On a relocation the transport is rarely the hard part. Sequencing it against everything else is. You have a start date, a lease or closing, a household shipment with its own timetable, and possibly a flight. A car moves on a pickup window rather than an appointment, so the job is fitting that window into a week where several other things are also moving. Do that deliberately and it is a non event. Leave it until the last fortnight and it becomes the thing that goes wrong.
Work Backwards From the Date That Cannot Move
Every relocation has one fixed point. Usually it is a start date at work, sometimes a lease beginning or a closing. Identify it first and plan everything else against it.
Then set the car to arrive two or three days after you do, not the same day. You will be dealing with keys, utilities, deliveries and probably a household shipment, and adding a driver wanting a signature to that morning helps nobody. Arriving slightly after you is also insurance against the ordinary slippage that any transport window carries.
Book one to two weeks ahead on most lanes, three to four if you are moving between June and August when the whole country moves at once. Transit counts from pickup rather than from booking, which is the number people most often misjudge.
Ship or Drive
Worth doing the arithmetic honestly rather than assuming driving is free because you already own the car.
Under roughly 500 miles, driving usually wins if you have the day. Beyond that the sums change: a 1,500 mile drive is two or three days of fuel, two nights of lodging, meals, the working days you give up and 1,500 miles of wear. Add a one way flight if someone has to come back. Counted properly, transport is often cheaper as well as easier.
If you own two vehicles and plan to drive one, ship both together rather than separately. Two cars on one booking is almost always cheaper per vehicle than two bookings, even when the second is collected later.
Fitting It Around the Household Move
The two services run on different clocks and it catches people out. Household movers want six to eight weeks of notice and give a delivery spread of several days on a long move. Auto transport wants one to two weeks and gives a pickup window.
Book the household move first and fix its dates, then place the car around them. Doing it the other way round means rescheduling the car when the van line assigns a different window. Our guide to shipping a car and household goods together covers the sequencing properly.
One rule that is not negotiable: do not put boxes in the car. Carriers are not licensed to haul household goods, personal items are not covered by cargo insurance, and the added weight affects the load.
Who Hands It Over and Who Receives It
Someone has to walk the vehicle with the driver and sign the condition report at both ends. On a relocation that is frequently not the same person, because people commonly fly ahead of their car.
A friend, relative, neighbor, colleague or property manager can act at either end, provided the carrier knows in advance who it will be and has their number. Send whoever receives the car your pickup photographs, and make sure they understand that signing a clean report is a formal statement that the vehicle arrived undamaged rather than a receipt for delivery.
If you genuinely cannot arrange anyone, say so at booking rather than on the day. There are options, but they need planning.
The Two Administrative Jobs People Forget
Both are quick, both are cheaper handled early, and both cause real problems when they are left.
Tell your insurer the garaging address is changing. Auto policies are rated on where the car sits overnight, so a new state, or even a new zip code, changes the premium. It is a short call and it removes any question about coverage.
Check the registration rules for your new state. Most give new residents a defined window after establishing residency, often 30 days, and many require an inspection or emissions test. California is the notable case, because it will not register certain out of state vehicles at all. Confirm that before the car is on a truck rather than after it arrives.
Preparing the Car
Standard preparation applies and the pre-pickup checklist covers it. Wash the car so existing marks are visible, photograph every panel in daylight including the roof, empty it completely, and leave about a quarter tank of fuel. Remove any toll transponder.
Do all of that a few days early rather than on moving morning. The documentation you produce at pickup is what any claim rests on, and a relocation week is a poor time to be doing it carefully.
At delivery, inspect before signing. Compare against your photographs and the pickup report, check the roof and lower panels, start the engine, and note anything unexpected on the bill of lading while the driver is present.
Common Questions
How far ahead should I book? One to two weeks on most lanes, three to four in summer. Transit counts from pickup, not booking.
Should the car arrive before or after me? Two or three days after. You will have enough happening on arrival day.
Is shipping cheaper than driving? Beyond about 500 miles, often yes, once fuel, lodging, lost work days and wear are counted honestly.
Can I pack boxes in the car? No. Carriers are not licensed for household goods and personal items are not insured.
Do I have to be there? Someone does, at both ends. It can be anyone you nominate in advance.
Get a Quote
Call Ship A Car, Inc. at (866) 821-4555 with your start date and both addresses, or price the move with the instant calculator.
