Answers to the most common questions about shipping a car with Auto Transport Professionals.
Auto transport costs depend on distance, vehicle size, transport type (open vs enclosed), corridor demand, and your pickup and delivery locations. Short regional moves under 500 miles typically start around $400. Mid-range routes of 500 to 1,000 miles run $795 to $1,125. Cross-country shipments over 1,500 miles typically run $1,325 to $1,665 for a standard sedan on open transport. Enclosed transport adds 40 to 60 percent to those figures. Full cost breakdown →
Cross-country open transport for a standard sedan typically runs $1,325 to $1,665 depending on the specific origin and destination. High-volume corridors like Florida to California or New York to Florida tend to price at the lower end of that range because carrier competition is stronger. Thinner corridors connecting rural or lower-density states price higher. Enclosed cross-country transport starts around $2,100 and can reach $3,500 or more on longer or thinner routes.
No payment is collected upfront. You provide a credit or debit card when you book, but it is not charged at that time. Your card is charged the full quoted amount when the carrier confirms vehicle pickup. The quoted price is the total price — there are no additional fees, surcharges, or processing charges added at any point.
No. Our quotes are price-locked — the quoted price is the total price you pay. There are no processing fees, no fuel surcharges, no administrative fees, and no surprise charges after booking. What we quote is what you pay.
Yes, significantly. Larger vehicles occupy more space on the trailer and weigh more, both of which affect carrier pricing. A standard sedan is the baseline. Full-size pickups and SUVs typically run 10 to 20 percent higher. Oversized vehicles like dually cabs, lifted trucks, and extended vans push costs further. When requesting a quote, give us the accurate make, model, and any modifications so we can price it correctly.
No deposit is required and no payment is collected at booking. You provide a credit or debit card when you book to hold your order, but it is not charged until the carrier confirms vehicle pickup. You are never charged just to get in the queue.
Transit time depends on distance. Under 500 miles typically takes 1 to 3 days. Routes of 500 to 1,000 miles take 2 to 4 days. Longer routes of 1,000 to 1,500 miles take 3 to 5 days. Cross-country shipments over 1,500 miles take 4 to 7 days. These figures are transit time after pickup — keep in mind that pickup scheduling adds additional time. On high-volume corridors like Florida to New York, pickup typically happens within 1 to 3 days of your first available date.
For most routes, booking 7 to 10 days ahead gives us enough lead time to match your vehicle to a carrier already running your corridor. For cross-country moves, higher-value vehicles requiring enclosed transport, or peak snowbird season (October through February southbound, March through June northbound), booking 2 to 3 weeks ahead is advisable. Last-minute bookings are possible on high-volume corridors but typically cost more and offer less pickup flexibility.
No auto transport broker can guarantee specific dates — and any that claim to should be a red flag. What we do is work within a 3-day pickup window around your first available date and provide realistic transit time estimates based on your corridor. Carriers give 24-hour advance notice before both pickup and delivery. Weather, traffic, and multi-stop route logistics mean exact dates are estimates, not guarantees. We communicate proactively if anything changes.
On most corridors, demand is relatively stable year-round. The exception is the snowbird lanes — Florida, Arizona, and the Sun Belt states see peak northbound demand from March through June and peak southbound demand from October through February. During those windows, book earlier and expect slightly higher rates. Outside of peak snowbird season, scheduling is straightforward on most routes with standard lead time.
Delays happen occasionally due to carrier scheduling, weather, or route changes. We contact you proactively when a delay occurs and work to get the next available carrier assigned. Your price-locked rate doesn't change due to a carrier-side delay. If your timeline is critical, let us know upfront so we can factor that into carrier selection.
Yes, door-to-door is our standard service. The carrier comes to your address for pickup and delivers to your destination address. In dense urban areas or locations with narrow streets and limited truck access, the driver may need to arrange a nearby accessible meeting point — a parking lot, side street with clearance, or nearby commercial area. Our dispatch team coordinates the most practical meeting point in advance so there are no surprises on pickup day.
Door-to-door means the carrier picks up and delivers at your specified addresses. Terminal-to-terminal means you drop your vehicle at a carrier facility and pick it up at another facility near your destination. ATP provides door-to-door service exclusively. Terminal-to-terminal is less convenient, doesn't reliably save money, and adds the risk of your vehicle sitting at a facility unattended. We don't offer it because door-to-door is better for the customer in virtually every situation.
