Car Shipping from Iowa to Tennessee : Updated Auto Transport Costs 2025

Vehicle year/make/model: why would shipping a 15 ft long, 5500 lb Chevy Tahoe be more expensive than shipping a 2500 lb Fiat 500?  The dimensions of the Tahoe mean that shippers have to calculate the rest of their vehicle load around its size,   and the extra weight puts more stress on the transport truck and burns more fuel for every mile it’s being hauled. 

Vehicle running condition: people do need to ship cars and trucks that can’t start, run, drive and stop under their own power,  such as a vintage car that needs to go to a specialized mechanic for restoration or service. Special equipment and procedures are needed  for safe transport of inoperable vehicles, as well as more time on the part of the driver, and shipping costs will reflect that. 

Timeframe: we usually request at least two weeks in advance of your auto shipping order, so we can sort out routing and assign your order to a transport driver. When that’s not possible, expedited delivery is available for hotshot transport, but it does come at a premium rate. 

Calendar period: the time of year is another factor that has to be considered in shipping costs. In the auto transport business, there are peaks and valleys where there’s an uptick in the number of shipments we handle and more drivers are dispatched and transporting  customers’ vehicles. When there’s a surge in shipping traffic, fewer drivers are available for incoming orders and the tighter supply of drivers will mean higher rates temporarily, until things cool off  again. 

Method of shipment: at SGT, we offer a few different shipping services to personalize a delivery for the kind of security, monitoring and protection it needs while the vehicle is en route. Those shipping methods range from budget-friendly to premium pricing.

Fuel costs: everyone is at the mercy of fuel prices,  and it’s well accepted that when fuel prices go up, just about everything gets costlier. When it’s more expensive for manufacturers or distributors to get products and services to customers, that means higher operating costs that can’t just be absorbed and will have to be taken up by consumers. There’s no exception for auto logistics; however, the semi-automated system that sets rates will also compensate when fuel prices come down again.. 

That’s a pretty vague question, so let’s narrow it down a little and talk more specifically about auto transport from Des Moines to Tennessee.

A routing guide indicates that to be a trip of 1107 miles, and our rule of thumb for logistics is that a trip of 200 miles should be done in a single day turnaround.

If there are 2000 miles involved, we would expect that to be an 8 to 9 day job. In light of that, we could roughly say that vehicle transport from Des Moines to NYC should be doable in 3 to 4 days’ time.

We need to note, though, that arrival times and dates are always an estimate; it’s too hard to provide an exact ETA when unexpected events like bad weather, construction, road conditions, detours or jammed-up traffic can all slow a driver down.

We can assure you, though, that if it looks like your delivery is going to be delayed and the schedule will be disrupted, our customer support team will let you know and will keep you up to date on when you can expect your delivery.

Get started by getting  your quote for the shipping services you need, using the Quote Calculator. If you’re unsure about anything, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us via live chat, or call our team at (864) 546-5038. Once you have the quote, review it and if everything looks good to you, just go ahead and confirm and your order will be booked. Your account won’t be charged until we can assign your order to a transport driver,  and you’ll never be asked for a deposit up front.

At the time and date you specify, SGT will  dispatch a transport truck to arrive curbside at your address, to prepare and load your vehicle for transport. You can expect a call from the driver about two hours before he arrives to notify you he’s on the way (same for when he reaches the destination too). Before the car is loaded and secured, you and the driver will both perform a pre-trip inspection, for the Bill of Lading document. It’s always a good idea to accurately document the car’s condition by taking a few photos. 

We’ll give you our estimate for time and date for delivery, and the driver will be scheduled to arrive curbside at your location then. You and the driver will both perform a post-trip inspection. Please look carefully during the inspection; if you notice any damage after the Bill of Lading has been signed and the driver has left, it could be hard to file a claim. 

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Don’t forget to get a copy of the car’s ignition key to your transport driver. 

Please check that the battery is charged and all headlights and taillights work.

Please remove any detachable external accessories: light bars, bike racks, cargo boxes, antennas 

We recommend enclosed transport for lowriders, exotics, supercars and any car with very low ground clearance. 

Standard practice is to ship vehicles with ¼ tank of fuel or less, cutting curb weight and saving you money on shipping costs. 

It’s acceptable to ship up to 100 lbs of personal items with your vehicle, provided they are secured safely in the trunk or cargo area. 

If you’re shipping a vintage car or anything with mechanical quirks such as a special procedure for startup, it’s a good idea to give the driver a “cheat sheet” to inform him. 

If your car’s not in running order, that’s something we’ll need to know in advance. We can and do ship vehicles that can’t start, run, steer and stop on their own power, but it requires special arrangements, extra equipment and extra time on the part of the transport driver. 

If your neighborhood has low-hanging branches or lots of congestion, it could be difficult or even against city ordinances to get an 80 ft 18 wheel transport truck to your curbside. If that’s the case, consider getting together with the driver at an easier spot such as an open parking lot.