Tennessee Car Shipping

For a standard sedan on an open carrier, the table runs $800 to $1,150 between New York and Nashville, $550 to $850 between Chicago and Nashville, $800 to $900 from Nashville to Orlando, $1,300 to $1,650 from Los Angeles to Nashville, $550 to $850 between Memphis and Dallas, and $550 to $850 between Memphis and Knoxville inside the state. The Orlando and Los Angeles figures run one way only, in the direction shown, and every figure is a range rather than a quote. Our car shipping cost guide fills in what customers paid for Tennessee trips of other lengths.

Counted from loading, New York is 2-3 days from Nashville, Chicago 1-2 days, Nashville to Orlando 2-3 days, Los Angeles to Nashville 4-6 days, Memphis to Dallas 1-2 days and Memphis to Knoxville 1-2 days across the state. Before loading, allow a pickup window of a few days for a carrier to be assigned; a Gatlinburg cove or a Cumberland Plateau address in Tennessee may meet the truck in town, which we arrange during that window.

Yes, door to door where the road allows. Knoxville, Johnson City and the Tri-Cities sit on I-40, I-81 and I-26, so they usually take driveway service. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and the mountain coves are hard country for a long trailer, so those deliveries finish with a meet point in Sevierville or near the interstate, arranged when you book.

Yes, under the assigned carrier’s cargo policy, which we verify along with operating authority before the car ever loads. The bill of lading is the record that matters: walk the car with the driver at pickup, photograph it, and inspect against that same document at delivery.

Keep it to one soft bag under about 100 pounds, strapped down in the trunk, and nothing visible in the cabin. Carrier cargo policies cover the vehicle only, and trucks overnight at busy I-40 stops where a packed car invites attention. Everything else ships better with your household goods.

Open transport is the standard and the cheaper of the two, and an everyday car is well served by it. Enclosed costs about a third more and is the better pick for a collector car, a low-clearance build or a show car headed to a cruise-in, since it keeps road spray and weather off the paint.

Door to door across all three Grand Divisions, wherever the street takes a 75-foot rig. Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville sit on I-40, Clarksville and Chattanooga on I-24, and a rural or mountain address usually meets the truck at a lot near the highway; a tight downtown block or a gated subdivision gets a wide-lot handoff a few minutes away.

Empty the car before the driver arrives: boxes from the move, guitars and gear from Nashville, electronics, and documents. The carrier’s cargo policy insures the vehicle and not the contents, and loose items scuff interiors on the long I-40 run. A soft bag in the trunk travels only with your coordinator’s approval.

Wash off the pollen or winter brine, then photograph every panel, the wheels, the glass, and the roof in daylight the day before pickup. Time-stamped pictures are the baseline for the inspection at delivery, whether the car lands in Fort Campbell housing or across the country, and they keep the driver’s report quick.

Tennessee has no toll roads, but the truck will cross states that do, so bag any transponder before loading. If your address sits up a ridge or down a cove, tell your coordinator at booking so the meet-up plan is set before pickup morning.

Leave about a quarter tank: enough to load, unload, and reach a station in Nashville, Memphis, or Knoxville, and nothing more. The hauler crosses weigh stations on I-40, I-65, and I-75, and a full tank adds pounds without adding value.

Carriers can turn away a vehicle leaking oil or coolant, because it drips onto the car below on the trailer. Have it fixed first. Tennessee humidity wears on marginal batteries, so test one that has been sitting, and mention a lifted truck, a sticky parking brake, a fussy alarm, or a manual gearbox so the driver is prepared.

A loaded hauler runs 75 to 80 feet and cannot turn around in a mountain cove, a tight courthouse square or most gated subdivisions. Pick a wide, level lot nearby, such as a shopping center off the highway, and the handoff takes a few minutes.

Pickup needs an adult to release the keys and sign the bill of lading, and delivery needs an adult to inspect and sign. Soldiers reporting to Fort Campbell and plant transfers into Chattanooga or Spring Hill often arrive on a different day than the car, so name a sponsor, spouse, or colleague for that end when you book.