Texas Car Shipping

For a standard sedan on an open carrier, the table shows $1,050 to $1,450 from Los Angeles to Dallas, $850 to $1,200 from Miami to Houston, $950 to $1,300 between Chicago and Dallas, $1,200 to $1,550 between New York and Houston, $650 to $900 from Atlanta to Dallas, and $350 to $550 between Houston and Dallas. The Los Angeles, Miami and Atlanta figures cover cars coming into Texas only, and a pickup in El Paso, Lubbock or the Valley is priced on its own miles. The state is big enough that plenty of trips fall outside these six rows, and our car shipping cost guide covers what customers paid at every distance.

Once loaded, Los Angeles to Dallas takes 3-4 days, Miami to Houston 2-3 days, Chicago to Dallas 2-3 days, New York to Houston 3-5 days, Atlanta to Dallas 2-3 days, and Houston to Dallas a day. Before loading, allow a pickup window of a few days for a carrier to be assigned, a little longer for a ranch or oil-patch address in West Texas that needs a meet point.

Yes. Midland, Odessa, Lubbock and Amarillo sit on I-20, I-27 and I-40, though fewer trucks pass than in the Triangle, so pickup windows run a little wider. A remote ranch or oil-patch address usually meets the driver at a wide lot in the nearest town, and that plan is set when you book.

Yes. The carrier’s cargo policy covers your car while it is on the truck, and we check that coverage and the carrier’s operating authority before the job is assigned. Note the car’s condition on the bill of lading at pickup and again at delivery, with photos from both ends, since that record is what any claim rests on.

Keep it to one soft bag in the trunk, under about 100 pounds, and ask your coordinator first; carrier cargo insurance does not cover anything personal, and boxes visible through the glass draw attention at overnight truck stops along I-10 and I-20. Everything else, from tools to hunting gear, should travel with you or the movers.

Open transport is the standard and the lower price, and it is the usual pick for an everyday car or truck. Spring hail is the local twist: storms across the north and center of the state from March through June are when a collector or high-value car most deserves an enclosed trailer, which costs about a third more.

Anywhere in the state, door to door where a 75-foot rig fits. Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and El Paso addresses usually take driveway service, while a gated community or a dense urban block meets the driver at a wide lot nearby. Rio Grande Valley and rural ranch addresses get a slightly wider pickup window.

Unload the truck bed and the cab before the hauler arrives: tools, toolboxes, hunting gear, and boxes from the move. Carrier cargo insurance covers the vehicle only, and a loaded bed changes the axle weight and height the driver has planned for. One soft bag in the trunk occasionally rides along, with your coordinator’s approval.

Texas sun and dust hide fine scratches, so wash the car and photograph it early in the morning or in a garage: every panel, the wheels, the glass, the roof, and the odometer. Gulf humidity and hail season both leave marks that resemble transit damage, so a dated set of pictures from the day before pickup keeps the delivery inspection fair.

Remove or bag your TxTag, TollTag, or EZ TAG before loading. A live transponder riding an open carrier can rack up toll charges across every gantry the truck passes between pickup and delivery.

Keep the tank around a quarter: enough to load, unload, and reach a station in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, or Austin, and no more. The hauler crosses toll gantries and weigh stations across a very large state, and extra fuel is weight it does not want over eight hundred miles.

A vehicle with an active oil or coolant leak will be refused at pickup, because the fluid falls onto the car racked below. Have it repaired first. Texas heat kills marginal batteries, usually at delivery, so test yours before the driver comes, and tell your coordinator about a lifted truck, a dually, a toolbox, or a sticky parking brake so the right trailer is assigned.

A loaded car hauler stretches 75 to 80 feet and cannot get into many gated Houston communities, dense blocks in Dallas or Austin, or a narrow ranch road. Agree on a wide lot nearby, such as a big-box store or a feed store lot off the highway, and the handoff takes minutes.

Texas pickups need an adult present to release the keys and sign the bill of lading, and an adult inspects and signs at delivery. Fort Hood, Fort Bliss, and Joint Base San Antonio families often report on a different day than the car arrives, so name a sponsor, spouse, or neighbor for that end and give us the contact when you book.