The short answer
Shipping a car for the first time follows a simple sequence: get an instant quote, book with $0 due, get matched with a vetted carrier within your pickup window, prepare the vehicle the day before, hand it off with a signed bill of lading, track it in transit, and inspect again at delivery before signing. The whole process, from quote to delivery, typically takes anywhere from a few days to two weeks depending on distance and tier.
- An instant online quote takes about 60 seconds and requires no payment information tied to a deposit.
- Standard tier means pickup within 1-7 business days; Expedited means 1-5 business days for a 35% premium.
- The Bill of Lading is signed twice — once at pickup, once at delivery — and is the legal condition record for your vehicle.
- Enclosed transport, inoperable vehicle handling, and large vehicle surcharges each typically add 15-35% to the base price.
- Live tracking and an online bill of lading mean you can watch your shipment's status without calling for updates.
How auto transport pricing actually works
Pricing is built from a base rate tied to distance and vehicle size, then adjusted by a handful of clear factors: enclosed trailers add about 35% for weather and road-debris protection, inoperable vehicles add about 35% because they require winch loading, oversized vehicles add about 15%, and choosing Expedited pickup adds about 35% for a tighter window. Short routes carry a $275 minimum since a carrier's cost to detour for one car doesn't scale down with distance. Booking multiple vehicles at once can stack discounts up to 20%.
5 terms you need to know before booking
- Bill of Lading (BOL) — the signed condition report and contract for the move.
- Standard vs. Expedited — the two pickup-window tiers, differing by speed and price.
- Door-to-door — pickup and delivery at addresses you specify, as opposed to a shipping terminal.
- Open vs. enclosed carrier — open trailers are the industry default; enclosed adds weather and debris protection at a premium.
- Pay At Pickup — the payment model where $0 is due at booking and the full charge hits only when the carrier loads your car.
Reading the Bill of Lading without getting scammed
Treat the BOL as the single most important document in the process. At pickup, the driver diagrams existing damage on it — walk the car with them and don't sign until the diagram matches what your own photos show. At delivery, you sign it again; if anything looks new, write it directly on the delivery copy before signing, since a clean signature is treated as proof nothing happened in transit. Photograph the signed copy both times for your own records.
Prepping your car: the short version
- Wash it and take timestamped photos from all angles.
- Drop fuel to about a quarter tank.
- Remove toll tags, personal items, and disable the alarm.
- Check tire pressure and fluid levels.
- Have a spare key and ID ready for the driver.
The timeline from quote to delivery
- Day 0: Get an instant quote and book with $0 due.
- Days 1-7 (Standard) or 1-5 (Expedited): Carrier is matched and dispatched to pick up.
- Pickup day: Card on file is charged the full order total; BOL is signed.
- Transit: Track progress live; transit time depends on total distance.
- Delivery day: Final inspection, BOL signed again, keys handed over.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to pay anything before the carrier arrives?
- No. Pay At Pickup means $0 is due at booking. Your card on file is only charged the full order total once the carrier physically picks up the vehicle.
- How long does the whole process take from booking to delivery?
- Standard bookings see pickup within 1-7 business days, then transit time on top of that depending on distance — often a few days for cross-country routes. Expedited tightens the pickup window to 1-5 business days.
- What if I don't know my exact pickup and delivery dates yet?
- That's normal for first-time shippers. You can book with flexible windows and confirm exact dates once a carrier is dispatched and calls to coordinate the pickup time.
- Is enclosed transport necessary for a normal car?
- Not usually. Open transport is standard and safe for the vast majority of vehicles. Enclosed makes sense for classic, exotic, or freshly painted cars where weather and road debris exposure is a real concern, at roughly a 35% premium.