Yes. The carrier will contact you approximately 24 hours before both pickup and delivery to confirm the time and meeting point. You'll receive a second call when they're close on delivery day. If you have specific contact preferences or need to coordinate around a schedule, let your coordinator know when booking.
Someone 18 or older must be present at both pickup and delivery to conduct the vehicle inspection and sign the Bill of Lading. This does not have to be you personally — a trusted representative such as a family member, friend, neighbor, or dealership contact can handle it on your behalf. Just make sure whoever is present understands the importance of the inspection and knows to document any pre-existing or new damage before signing.
No. Carrier loading position is determined by the driver based on pickup and delivery sequence, vehicle size, and trailer weight distribution. Requesting a specific position isn't possible through a broker. If loading position is a concern — for example, you want your vehicle on the lower deck to avoid any drip from vehicles above — enclosed transport is the right solution. Enclosed carriers hold fewer vehicles and the loading environment is fully controlled.
Open transport moves your vehicle on an uncovered multi-car trailer holding 7 to 10 vehicles. It's the most common and affordable method — the same way new cars are delivered from factories to dealerships. Enclosed transport moves your vehicle inside a fully covered trailer holding 2 to 6 vehicles, protecting it from weather, road debris, and road spray. Enclosed costs 40 to 60 percent more and has more limited availability. Open is the right choice for most vehicles. Enclosed is recommended for classics, exotics, luxury vehicles over $100,000, and show cars. Open transport details → Enclosed transport details →
Yes. Open transport is the same method used to move every new vehicle from the factory to the dealership. The vast majority of vehicles shipped open arrive without any damage. Road grime and dust during transit are normal and wash off. Actual carrier-caused damage — dents, scratches from loading or transit — is rare. Every carrier in our network carries FMCSA-required cargo insurance, and the Bill of Lading inspection at pickup and delivery documents your vehicle's condition at both ends.
Most enclosed carriers are equipped with hydraulic lift gates, which raise and lower your vehicle onto the trailer without requiring it to drive up a steep ramp under load. This matters for low-clearance exotics, wide-body builds, ground-effect vehicles, and classics with stiff suspensions where ramp loading could damage the front air dam, splitter, or underside. Let us know your vehicle's clearance when requesting an enclosed quote so we can confirm lift gate availability.
Low-clearance vehicles require an enclosed carrier with a hydraulic lift gate. Standard open carriers use drive-up ramps that can scrape front splitters, air dams, and undersides on vehicles with less than 4 inches of clearance. When you request a quote, note your vehicle's ground clearance and any front-end modifications. We confirm lift gate availability with the enclosed carrier before assigning your load.
Wash the exterior thoroughly so existing scratches, dents, and paint wear are clearly visible during the pickup inspection. Remove toll transponders, parking passes, and garage door openers. Remove all loose items from the interior — personal belongings are not covered under carrier cargo insurance. Leave roughly a quarter tank of fuel — enough for loading and unloading, not so much that it adds unnecessary weight. Disable aftermarket alarms so the carrier isn't dealing with one going off in transit. Take dated photos of all sides, the roof, the underside if accessible, and the odometer before the carrier arrives. Those photos are your backup if any dispute arises.
Most carriers allow personal belongings in the trunk or cargo area up to approximately 100 pounds. Items must stay below the window line — nothing piled in the back seat or visible through the windows. Personal items cannot be fragile or high-value, and they are explicitly not covered under carrier cargo insurance. If your items are damaged or go missing, there is no recourse through the shipping claim process. Keep the vehicle as empty as practical.
A quarter tank is the standard recommendation. Enough fuel for the carrier to load, unload, and maneuver the vehicle without running dry. A full tank adds unnecessary weight, which some carriers note as a surcharge item. Avoid arriving at pickup with a nearly empty tank — if the carrier needs to move the vehicle and it won't start, that creates a problem at loading.
If your vehicle has a fixed mast antenna that extends above the roofline, removing or retracting it before pickup is a good idea. Open carriers stack vehicles on two levels, and a tall antenna can be damaged during loading or transit. Factory shark fin antennas and flush-mounted antennas are generally fine. If you're unsure, remove it — it takes 30 seconds and eliminates the risk.
