How much does car shipping cost to and from Texas?
The Direct Express Auto Transport quote calculator has been the best since 2004. No personal information required. It’s hassle free! Find out why we are the most reliable car transport service company for Texas!
New England consists of six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont…
The Eastern Seaboard states are generally considered to be New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Washington D.C., Maryland…
Florida is probably the biggest car shipping state in the country during “snowbird season”….
The Midwest is generally considered to be Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota…
The southwestern states are Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Texas sure…
California is home to nearly one out of every eight Americans. If it were its own country,…
Direct Express Auto Transport changed the car transport industry nearly twenty years ago with an original, innovative, instant car shipping cost calculator to safely transport vehicles. We do not ask for any personal information before providing a car shipping quote. We are one of the only auto transport brokers in the business to do that. Your name, phone number and email address are not required to get a car shipping quote. When you want to know how much does it cost to ship a car, ours is the best in the business. Auto transport quotes have never been easier or more reliable than they are today. We are constantly learning and making our car shipping quote calculator more accurate. We were the first to do it in 2004, and we will argue we are still the best.
Not as much as you would suppose. If only one thing goes wrong, a tire blowout or overheated radiator for instance, then it would be actually cheaper to ship a car across country. About 97% of all auto transport shipments are delivered in an Open-Air trailer. It’s proven to be a very safe method with statistically few problems. You may notice multiple vehicles being delivered to car dealerships near you in an Open-Air trailer, and that’s because it’s reliable. It is also cheap car shipping. If you have a collector car or really expensive automobile, however, then we recommend car shipping services with an Enclosed carrier. Expect to pay about 50% more for Enclosed transport. Our car shipping cost calculator automatically adds the extra amount to your auto transport quote
Making a nominal partial credit card payment to the auto transport broker is preferred by car shipping carriers but not essential. Carriers like getting paid with Cash or Money Order upon delivery, and who doesn’t? Services paid immediately for services rendered. But a full credit card payment upfront also works if the car shipping carrier trusts the auto transport broker. Carriers have known Direct Express Auto Transport for nearly twenty years and the trust is there. So either method works with us
The auto transport delivery is the final step in the process, and also the simplest part. Once your vehicle has been assigned to a car shipping carrier and picked up, not too much can go wrong. It generally takes one day of transit time for every 500 miles of distance. The auto transport driver will call ahead from the road to announce his estimated time of arrival.
Car Delivery Time Estimate
Depending on the distance, weather conditions and population centers it could be a few days or weeks until a vehicle reaches its destination. The car shipping carriers usually estimate about 10 days on coast to coast trips, but they frequently arrive earlier.
We recommend scheduling your auto transport service anywhere from two days to two weeks in advance. We are often able to assign your vehicle on the very same day, but providing us with longer lead times allows us to schedule your auto transportation easier. You want the most current car shipping cost, and you get that by staying within two weeks of your first available date to ship. Believe it or not, the auto transport service market can change quickly. It is seasonal. If the car shipping quote is too low, that can delay your order getting on the road. To avoid that, try not to book more than a month in advance and preferably within two weeks, because seasonal changes can impact the current pricing. Conversely, you should enjoy the savings if the rates were to go down, so having the most current pricing is always best. Our auto transport rate calculator on this page was the first one in the industry in 2004.
Over 90% of our car shipping orders are assigned and picked up
within one week. Mostly because the overwhelming majority of the
U.S. population lives nearby a major metropolitan area.
Yes and no. The strict interpretation is no, you can’t ship items inside your vehicle. The reality is that almost all auto transport carriers look the other way on items that weigh less than 100 pounds, roughly the equivalent of 2 suitcases. We recommend placing any additional items in the trunk and out of sight. The U.S. Transportation Law states that a carrier can be fined $10,000 for hauling household items in the vehicle, but it is rarely enforced. Please know that car delivery drivers estimate every vehicle’s weight that they carry and don’t want problems at weight scales. They must keep the personal items to a minimum to make it through the scales. Some drivers will accept a tip ($50-$250) for hauling extra stuff, and some won’t. Rule of thumb, don’t take advantage. The car transporter is there to ship a car, not move the owner’s personal belongings. Our car shipping calculator will not add a charge for extra items because it would be presumptuous to expect the driver to agree. If you want to include extra items in your vehicle, please discuss that first with the driver and come to a mutual agreement.
Direct Express Auto Transport’s original car shipping cost calculator is the easiest and most reliable. Discover how much to ship a car fast anywhere nationwide.
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New England consists of six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Despite a low population density, it is relatively easy to ship a car to any three of those six states regardless of the distance. According to the 2020 US Census, the combined New England population is roughly 15.1 million people, or about 4.5% of the total U.S. population.
Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut are easier for auto transporters than it is for Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. Boston is actually the best big hub for auto shippers from or to New England. By far, Boston is the main auto transport hub in New England.
Southern New Hampshire, for example, is fine for vehicle shipping, because of its proximity to Boston. But once an auto transport service ventures farther north into upper New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, it becomes increasingly more difficult to move cars in a timely fashion. Our first of a kind Direct Express Auto Transport cost calculator considers that hurdle and adds an incentive for the auto delivery driver.
