California Car Shipping

For a standard sedan on an open carrier, the table runs $1,500 to $1,850 from New York to Los Angeles, $1,200 to $1,550 from Miami to Los Angeles, $1,200 to $1,300 from Chicago to Los Angeles, $800 to $1,100 from Dallas to Los Angeles and $850 to $1,100 from Seattle to Los Angeles. Those five come from our own orders and describe the trip into California only. Inside the state, $550 to $850 covers San Francisco and Los Angeles in either direction, and our cost guide shows how distance drives the rest.

Counted from loading, San Francisco to Los Angeles takes 1-2 days, Seattle to Los Angeles 2-3 days and Dallas to Los Angeles 3-4 days. Chicago to Los Angeles runs 4-6 days, while New York to Los Angeles and Miami to Los Angeles each take 5-7 days. A pickup in Los Angeles, the Bay Area or Sacramento is usually simpler to schedule than one in the Sierra foothills or the far north, where the carrier may need extra days to work the stop into its route.

Often not with a full-size hauler, and that is normal. A 75-foot rig cannot work a San Francisco hill or a narrow Los Angeles side street, so the driver arranges a wide-lot handoff nearby, usually a big parking lot a few minutes away. You lose nothing on service; the inspection and paperwork happen the same way.

Yes. The carrier’s cargo policy covers the car in transit up I-5 or across the desert, and we verify that policy and the carrier’s federal authority before assigning the move. The bill of lading is the record: walk around the car with the driver at pickup, note any marks, including the parking-garage scuffs a city car collects, and check it against the same sheet at delivery.

Plan on an empty car. A carrier may allow one soft bag of up to about 100 pounds in the trunk, but the cargo policy does not cover anything inside the vehicle, and visible bags invite break-ins at overnight stops along I-5 or I-10. Surfboards, laptops and boxes from the apartment should travel with you or the movers.

Open transport is the standard from San Diego to Redding, and it is the lower price. Enclosed costs roughly a third more and suits exotics, classics and lowered cars, from a Malibu garage to a Palo Alto driveway. Around Monterey Car Week in August, covered trailers fill early with show and auction cars, so book them well ahead.

Check California DMV and CARB registration rules for that specific vehicle before it ships, especially for newer cars. California regulates vehicles more tightly than any other state, and five minutes of checking beats a surprise at registration. We move the car; the paperwork side goes smoother when it is confirmed in advance.

Take everything out of the cabin and trunk before the driver arrives: laptops, surf gear, boxes from the apartment, chargers. Carrier cargo insurance covers the vehicle and not its contents, and loose items slide on a long haul over the Grapevine or across the desert. If your coordinator approves a small bag of soft goods, keep it under the trunk lid and light.

Wash the car and photograph it in soft light, since California sun glare hides swirl marks and small dings. Cover every panel, the wheels, the glass, the roof, and the odometer with time-stamped shots the day before pickup. Those pictures are the baseline for the inspection when the car reaches its destination.

Remove or bag your FasTrak transponder before loading. A live transponder riding an open carrier can rack up toll and express-lane charges at every gantry the truck passes between pickup and delivery.

A quarter tank is the target for a California pickup. It covers loading, unloading, and the drive to a station in Los Angeles, San Diego, or the Bay Area without adding weight to a trailer that will cross scales at the state line. Fill up after delivery, not before.

Carriers may refuse a vehicle with an active oil or coolant leak, because it drips onto the cars racked below. Have leaks fixed first. Flag anything the driver should know: a lowered suspension that needs a shallow loading angle, a battery that struggles, a hard-to-find alarm switch, or a manual gearbox. The right rig and the right driver show up when we know in advance.

A loaded car hauler is 75 to 80 feet long and cannot climb a steep San Francisco street or squeeze down a narrow side street in Los Angeles. Pick a big lot nearby, such as a supermarket lot off Ventura Boulevard or a home improvement store lot, and the handoff takes only a few minutes.

Whether the car leaves a Bay Area apartment or a house near Camp Pendleton, someone 18 or older has to hand over the keys and sign the bill of lading at pickup, and someone has to inspect the car and sign at delivery. If you fly out before the car leaves or start a lease after it arrives, name a roommate, building manager or relative for that end, and send them your pickup photos so the check is a real comparison.