Yes. Every carrier in our network is required to carry cargo insurance as a condition of their FMCSA operating authority. Before assigning a carrier to your order, we verify their insurance is active and their authority is in good standing. Coverage details vary by carrier and are confirmed before dispatch. The Bill of Lading inspection at pickup and delivery documents your vehicle's condition at both ends — that documentation is what supports any damage claim.
Transport damage is rare, but if it occurs, the process is straightforward if you followed the inspection steps. At delivery, compare the vehicle's condition against the Bill of Lading signed at pickup. If you find new damage, note it specifically on the Bill of Lading before signing and take photos immediately. Call us right away — do not let the carrier leave without documenting the damage in writing. Once you sign the delivery receipt without noting damage, filing and winning a claim becomes extremely difficult regardless of what happened. Never sign a clean delivery receipt on a damaged vehicle.
Most personal auto insurance policies do not cover damage that occurs while your vehicle is in the care, custody, and control of a carrier. Your policy may cover certain events depending on your coverage type, but carrier cargo insurance is the primary coverage during transit. Check with your insurance provider if you want to understand your specific policy's position on transport coverage.
Before assigning any carrier to a customer's load, we verify active FMCSA operating authority, current cargo insurance, and a satisfactory safety rating through FMCSA's SAFER database. Carriers with suspended authority, lapsed insurance, or unsatisfactory safety records are not dispatched. This vetting happens on every order — not just at onboarding — because carrier status can change. Our MC# is 1302183 and USDOT# is 3710693, both verifiable at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov.
Yes. Non-running vehicles can be shipped as long as they roll, steer, and brake — those three functions allow the carrier to safely load and unload the vehicle using standard equipment. If your vehicle cannot roll under its own power or cannot be steered, the carrier will need a winch to load it, which typically adds $225 to $500 to the cost. If the vehicle is completely immobile, a flatbed or specialized equipment may be required. Always disclose the vehicle's condition when requesting a quote so we can match the right carrier and equipment from the start.
Snowbird shipping follows the same process as any other shipment — get a quote, confirm booking, carrier assigned, pickup, transit, delivery. The key difference is timing. Northbound season (Florida and Sun Belt to the Northeast and Midwest) peaks from March through June. Southbound season peaks from October through February. Carrier availability tightens during peak windows and rates nudge upward. Book 2 to 3 weeks ahead during peak season to secure your preferred pickup window and lock in your rate before demand spikes. Flexibility on your exact pickup date by a few days helps significantly on busy corridors.
Technically yes — open carriers are fully insured and the vast majority of vehicles arrive without damage. However, most classic and collector car owners choose enclosed transport for peace of mind. Show-quality paint, irreplaceable bodywork, and original finishes are difficult or impossible to replace if damaged. The enclosed premium — typically 40 to 60 percent over open — is small relative to the value of most collector vehicles. If your classic is a driver-quality car rather than a show car, open transport is a reasonable choice. If it's a show or concours vehicle, enclosed is the right call.
Yes. Motorcycle transport requires specific carriers and equipment — motorcycles cannot ride in a standard multi-car auto carrier. We work with carriers that specialize in motorcycle transport, using enclosed trailers with soft-tie systems or crated shipping depending on the bike and distance. Rates for motorcycle shipping are typically lower than car transport given the smaller footprint, but availability on thinner corridors may require additional lead time. Mention the make, model, and whether it runs when requesting your quote.
Cancellations made seven or more days before your scheduled pickup date are free — no fee at all. Cancellations three to six days before pickup incur a $95 fee. Cancellations less than 72 hours before pickup incur a fee equal to 25% of the total transport fee. Once a carrier has been dispatched and is en route to pickup, cancellation is not permitted and the full transport fee applies. If you need to change your pickup date or modify your order, contact us as early as possible — most changes can be accommodated without issue. All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing via email.
To get an accurate quote we need: your vehicle's year, make, and model; pickup and delivery zip codes or cities; your first available shipping date; whether the vehicle runs; and whether you want open or enclosed transport. The more accurate the information, the more accurate the quote. Modifications that affect size or clearance — lift kits, wide body kits, oversized tires — should be mentioned so we can price accordingly.
Yes. Multi-vehicle shipments on the same route are common — snowbirds shipping two vehicles, dealerships moving inventory, families relocating with multiple cars. We coordinate multi-vehicle loads and can often get them onto the same carrier when timing and space allow, which simplifies the logistics on your end. Contact us directly for multi-vehicle pricing.
Call or text us directly — we're available Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM ET.
