Ship a Car to Another State

From under a day to 10 days in transit, depending on distance: up to 1 day under 500 miles, 2 to 3 days for 1,000 to 1,499 miles, and 7 to 10 days coast to coast. Once you book, it takes 1-3 days for your car to be picked up.  

Pickup Window vs. Transit Time 

These are two separate numbers, and confusing them is the most common source of frustration in car shipping.

Your pickup window is the range of dates when a carrier will collect the car - typically 1 to 3 days from your first available date. It exists because carriers build routes: your vehicle has to fit a truck already heading your way with a free slot. Booking 1-2 weeks ahead widens the pool of trucks and shortens that window.

Transit time is the drive itself, once the car is loaded. Under federal hours-of-service rules, a loaded carrier covers roughly 500 to 700 miles a day, and they stop to load and unload other vehicles along the route.

So a cross-country move quoted at 7 to 10 days transit realistically spans 8 to 13 days from booking to delivery. Plan around that number, not the transit figure alone. If your date is fixed - a lease ending, a closing, a flight - guaranteed pickup locks a specific day for $150-$400.

What Causes Delays

• Weather. Snow closures, hurricanes, and flooding stop trucks. No reputable carrier runs an unsafe load.
• Hours-of-service limits. Drivers must stop when their federally mandated hours run out, however close they are.
• Route changes upstream. If a customer earlier on the route cancels or can't be reached at delivery, everything behind them shifts.
• Remote addresses. A pickup 60 miles off the interstate may wait until the driver finishes nearer stops, or you'll meet at a large lot closer to the highway. That's standard practice, not reduced service.
• Mechanical breakdown. Trucks fail. A broker with a large network reassigns the load; one without leaves your car sitting.

We will notify you in case of a schedule change. You can use our live tracking option and get frequent updates on the location of your vehicle on our Track-Your-Shipment page.

You can contract the shipment through a broker and carrier, you can drive it yourself, you can hire a driver, tow it yourself with a trailer, use Amtrak Auto Trains, or opt for air freight.

Broker or carrier. The usual choice for any passenger vehicle, including EVs, on an open or enclosed trailer. Enclosed runs 21.3% to 38.9% more than open, depending on distance. You get convenience, verified insurance, and none of your own time spent. The trade-offs: 1 to 10 days depending on distance, a 100 lb limit on personal items, and prices that swing with the season.

Drive it yourself. Full control, and sometimes faster. Budget roughly $800 to $900 per 1,500 miles, covering fuel, two nights' lodging, food and tolls, plus $300 to $450 in wear that never appears on a receipt, and two to three days of your own time.

Hire a driver. $750 to $2,400+ depending on distance and vehicle, because the driver's expenses come out of it too. You save the time but not the mileage, and their insurance will not match a carrier's.

Tow it yourself. Needs a Class III or IV frame-mounted hitch rated above 5,000 lb, trailer brakes, secondary lighting and state registration. A tow dolly runs $300 to $500, a full car trailer $400 to $700, before the tow vehicle itself.

Amtrak Auto Train. One route only, Lorton, Virginia to Sanford, Florida, 855 miles overnight, one departure a day. $570 to $650 for the vehicle plus $95 for a coach seat, since you must ride the same train.

Roughly $665 to $915 for one person and one car, against $725 to $1,150 open on that corridor. Add the drive to Lorton and from Sanford before comparing.

Air freight. $2,000 to $5,000+ domestically, priced on weight and dimensions rather than distance, with 1 to 3 day transit. In practice it serves race teams, exotics and cars heading overseas on a deadline.
 

Brokers dispatch the shipment order but do not ship the car physically; carriers ship the car physically, but rarely work directly with customers. This keeps the cost down for carriers and customers and allows brokers to vet and ensure that carriers are safe to use. Brokers make the operation easy and handle customer questions and complaints so carriers can focus on the safe operation of their heavy machinery.

The load board is the mechanism. Your shipment is posted with its route, dates, vehicle and the rate offered to the carrier. Drivers watch these boards and take the loads that fit at a rate that works. That explains the most common failure in this industry: a quote priced below market never gets picked up, the car sits unassigned, and then comes the call explaining that rates went up.

