The blog
Car shipping, one question at a time.
How to check a company, how long it takes, what to do before pickup and what to do if something goes wrong. Short guides for anyone shipping a car, the first time or the fifth.
Start here · Choosing how to ship
How to check a car shipping company before you book
Every company that arranges car transport has a federal number you can look up in 2 minutes. Here is what to look for, and what a real booking asks of you.
5 min read
Read the guideBrowse by topic.
Every guide on the blog, from checking a company to the day the car arrives.
Dates and timing
How long car shipping takes, in days
Two clocks run on every order, the wait for a carrier and the days on the truck. Here are both as figures by distance.
3 min read
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Dates and timing
How far ahead to book car shipping
2 weeks is enough for most lanes. The snowbird months and summer moves need more. Here is the calendar.
3 min read
ReadDates and timing
When a pickup or delivery date moves
Dates slip for a few ordinary reasons. What matters is hearing about it early. Here is why it happens and what we do.
3 min read
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Damage and insurance
How to file a car shipping damage claim
A claim is won or lost at the delivery inspection. Here is what to do before you sign, and how we help you put it together.
3 min read
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Damage and insurance
What carrier insurance covers when your car ships
The carrier's cargo insurance covers your car on the truck. Here is what that means, what it leaves out, and how to check it.
3 min read
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Getting ready
Getting your car ready for pickup
Half an hour the day before saves trouble on the day. A checklist for pickup, and what to check at delivery.
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Getting ready
Can you pack things in the car you ship?
Up to 200 lb in the trunk, nothing on the seats, nothing heavy or hazardous. Here is why the limit exists and what to leave out.
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Getting ready
The documents you need to ship a car
Less than most people expect. Here is the short list for an everyday move, and the extra papers for auctions and loans.
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Getting ready
Shipping a leased or financed car
You can ship a car you do not own outright. Check the contract, tell the lender if it asks, and the rest works like any other order.
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Your situation
Shipping a car you bought at auction
You won the car. Now it has to leave the yard before storage fees start. The paperwork, the timing, and cars that do not run.
3 min read
ReadYour situation
Shipping a car to another state, step by step
From the first price to registering the car at the new address. What happens at each step and how long it takes.
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Choosing how to ship
Ship it or drive it? The sums for a long move
Fuel, hotels, meals, days off work and miles on the car, set against a price. Worked through for one lane, with the figures you replace.
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Dates and timing
The best time of year to ship a car
Snowbird months, summer moves, hurricane season and winter roads north. How each season changes timing and what to plan for.
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Choosing how to ship
Open or enclosed car transport: which one your car needs
Most cars ship on an open trailer. Some are better inside one. How to decide, and what the difference costs.
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Choosing how to ship
Who actually moves your car
You book with a broker; a carrier drives the truck. What each one does, and how you find out who has your car.
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Dates and timing
What happens between booking and pickup
The days after you book are when a carrier is found and checked. Here is each step of dispatch, and what you hear at each one.
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Your situation
Shipping an electric car
Charge level, weight, transport mode and when enclosed is worth it. What changes when the car is electric.
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Your situation
Shipping your car for a PCS move
What your orders may cover, what they may not, and how to ship the car yourself around a report date.
3 min read
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See your price. Then decide.
Enter the route, the car and the first day it can go. In about a minute you see your price, open and enclosed, with a realistic pickup window.