Guide
How to ship a car, start to finish
Everything that actually matters, in the order it happens. Read it once and nothing about the process will surprise you.
1. Decide open or enclosed
This single choice drives most of your price. Open transport is what moves roughly nine out of ten vehicles in the country, including new cars headed to dealerships. It is cheaper, and there are far more trucks available, so it dispatches faster.
Enclosed transport costs meaningfully more and typically needs a week or two of lead time, but the vehicle never sees weather, road salt or gravel. Choose it when the paint is the point: classics, exotics, fresh restorations, or anything low enough to scrape a standard ramp.
2. Get a real quote
A quote should reflect what carriers are actually accepting on your lane today. Be wary of a number far below every other quote. That usually means the load gets posted at a rate no driver will take, and the price goes up once you are committed.
Price moves with:
- Distance and route. Busy interstate lanes cost less per mile than rural pickups off the main corridors.
- Vehicle size and weight. A dually pickup takes the space and weight allowance of more than one sedan.
- Running condition. A non-running vehicle needs a winch and takes longer to load.
- Season. January southbound and spring northbound both surge with snowbird traffic.
3. Prepare the vehicle
Preparation takes about twenty minutes and prevents nearly every dispute that comes up later.
- Wash the exterior. You cannot document damage you cannot see under road film.
- Photograph every panel, both bumpers, the wheels and the roof in daylight, with timestamps on.
- Leave roughly a quarter tank of fuel. Full tanks add weight that counts against the trailer.
- Remove personal belongings, toll transponders and loose items.
- Disable the alarm, or leave clear instructions for the driver.
- Fold in the mirrors, retract or remove the antenna, and secure any loose trim or spoiler.
- Note existing leaks, a weak battery or anything unusual about starting it.
4. Understand the Bill of Lading
The Bill of Lading is the single most important document in the shipment. It records the vehicle’s condition at pickup, and you sign it again at delivery. It is the evidence any insurance claim rests on.
Walk the vehicle with the driver at pickup. If a scratch exists already, make sure it is marked. Do not sign a blank or “pre-completed” form.
5. Pickup and transit
Most carriers give a pickup window rather than a fixed date, because the route depends on traffic, weather and the other vehicles on the trailer. The driver calls ahead, usually the day before and again when close.
If a full-size carrier cannot legally reach your street, the driver arranges a nearby meeting point with room to unload. That is normal, not a downgrade in service.
6. Inspect at delivery, then sign
This is the step people rush, and it is the only one that is hard to undo. Before signing:
- Inspect in good light. If it is dark, use a torch, or wait.
- Compare against your pickup photos, panel by panel.
- Check the roof and the lower rocker panels, the easiest to miss.
- Start the engine and confirm the electronics behave.
- Note anything new on the Bill of Lading before you sign. Signing a clean form is confirmation the vehicle arrived undamaged.
Payment is normally due to the driver on delivery, so confirm the accepted method in advance.