"Assigned" is the word that matters. A booking means the request exists. An assignment means a named, verified carrier has accepted your vehicle at an agreed rate. Always ask which one you have.

SGT Auto Transport is an active and licensed auto transport broker, MC 873392, USDOT 2521690. By choosing to work with a broker like us, you get the convenience of pre-vetted carriers, a price set at what carriers on your lane actually accept, and the security of more than 12 years of experience.

You need to make sure your car stops and starts and can steer. Then you need to clean it on the outside. Remove any toll transponders it may be equipped with and leave no more than ¼ of the gas in the tank. For EVs, it's recommended to have them at a 30% to 50% SoC (State of Charge) to prevent thermal runaway events and have plenty of power to drive it on and off the trailer.

Before the driver arrives

• Wash the exterior and interior, because a clean car makes existing damage visible and that protects you rather than us
• Photograph all four sides, the roof, the wheels, every chip and scratch close up, the odometer, and the interior, in daylight
• Keep those photographs with the Bill of Lading, since together they are the only record anyone can argue from later
• Check engine oil, coolant, washer fluid, and hydraulic fluid, and fix any leak before shipping, because you are liable if your vehicle drips onto another car on the trailer
• Test the battery by starting the car, since a slow turnover means it is due for replacement and the vehicle has to move under its own power at both ends
• Set tire pressure to the psi marked on the driver's door jamb, gas cap door or glove box
• Confirm the brakes work and the car rolls and steers, or book inoperable service instead

On the day

• Fill the tank to no more than a quarter, which is plenty for loading and keeps weight down
• Charge an EV to 30% to 50% state of charge, enough to drive on and off at both ends
• Remove or disable the toll transponder, which otherwise reads at every gantry along the route and bills your account
• Disable the alarm, or give the driver written instructions on how to switch it off
• Remove roof racks, bike racks, and ski boxes, which change vehicle height, are not covered as cargo, and come loose at highway speed
• Fold in the mirrors and retract the antenna
• Flag any vehicle sitting under four inches of ground clearance, so a trailer with a lift gate is assigned rather than one with ramps
• Hand over one key and keep your spare, rather than the master
• Have your photo ID, registration, and proof of insurance ready. For auction or dealer collections, bring the lot number and gate pass
• Be there yourself, or name an authorized agent over 18 in the contract before the day

Personal Items: What You Can Leave in The Car

You can leave personal items up to 100lbs for free; any items over that weight will be charged a rate. You can see the exact amount with the personal luggage calculator during the booking process. Personal items that are allowed are:

• Clothing, shoes and linens
• Books, toys and non-fragile household goods
• Sports and camping equipment
• Hand tools, secured
• Car parts, spare tire and jack
• Child seats

Pack items in the trunk or rear cargo area, below the window line, and secure them so nothing shifts in transit. Keep the passenger seats and driver's area clear - the driver has to move the vehicle at both ends.

Personal items we do not recommend transporting with the car:

• Cash
• Jewelry, 
• Documents, 
• Laptops and electronics, 
• Firearms,
• Alcohol, 
• Perishables, 
• Anything hazardous - fuel cans, propane, paint, fireworks.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Auto carriers are licensed to move vehicles, not household goods; moving household goods interstate requires separate FMCSA authority, which is why every company in this industry sets a weight limit. And personal items are not covered by cargo insurance - the vehicle is insured; its contents are not. Anything you leave inside travels at your own risk.

The Bill of Lading and The Pickup Inspection

SGT recommends inspecting and documenting the state of the car before travel. Document any existing damage and make sure to clearly document the entirety of the car’s state, including the placement of any personal belongings. Once the car arrives at the delivery destination, you can inspect it for any damage; if there is none, you or your authorized agent can sign the Bill of Lading.

IMPORTANT: In the case of damage during transportation, you must address it in written form in the Bill of Lading BEFORE signing the document. Make sure the driver signs it as well and immediately contact the carrier for further instructions on how to file an insurance claim with their provider. Insurance claims must be filed within 24 to 48 hours after signing the Bill of Lading.