The Eastern Seaboard states are generally considered to be New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. According to the 2020 US Census, the combined eastern states population is roughly 73.5 million people, or about 22% of the total U.S. population, which obviously helps auto transport cost and service.
New York is like a tale of two cities. The Big Apple is America’s largest city and its positive effect on auto transport companies extends to northern New Jersey, southern Connecticut and eastern Pennsylvania. Upstate New York has far more in common with New England, a mixed bag when it comes to auto transport delivery. Almost all of New Jersey is accessible, including Atlantic City.
In Delaware, Wilmington is by far the best city for auto transport cost and service. In Maryland, what is called the DC corridor, or I-95, runs from Baltimore to Washington, DC and is great for auto transport carriers anywhere. The far western and eastern regions of Maryland (next to Delaware) can be a tad slower. As always, trying to meet an auto transport driver near a big metropolitan area cures the remote location logistical hurdles. Well, that and money. Making it worth an auto transport carrier’s while to go out of his way helps a great deal too.
Southeastern Pennsylvania, in the Philadelphia area, is absolutely fantastic for auto transport rates and service. Venture to central Pennsylvania and the Pocono Mountains, however, and it gets sporadic. The warmer weather months are fine for auto transport carriers. But the winter brings a host of auto transportation logistical problems, as many remote areas become almost impassable for large car transport carriers. If you are also shipping from or to a remote location, the problem of timely auto transport delivery becomes even more pronounced.
Following I-95 straight down the corridor, and we run into Virginia, which is wonderful for auto transporters in the Arlington and Alexandria areas near D.C., and for the most part okay into Richmond and Norfolk. It gets slow in the western part of Virginia near Lynchburg, and the southwestern region as well.
North Carolina is actually easier for auto transport service carriers to Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh-Durham. However, the tawny coastal towns from Elizabeth City to Wilmington are tougher for auto transporters. The same holds true in South Carolina from Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head, with the possible exception of Charleston. Columbia is by far the best place for transporting a car in South Carolina.
Florida is probably the largest car shipping state in the country during “snowbird season”. Every year the snowbirds flock to Florida in the winter, and then return home again in the spring. An auto transport company can’t go wrong following the I-95 corridor along Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Melbourne, Port St. Lucie, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Those are all great destinations from and to Florida. According to the 2020 US Census, the Florida population has roughly 21.8 million people, or about 6.6% of the total U.S. population.
It is much the same thing on the Gulf of Mexico side, following I-75 through Tampa, St. Petersburg, Fort Myers and Naples. Shipping cars to the Gulf coast is a like an easy tropical breeze. Snowbirds from the Midwest states tend to favor the Gulf of Mexico side. The east coast folks tend to favor the Atlantic side, and in particular, New Yorkers gravitate to Miami. But really, you find people from everywhere in Florida. And many are just searching for their lost shaker of salt, as Jimmy Buffett might say.
Go south of Homestead into the Florida Keys, however, and all bets are off. Shipping a car to Key West is extremely difficult. Not many car transport carriers just passing through. Do yourself a favor by meeting an auto transport carrier in either Key Largo or Homestead. You will get the best auto transport cost and service the closer you get to Miami or Fort Lauderdale. That’s good advice to everybody in Florida.
The Midwest is generally considered to be Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. It is not hard for an auto transport company to put together a full load in the Midwest. Just look at the big cities packed so closely together: Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Saint Louis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Des Moines and Minneapolis. Those are very popular car shipping routes. The combined Midwest population is roughly 62.3 million people, or about 18.8% of the total U.S. population.
The freeway system throughout the Midwest is beautifully laid out. For that, we have President Dwight D. Eisenhower to thank. Way to go Ike! The East-West Interstates I-70, I-80, I-90 and I-94 cut through the Midwest states, while the North-South interstates I-35, I-39, I-55, I-57, I-65, I-69, I-71, I-75, I-77 and more, weave their way as well.
Being in the center of the country, folks in the Midwest are using auto transport services in every direction. Chicago is king, but there are scores of huge metropolitan areas all over the Midwest. Direct Express Auto Transport created the very first auto transport rate calculator in 2004. Try it now in the Midwest.
The southwestern states are generally considered to be Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. According to the 2020 US Census, the combined Texas, New Mexico and Arizona population is roughly 38.9 million people, or about 11.7% of the total U.S. population.
Texas is almost like two very different states. The eastern part that includes Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston, is where most of the Texas population resides, and therefore, most auto transport services happen. Dallas is one of the four easiest places to ship your car in America, the others being Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta.
The western part of Texas, including Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland and Odessa, and along the Mexican border in places like El Paso, Laredo, McAllen, are so spread out that it becomes very difficult for car transport companies to get things done quickly. The auto transport cost goes way up at the border. It is practically speaking, the end of the distribution line, folks.
New Mexico has only one reliable place for car shipping and that’s Albuquerque. No other place can be counted on, including Santa Fe. For sure vehicles are shipped all over New Mexico, like Las Cruces, but it typically takes longer than average.
