Car shipping
Auto transport and car shipping
Open or enclosed, door to door or terminal to terminal, on the same order as the household goods. Covered by the auto carrier’s own cargo policy, which is a separate limit from the one on your furniture.
- Open or enclosed your call, priced separately
- $100k / $500k cargo cover, open or enclosed
- One order booked with the household move
- USDOT 2138595 · MC-744411 checkable on FMCSA SAFER
What auto transport involves: open or enclosed
There are two ways a car travels and the choice is mostly about what the car is. An open trailer carries seven to ten vehicles, is what most cars ship on, and exposes them to weather and road debris the way driving would. An enclosed trailer carries two to six, is walled, and costs substantially more. It is the right answer for a collectible, a low-clearance car, a fresh restoration, or anything where a stone chip is not an acceptable outcome.
Where the car is handed over
Door to door means the truck comes as close to your address as it legally and physically can, which on a narrow residential street may be a wider road nearby rather than your curb. A car carrier is around eighty feet long. Terminal to terminal means you drop off and collect at a yard, which is cheaper and slower.
Your household valuation does not cover the car
Full value protection and released value are tariff levels of liability on a household goods shipment. A vehicle travels under the auto carrier’s own cargo policy, which is a different instrument with a different limit. So there is a number to ask for, and it is not the same number as the one on your furniture. Ours is $100,000 on an open trailer and $500,000 enclosed.
Why the car goes on the same order
Booking both on one order is not a discount trick. One coordinator holds both dates, which is what stops a car arriving three weeks before anybody is there to receive it.
- Open trailer
- 7–10 cars the standard, and what most cars ship on
- Enclosed trailer
- 2–6 cars collectible, low clearance, fresh paint
- Cargo cover
- $100k / $500k open / enclosed, separate from HHG valuation
- Carrier length
- ~80 ft why door to door sometimes means the next street
The cover figures are ours. The point that a vehicle is not covered by the household goods valuation is a consequence of the two being different instruments. Ask any auto carrier for their cargo limit in writing.
Three things that decide an auto quote
What changes the price of car shipping
Season moves auto transport pricing more than almost any other service we sell, and it moves it by direction.
Both ways the lane prices differently by direction
Season, and which way you are going
Auto transport is a directional market. Northbound and southbound capacity on the same lane can price very differently in the same week, because the trailers follow demand: the Northeast and Midwest into Florida and Arizona in autumn, the reverse in spring. Booking against the flow is cheaper and booking with it is faster. A coordinator will tell you which one you are doing before you commit to a date.
2 policies, not one
The cover on the car is a separate number
Your household goods travel under a tariff level of liability on the bill of lading. Your car travels under the auto carrier's cargo policy. They are different instruments with different limits, and a customer who chose full value protection for the furniture has not thereby chosen anything for the car. Ask for the auto figure specifically. Ours is $100,000 open and $500,000 enclosed, and the condition report signed at pickup is what any claim is measured against.
~80 ft a loaded car carrier
Eighty feet does not fit down every street
Door to door is a real service and it is also a phrase that oversells itself. A loaded carrier is around eighty feet long and cannot legally turn into a lot of residential streets, so the last hundred yards is often a meeting point on a wider road nearby. That is normal, it is not a downgrade, and knowing it in advance is the difference between a five-minute handover and an argument on the day.
Cover figures are ours and are stated here as the page of record. Seasonality is a market observation rather than a published statistic, and it is described as one.
What it costs
What changes the figure
Auto transport is priced on the vehicle, the trailer type and the lane. This is the structure of the price rather than the price itself.
| Vehicle | Open trailer | Enclosed | Cargo cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedan or hatchback the usual case | Standard rate | Premium | $100k / $500k |
| SUV, van or pickup priced on footprint and weight | Above standard | Premium | $100k / $500k |
| Low clearance or modified ramp angle decides feasibility | Case by case | Recommended | $100k / $500k |
| Collectible or restoration declare the value before booking | Not advised | Yes | $500k enclosed |
| Non-running tell us before the truck is dispatched | Winch required | Winch required | $100k / $500k |
Dollar figures for transport are deliberately absent until the rate table exists: the lane, the season and the direction move an auto quote too much for a published number to be honest. The cover limits are firm.
Get a price for the carHow a car ships
Four stages. The condition report at stage two is the document that matters.
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Book with the move
One order, one coordinator holding both dates, so the car and the furniture do not arrive three weeks apart.
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Condition report
Photographed and signed at pickup, front and back. This is what a claim is measured against, so walk round it with the driver rather than after.
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Prepare the car
Quarter tank of fuel, no loose items inside, alarm off, and anything that could come off in wind removed. Tell us in advance if it does not run.
