty cents. For a standard sedan on an open carrier, cross-country shipments typically land between $1,100 and $1,800 depending on season, lane and flexibility. Enclosed transport runs 40 to 60 percent more. The cost guide covers the factors in detail; the quote tool above prices your exact route.
Weather and routing
Carriers choose routes for speed and safety, and in winter that means avoiding the high passes when they close: Donner on I-80, Vail and the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70, Snoqualmie on I-90 and the Grapevine on I-5. A southern routing through I-10 or I-40 can add a day on a northern lane in January but keeps the schedule predictable. Your coordinator will tell you if weather is likely to affect your dates.
Planning a cross-country move with a car
Book one to two weeks ahead, give a flexible pickup window, and ship the car a few days before you travel so it arrives when you do. If you need the car at both ends, consider shipping it first and renting for the gap; it is usually cheaper than the reverse. Keep the bill of lading and your photos until the car is delivered and inspected. And if you are shipping two vehicles, say so; carriers can often load both on one truck for a better combined rate.