Cross country car shipping is something people will do only once or twice in their lifetime, and many not at all. For whatever reason, frequent moves, collecting cars or buying and selling vehicles as a business venture, there are people who ship cars on a regular basis. But they are the minority.

Direct Express Auto Transport researched recent New Jersey vehicle shipments on a popular carrier load board, and found only 14% were shipping a car across country, over 2,000 miles. 

However, the same research for California vehicle shipments revealed that 51% were shipping a car cross country (over 2,000 miles). It makes sense because there are so many more states with higher populations nearer New Jersey than California. On any given day, there are several thousand vehicles shipping across country, and during peak periods it can rise to over ten thousand vehicles.

• Book your order no sooner than 3 weeks before you want it delivered.

Why? Because you want only current market pricing. Booking too early is often a mistake because auto transport costs change every month. Book your order at too low a price and your order may struggle to ship. 

• Book your order no later than 2 weeks before you want it delivered.

Why? Because it takes several days in transit to ship your car across the country. But it may also take several days, especially if you opted for the lowest Standard Rate and did not select Expedited Rate, to even find or assign a carrier to haul your vehicle. 

• Remember that you are competing with other customers for space on a car transport carrier. You have not reserved a spot on a carrier even if booking early. Highest paying orders ship first regardless of when the order is placed. 

Why? Customers place orders with auto transport brokers, who then communicate with vehicle shipping carriers. The carriers have no idea and do not concern themselves with when a customer booked an order, nor how long they have been waiting to ship. Carriers choose the highest paying orders. Period. 

• Plan on a coast to coast vehicle shipment taking 8-10 days on the road. Also plan on a broker taking 1-8 days to find a carrier to transport your vehicle. 

1. The fastest time frame might be around 9 days start to finish.
2. It is not unusual for the time frame to be around 18 days start to finish. 
3. Most orders are somewhere between 9 and 18 days from start to finish.
4. Adding money by selecting either the Expedited or Rush rate service usually makes the experience go faster and smoother.
   
   

• Sometimes nothing works to get an order shipped in a timely fashion. Or at all. Here’s why:
  
  

1. Because either the origin or destination location is very remote and no carrier is planning on making that run. 
2. 
   Because the vehicle is too big and intrudes on a second or even third space and there isn’t enough money to compensate the carrier.
3. Because sometimes the customer booked way too early at too low a price for the current market. 
4. Because sometimes the broker made a mistake in pricing, and set the order too low, below current market rates. 
5. Because sometimes the vehicle is non-running and the carriers are so busy with plenty of running cars that they don’t want to hassle with it. 
6. Because there is something unusual or too difficult with the vehicle, such as extremely low ground clearance (4 inches or less) and should go Enclosed Transport, not Open-Air Carrier. 
7. Or is extremely old and might fall apart on the road. 
8. Or is extremely expensive and the carrier is afraid of the liability. 

• Have a backup contact at either the origin or destination.

Why? Because shipping a car from yourself to yourself is extremely difficult. Everything has to go perfect for it to work. And the word “perfect” is rarely applied to the unscientific auto transport industry. Having a backup contact at either end helps alleviate stress for everybody. 

• Speaking of tips, the carrier driver transporting your car will do far more for you than any waiter in a restaurant, whom you probably tip nicely. A car transport driver who takes good care of your vehicle probably deserves a $50-$100 tip, don’t you think?

There are five methods for shipping a car across country, or coast to coast. But really, only two that are popular. The other three are simply possibilities.

By far, the two most popular car shipping methods are by truck – Open Carrier and Enclosed Carrier.

• Open Car Transport Trucks / Over 95% of all vehicle shipping is done by Open-Air Carrier. The same kind of trucks you see on the highway delivering new vehicles to dealerships. It is relatively safe, which is why car manufacturers use it, and also a cheap and reliable method. 
• Enclosed Car Transport Trucks / About 3% of all vehicle shipping are done in an Enclosed Carrier. The beauty of that is the protection it affords from inclement weather, storms, hail, dirt and so on. Expensive vehicles or collector cars often use Enclosed Carrier. It is about 35-50% more costly than Open Carrier.
• Rail Vehicle Shipping / A very small percentage of people ship their car by rail. Think of it as snail mail. It often takes the better part of a month to drop off a car at a rail station for across country car shipping. It is a very cheap method, but can be frustrating for a customer logistically. We don’t recommend it for the general public, but it can be a good economical decision for a business with a fleet of cars.
• Ocean Car Shipping / Like rail vehicle shipping, ocean car shipping can be an affordable method, but it too can take a long time. If shipping a car to or from Hawaii or Alaska, it makes plenty of sense. Here’s a good tip for a Hawaiian car shipper, Matson. 

