How long does it take to transport my vehicle? What is a typical pick up and delivery time frame?
Car transport usually takes between 1-6 calendar days from the date a car is picked up to when it’s dropped off. A driver typically covers about 500 miles per day. The first available pickup date for car shipping is most often 2-7 business days after an order is placed, and express auto transport is frequently available in 24-72 hours.
Your pickup window depends on whether you select "open/standard" or "express" shipping.
Standard Shipping pickup date is usually 2-7 business days after your order is placed. Actual pick-up and drop-off dates may have a margin of +/- 1 or 2 days.
Express Shipping offers pickup within 1-3 days and a choice of guaranteed (a) pickup date or (b) drop-off date or (c) shortest possible time-interval between pickup and drop-off. Express not available on all routes.
the following date-ranges are typical.
| Miles
| Calendar Days
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Of course while the "rule of thumb" above can be helpful, actual times may vary depending on
We recommend you call us at least 3-10 days before you need pickup -- but not more than 2 weeks in advance. We look forward to serving you.
Once the vehicle is physically on the truck the estimated ship time does vary on the length of transport. Generally cross country you are looking at a transit time of 7-10 days. 3/4 of the country is generally about 5-7 days. North to South is about 3-5 days. State to state could take about a day or two. These dates are all ESTIMATIONS. Sadly no company can ever guarantee a specific date of pick up or delivery. Any company that offers that, I would advise you to run away from that company. It is tough in this industry to get a carrier ASAP so it is best to book in the transport at least a week before the First Available Date to ensure the transport goes smoothly without any hick-ups or stress. Its best to look for those companies that are honest and upfront about their policies to ensure you are not walking into a company that will promise you the world but not live up to their part of the bargain.
The average waiting time to have your vehicle picked up from the first available pick up date is 2-3 days, depending on the pick up and delivery locaiton. Once the vehicle has been picked up, depending on how far your car is going to, it will be put in one of the three categories. Shorter distances typically take 2-3 days, if you are moving half way accross the country 3-5 days. Almost on the other side of the country would mean 5-7 days and coast to coast could take 6-9 days for your vehicle to be delivered. Each transport scenario is different, depending on weather, pick up or delivery locaiton and the budget that is set for a particular transport.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It really depends on the distance of the route. For example a trip from NY to CA usually takes 7-10 days. A trip from NY to FL usually takes 2-4 days.
Transport time(s) are determined on many factors such as...the number of cars also being transported/delivered on their trailer, mileage, and most importantly if the carriers are single or team drivers. Drivers must adhere to the USDOT regulations and can only drive a certain number of hours daily. Now with the new USDOT electronic logs, it is very strict and virtually impossible for drivers to drive longer than htey should. This was caused by many accidents by sleepy drivers. We prefer, and typically, use team drivers as they can drive double the amount of hours, making their schedules much faster and safer.
Pickup and delivery window restrictions should be included in the details of your listing. By being upfront about timing expectations you can ensure a safe and prompt transport experience.
Time frames for delivery depend on distance of route. A good rule of thumb to follow is North to South/South to North FL-NY/NY-FL on average takes 3-5 days. West to East/East to West NY-CA/CA-NY on average takes 7-10 days. Knowing this information its easier to figure out estimated transit time for routes in between. FL-NC, 2-3 days. NY to NE 5-7 days.
The time it takes to transport your vehicle depends on the miles it is being transported, generlly, carriers are able to drive 500 miles per day, so for example, a 2000 mile trip would generally take about 4 days.
Many factors play into the time frame including, but not limited to, pick-up and delivery locations, time of year, possible unforeseen road delays, etc.
In a perfect world, pick up will be within 1-7 days and delivery within 1-10 days depending on the total distance. Keep in mind, in most cases shipping and delivering within 30 miles of a metropolitan will make things run cheaper, smoother and quicker so make sure to explore all options. Every move is different and should be treated on an individual basis!
It is suggested to be as flexible as possible with dates, within reason of course. It is not advised to book a flight or commit to any concrete plans that may revolve around shipment, things do go wrong that are out of human control. Any reputable broker or carrier will tell you, EXACT DATES ARE NEVER GUARANTEED! Wait until you have a set pick-up and delivery date(s) for shipment, leave margin for error and always have a back up plan!
