Shipping a Car From California
California generates more outbound vehicle transport than any other state, and that volume works entirely in your favor. Carriers are constantly running loads east and north out of the Los Angeles basin and the Bay Area, so assignment is quick and rates are competitive. What needs planning is which part of California you are in, because the state is 800 miles long and behaves like three different markets.
Three Markets, Not One
Southern California, roughly Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and the Inland Empire, is the busiest vehicle transport market in the country. The port traffic, the population and the sheer volume of outbound relocation mean trucks are always available and rates are the best in the state.
The Bay Area is the second market, well served but pricier, and San Francisco itself is genuinely difficult to deliver in for reasons of geography rather than demand.
The Central Valley and the north are the third. Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield sit on Interstate 5 and Highway 99 and are straightforward. North of Sacramento and out toward the Sierra, availability thins and rates rise.
Quote from the actual city rather than “California”, because the difference between a Los Angeles pickup and one in Redding is substantial.
The Lanes Out of California
East on Interstate 10 through Phoenix and Tucson toward Texas and the Southeast is the heaviest corridor, and it runs year round because it avoids the mountains.
Interstate 40 across Arizona and New Mexico toward Oklahoma and the Southeast is the middle route. Interstate 80 north through Reno and Salt Lake toward Chicago is the northern one, and it is weather affected from November through March.
Interstate 5 handles the north to south traffic to Oregon and Washington, and it is a short, busy and inexpensive lane.
Transit is typically two to four days to Texas, four to six to the Midwest, and seven to ten to the East Coast, once a carrier is assigned.
The Outbound Imbalance
More vehicles leave California than arrive, and that shapes pricing in a way worth understanding.
Because carriers fill easily heading east and struggle to fill coming back, outbound rates from California are competitive and inbound rates are frequently higher. If you are moving to California rather than from it, expect the quote to reflect that, and expect a longer wait in the quieter months.
It also means flexibility is worth less on the outbound leg than it is elsewhere, simply because trucks are readily available. Where flexibility helps is at the destination end.
Access Around the State
Most of California is straightforward for a full size hauler. The exceptions are specific and predictable.
San Francisco is the hardest city in the state: steep hills, one way streets, permit parking, low garage clearances and nowhere legal for a 75 foot truck to stop. Delivery to a city address is frequently impossible rather than merely awkward, and a meeting point south of the city or across a bridge is normal.
Older parts of Los Angeles, the coastal canyon roads, and hillside neighborhoods anywhere have the same problem on a smaller scale. Gated communities in the Inland Empire and the desert cities commonly will not admit a commercial vehicle.
Agree a meeting point at booking where access is tight. It costs nothing when planned and costs a wasted trip when it is not.
Leaving California Permanently
A large share of these moves are people relocating out of state for good, and two administrative points come with that.
Register in the new state within its deadline, which is typically 20 to 60 days after establishing residency. Cancel the California registration rather than letting it lapse, because unpaid renewal fees continue to accrue against the vehicle and surface later as a surprise when you try to sell or transfer it.
The emissions position reverses in a useful way. A California-specification vehicle meets or exceeds the federal standard, so it can be registered anywhere without modification. Moving the other direction is where the difficulty sits, which is worth knowing if you ever bring the car back.
Tell your insurer before the car leaves rather than after it arrives. Premiums are rated on where the vehicle is garaged, and California rates are high enough that most people find the change works in their favor.
Open or Enclosed
Open transport carries the overwhelming majority of vehicles leaving California and is right for an ordinary car.
Enclosed costs 20 to 30 percent more and California generates more genuine demand for it than most states, because of the concentration of collector, exotic and modified vehicles. It is the right answer for fresh paintwork, a wrap, or anything low enough to need a lift gate rather than ramps.
Preparing the Car
Wash it so existing marks are visible, then photograph every panel in daylight, including the wheels, the lower bumpers and the rocker panels, which are what loading marks. Photograph the odometer.
Leave about a quarter tank of fuel. Empty the cabin and the trunk, since personal items are not covered by cargo insurance and they add weight. Fold the mirrors, disable a motion sensitive alarm, remove the toll transponder and hand over a physical key.
At delivery, inspect before signing and note anything unexpected on the bill of lading while the driver is present. For the wider state picture, see our California car shipping page.
Common Questions
Why is shipping out of California competitive? More vehicles leave than arrive, so carriers fill easily heading east and price accordingly.
How long to the East Coast? Seven to ten days in transit once collected, plus a few days for a carrier to be assigned.
Can a truck deliver in San Francisco? Rarely to a city address. Hills, one way streets and nowhere to stop mean a meeting point outside the core.
Does it matter where in California I am? Considerably. A Los Angeles pickup and one in the far north are different propositions on both price and wait.
Is enclosed worth it? For an ordinary car, no. California has more genuinely valuable and low cars than most states, and for those it is the right call.
Get a Quote
Call Ship A Car, Inc. at (866) 821-4555 with both zip codes, your date range and an honest description of the access at each end, or price the move with the instant calculator.