Air Auto Shipping / It probably is not on your radar because the cost of it is so over the top, but some people actually fly their car across country. Must be nice to have the bucks to do that, right? For the general public, it’s hardly worth mentioning.

A good example would be Los Angeles, California to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, because both those cities have all five elements available: Open-Air Carrier, Enclosed Car Transport, Rail Vehicle Shipping, a port for Ocean Shipping, and finally a major airport for flying a vehicle. 

Here is the average price for all five car shipping methods:

• Open Car Transport Trucks / $1,494 total cost 
• Enclosed Car Transport Trucks / $2,299 total cost 
• Rail Vehicle Shipping / A very small percentage of people ship their car by rail. Think of it as snail mail. It often takes the better part of a month to drop off a car at a rail station for across country car shipping. It is a very cheap method, but can be frustrating for a customer logistically. We don’t recommend it for the general public, but it can be a good economical decision for a business with a fleet of cars.
• Ocean Car Shipping / $3,091 total cost / Takes two steps Philadelphia to Honolulu: $1,494 Open-Air Carrier Philadelphia to L.A.. Plus $1,597 Los Angeles to Honolulu, Hawaiian car shipper, Matson.
• Air Auto Shipping / $5,000 total cost

Waiting for a carrier assignment can sometimes take as long or longer than the actual car shipment. Adding additional sums will likely cut down on the wait time for a carrier. Here is an average: 

Car Shipping Across Country / 3,000 miles

• 1-8 days for your broker to assign a carrier
• 2 days for carrier pick up
• 1 day for carrier to load all his vehicles
• 7-9 days in transit / on the road
• 1 day for carrier to unload all his vehicles

Total 10-21 days from start to finish for an average vehicle shipment order. Includes everything.

Before your car is shipped, it’s a good idea to clean it thoroughly. It will not only make your vehicle look better, but it will also help to identify any existing damage that may need attention. When cleaning your car, please take photos of any scratches, dents, or other imperfections so you can document their existence before shipping.

Remove Personal Items From Your Car

Remove personal items from your car before it is shipped, including GPS devices, cell phones, and other things you wouldn’t want to leave in your vehicle during transit. 

Additionally, remove any after-market additions, such as spoilers or roof racks, as they can quickly become damaged during transit. 

Do not keep any valuable items in your vehicle. Remember that the carrier is responsible only for your car, not for any additional items you have confined to your trunk. Rarely is anything stolen during car transport, but why tempt?

Secure Loose Parts On the Vehicle

Before vehicle shipping, secure any loose parts on your car. That includes items like antennas, hood ornaments, and mirrors. 

Provide Detailed Vehicle & Contact Information

When preparing for car shipping, it’s crucial to provide your car shipping company with detailed information about your car. That includes information about its make, model, and year, as well as its current condition. Additionally, be sure to provide the company with information about your pick-up and delivery locations and your desired shipping dates.

Only A Quarter Tank Of Gas

Carriers prefer only about a quarter tank of gas in the vehicle, so it’s good to have that in mind upon placing your order. The fuel in your tank is unnecessary extra weight, and too much might spill onto other vehicles.

Vehicle Shipping Contacts Arranged

If you can’t be present at either end of the car shipment, please designate someone else to inspect the vehicle with the driver. 

Disable Alarms and Security Systems

Before shipping your car, disable any alarms and security systems. That will prevent the alarm from sounding during transport and causing a disturbance.

Check Your Vehicle’s Other Fluids

Check your car’s fluids, such as oil and coolant, to ensure they are at the proper levels. If the levels are low, add more liquid to ensure your car runs smoothly during transport.

Check Your Tires

Check the tires on your car to ensure they have the proper air pressure and are in good condition. If the tires are too worn or damaged, replace them before shipping. Loading a car with low air pressure or flat tires is very difficult.

• You want the most current vehicle transport market pricing. Booking your order no sooner than 3 weeks before you want it delivered keeps you from having too low a quote, or on the other hand, from paying too high a price.
• The actual transit time on the road is about one day for every 500 miles distance, plus one or two days for carrier loading and unloading. Most cross-country vehicle shipments take 7-10 days, sometimes longer. A good average is 14 days, or 2 weeks.
• Car shipping is not first come, first serve. You are actually competing with other customers for space on an auto transport carrier. The highest paying orders will undoubtedly ship first regardless of when the order is placed. When in doubt, add a little more.