Shipping a car could take several hours or several days. Transportation time is split up in two frames – pick-up window and delivery window. How long each window takes depends mainly on distance and location.

How long does it take to ship a car?

In logistics, by distance, we mean the exact number of miles a carrier has to travel to transport your vehicle. The exact location is another important factor that affects transport times and cost. However, other factors such as supply and demand fluctuations, road, weather and traffic conditions, as well as potential truck failures affect transport time.

As mentioned above, the total time for transporting a vehicle splits in time for pick-up and time for delivery of a vehicle. This is important to remember because both windows often vary in time. Moreover, time is always an estimate when it comes to transport.

Pick-up window time

The pick-up window is the time it takes to pick-up a vehicle. This time window starts from the first available date you designate. This is not part of the transit time and it takes on average from 1 to 5 business day. The time is always an estimate due to various factors.

When it comes to picking up a vehicle the exact location always affects the time it takes to assign a truck and send it to pick up the vehicle.

A major factor that affects the time it takes to assign a carrier and have it pick-up your vehicle is the supply and demand situation. This factor directly correlates with current market price of shipping a vehicle on a certain route. Based on whether you are ready to pay the current market price we can tell you how long it will take to assign a carrier. When supply is high this means faster service because there are more available trucks. When demand is high this means less available trucks and higher prices. When you are on a budget this means you may need to wait a bit for the demand peak to return to normal so you can book at a lower rate. This means waiting a few extra days. Supply and demand usually change daily, which means you don’t have to wait too long for a better deal.

If you are shipping a car from a remote and/or rural area, the pick- up window may take longer because exact location always affects the time for pick-up. When your pick-up location is away from a major city or highway, what you can do is meet the truck driver at or near a major city or by a major highway. This can expedite the pick-up process as well as lower your rate.

Other factors that affect pick-up window time are road and weather conditions, as well as traffic. Based on your exact pick-up location, road, weather and traffic conditions could slow down the process. Such factors are unpredictable and that is why we always emphasize that pick-up date and time are estimates. Road construction or closures, bad weather or unexpected traffic jams could prevent the truck driver from reaching your pick-up location at the appointed date or time.

Another rare factor that could affect pick-up date and time is possible truck failures. Failures to the driving train do not happen often but are not excluded. Most of the auto transport carriers in the country are older models and break-downs are possible.

Delivery window time

The second time window we take into consideration when shipping a car is the time it takes to deliver your vehicle once it has been picked up from the designated from you address.

As you see in the transit time table, the delivery time depends mainly on the distance. An estimated delivery date is provided, but factors such as weather and road conditions, as well as traffic could affect delivery time after the pick. Truck failures could also slow down the delivery.

You can request a guaranteed delivery date and time, but you have to specify this at booking. Our agents will give you a customized quote and arrange the transport.

Take a look at our transit times table below to get an idea of how long it takes to deliver a vehicle based on distance only.

Just like with the pick-up window, delivery time can be affected by the same factors, excluding supply and demand. Bad weather, traffic, road conditions or truck failures could delay delivery. However, drivers always work hard to make sure they stick to their schedule. Lost time is always a loss of profit and not a single carrier wants that. Drivers always keep customers informed about estimated delivery time, so you will always know where your vehicle is at and when it is coming.

Another important factor to mention here is speed limits. Truck drivers can not and should never speed because this could lead to fatalities on the road. The importance of adhering to regulations is huge. Truck drivers have an immense responsibility when on the road. They must follow their speed limits, they must rest when needed and stick to their work hours.

We emphasize that time is always an estimate and detail all these factors that can possibly delay a truck, but this does not mean it happens all the time. It is simply good to know that transportation is an industry that depends on many outside factors and is also heavily regulated. To all these factors we can add good communication between agents, dispatchers and truck drivers is also important to guarantee a successful vehicle transport service. 

When your service is booked with us and vehicle(s) picked-up we stay in close contact with you and with the truck driver. This is how we guarantee professional service and build relations with our carriers and our customers that last. We provide you with the carrier’s number so you can get regular updates on your vehicle’s location. Carriers always call before pick-up to confirm location and time. Then before delivery, the truck driver calls one day in advance and then a couple of hours in advance to specify the delivery date and time of your vehicle.

If you have any questions please call or email us. We are here to help you understand how auto transport works and ship your vehicle with confidence and peace of mind. Thank you.