In Arizona, Phoenix is wonderful for auto transport services. That includes Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale and Glendale. All wonderful for the best auto transport rates and service. Farther south, Tucson is good too. Flagstaff much less so because of the higher elevation. Use our original auto transport cost calculator to see the difference.
The western states of California, Nevada and Utah have a combined population of 45.2 million people, which is about 13.6% of the total U.S. population, according to the 2020 US Census. California alone is home to 39 million people. If it were its own country, California’s economy would rank sixth worldwide. No surprise that California is bustling with auto transport carriers. The Los Angeles basin, in particular, is a fantastic place to ship a car.
San Diego is often overlooked and in Los Angeles’ shadow. But it is a huge metropolitan center and an excellent place the best auto transport quotes and service. Once over The Los Angeles Grapevine, as they call it, which is over the San Gabriel Mountains, all of a sudden the road turns to desert. Things get tough in the desert even for towns like Bakersfield and Fresno. The Sierra Nevada Mountain range is also hard for auto transport service companies.
The San Francisco Bay Area, which also includes Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento, is wonderful for auto transport companies. Santa Cruz and Monterey are actually touch-and-go. It happens, but not as fast as you would hope. North of Sacramento, vehicle shipments slow to a crawl. If you are using our auto transport cost calculator, you will see that the best pricing is in the Los Angeles Basin and San Francisco Bay areas.
In Nevada, Las Vegas is a very popular destination for car shipping companies. Everywhere else in Nevada is a lot slower, including Reno. The same holds true for Utah, where auto transport quotes and service go very well in Salt Lake City, but for the rest of the state a customer may wait a while longer for a car shipping service.
The Pacific Northwest includes Washington, Oregon and Idaho. According to the 2020 US Census, the combined Pacific northwest population is roughly 14 million people, or about 4% of the total U.S.. It is a huge chunk of territory with only three reliable cities for car shippers, Seattle, Portland and Boise. The latter works fairly well if shipping a car in the western region, but otherwise it is not big enough to attract fast service from the eastern half of the country, or for that matter, from or to Texas.
Shipping a car from either Seattle or Portland usually goes lightning fast almost year-round. However, car shipping to Seattle or Portland is slower from anywhere, including (state), except the Pacific seaboard. The rest of Washington and Oregon is very much like Idaho when it comes to car shipping. It is tough. The Direct Express Auto Transport quote calculator will provide a reliable quote to ship your car in any of those places.
According to the 2020 US Census, the Colorado population is roughly 5.8 million people, or about 1.7% of the total U.S. population. Colorado is synonymous with the Rocky Mountains, which actually runs from Canada to New Mexico. For most of the year, an auto transport service can ship a car in a timely fashion from or to Colorado. Once the snow falls and until it melts, however, auto transport service in Colorado becomes extremely difficult. The reality of that is reflected in our auto transport cost calculator.
From April until about November, in most years, Colorado is easily accessible and inclement weather not a concern. Typically our auto transport rate calculator shows that it is cheaper shipping from Colorado, rather than transporting to it. That is especially true in the large Denver metropolitan area, and in other cities such as Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder, Aurora, Colorado Springs, Greeley, Longmont, Lakewood and Littleton.
The Southern Dixieland states are generally considered to be Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. According to the 2020 US Census, the combined southern population is roughly 39.6 million people, or about 11.9% of the total U.S. population.
Auto transport service reviews are in, and the best car shipping place in Dixie is Atlanta! In fact, Atlanta is one of the busiest auto transport service hubs in the country. Just fantastic! In Alabama, it is Birmingham that works best. The more rural locations tend to be slower for vehicle shipping.
In Mississippi, shipping a car is usually slower, save Jackson, which is only moderately better. It has to do with population size, which is smaller and for the most part very rural in Mississippi. In Louisiana, however, New Orleans, also called “The Big Easy”, is a fine place to ship a car. The rest of Louisiana is a tad slower, and the Bayou can be frustrating.
Arkansas has Little Rock to speed things along. Tennessee is much easier, because of Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville. Kentucky has the triangle cities of Louisville, Lexington and Covington, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, which is by far the best place for auto transport companies. West Virginia is the most frustrating state east of the Mississippi River, because of the Appalachian Mountains and sparse population.
The Great Plain states are Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. Amazingly, in that entire huge swath of land covering so much of the central United States, only Oklahoma City is somewhat reliable to ship a car. Isn’t that something? According to the 2020 US Census, the combined Great Plains population is roughly 12.2 million people, or about 3.7% of the total U.S. population. That’s very few folks across an incredibly large land mass.
In the Great Plains states, we recommend you get your car closer to a major interstate. We shoot straight at Direct Express Auto Transport. It serves no good purpose to sugar coat anything. There are two ways to look at it. There are so few vehicles shipping to or from the Great Plains, which can mean that what is available is actually in high demand. Conversely, there are so few cars available that it becomes difficult and expensive to amalgamate full loads, or about 10 vehicles, to or from the Great Plains. Patience becomes a virtue.