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Receive it
Inspect against the pickup report before you sign. Anything new is noted at delivery, with the driver present.
Open or enclosed
One decision does most of the work
Almost every auto transport question reduces to this choice. The rest is scheduling.
- Open
- 7–10 cars, the standard, weather exposed
- Enclosed
- 2–6 cars, walled, for collectible or low clearance
- $100k / $500k
- cargo cover, open or enclosed
Enclosed: walled, strapped, and priced for cars where a stone chip is not acceptable.
What the household cover paysWhat customers said about shipping a car
“He recommended Cross Country Movers because he's used them before with no issues . I gave them a ring and set up a pick up day. They gave me a flat fee for the delivery and I had my car in no time !”
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Jared B.
Read on YelpThey showed up right on time and worked all day until 10pm. Our law office has very heavy furniture and never once did in hear a complaint. I fully recommend this company for a local business move or moving your home!! Very reasonable price with a discount for paying cash. Read the full review Read less
They showed up right on time and worked all day until 10pm. Our law office has very heavy furniture and never once did in hear a complaint. I fully recommend this company for a local business move or moving your home!! Very reasonable price with a discount for paying cash. Thanks for your hard work. Jared
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Derrick V.
Read on GoogleThanks to these guys, my move was easy and fast. They were recommended by a friend and he insisted I hire them. And I am glad I listened to her. After booking this team for my move, I was still a bit worried. But they clearly changed all that on the moving day. Read the full review Read less
Thanks to these guys, my move was easy and fast. They were recommended by a friend and he insisted I hire them. And I am glad I listened to her. After booking this team for my move, I was still a bit worried. But they clearly changed all that on the moving day. The foreman and his 3 helpers came on time and were very active. They did not sit around and do nothing, they worked the entire time. As a result of their hard work, all my things were intact. Thank you very much.
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Deirdre Maier
I used his moving company to relocate my entire office to a different location. Those guys are great. They packed everything carefully, nothing got damage, they are very professional and friendly. I highly recommend them.
Yelp
Ship the car on the same order
One coordinator, both dates, and a cargo limit in writing.
The other four
All servicesEverything is priced separately, so you can take one of these or all of them.
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Long distance moving
Interstate household moves priced by weight and mileage, on a binding estimate, with a written delivery spread.
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Packing and crating
Partial or full, materials included, with custom crates for what will not survive a carton.
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Storage
Thirty days included on a long distance move, in a facility we control, released on a date you set.
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Moving insurance
What released value and full value protection actually pay, and the one thing neither covers.
Loading, strapping and the condition report
Every car is photographed at pickup and again at delivery. The two reports together are what settles any question about a mark that was or was not there before.
Where cars ship from most
A second car that cannot be driven across is one of the most common reasons an auto order is added to a household move, and these are the cities where it comes up most.
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Movers in Los Angeles
two-car households
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Movers in Phoenix
the southbound season
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Movers in Miami
the other end of the lane
Is my car covered by the valuation I chose for the furniture?
No. Full value protection and released value are levels of liability on a household goods shipment. A vehicle travels under the auto carrier's own cargo policy, which is a separate instrument with its own limit. Ask for that figure specifically; ours is $100,000 on an open trailer and $500,000 enclosed.
Open or enclosed?
Open for almost everything: it is what most cars ship on and the exposure is comparable to driving the route. Enclosed for a collectible, a low-clearance car, a fresh restoration, or anything where road debris is not an acceptable risk.
Does door to door mean my driveway?
It means as close as the truck can legally and physically get. A loaded carrier is around eighty feet long, so on a narrow residential street the handover is often on a wider road nearby. We tell you in advance rather than on the day.
Can I leave things in the car?
No. Personal items in a vehicle are not part of the cargo cover and shift in transit. Quarter tank of fuel, nothing loose inside, alarm off.
Will it cost more in one direction than the other?
Often, yes. Auto transport capacity follows seasonal demand, so the same lane can price quite differently northbound and southbound in the same week. Booking against the flow is usually cheaper.
Can you ship a car that does not run?
Yes, with a winch, and we need to know before the truck is dispatched, because a non-running vehicle changes which equipment can take the job.
Do the car and the furniture arrive together?
Not necessarily on the same vehicle, but booked on one order they are scheduled against each other by one coordinator, which is what stops a car arriving weeks before anybody is there to sign for it.
Get the car priced with the move
One call. No deposit to get a number.
Get a price for shipping your car
Two ZIP codes and a date is enough to start. Tell us the vehicle and whether it runs, and a coordinator confirms trailer type and cover before anything is booked.