Start with the lane, not the date
Interstate pricing and timing are driven by the corridor. Major routes such as California to Texas, California to Florida or the I-95 corridor have carriers running constantly. Lanes into low-population regions need more lead time because fewer trucks travel them.
We publish mileage and typical transit days for our busiest state and city corridors on the location pages, so you can sanity-check a timeline before you book anything else around it.
Lead time to plan for
One to two weeks of notice is comfortable for most interstate lanes. In peak summer relocation season or on the winter snowbird routes to Florida and Arizona, more is better. Same-week pickups happen regularly on dense corridors, but they price higher.
Paperwork and insurance
You do not need to re-register the car to have it shipped, and the carrier does not need your title. What matters is the bill of lading — the condition report signed at pickup and again at delivery.
Before dispatch we confirm the carrier's FMCSA operating authority and that its cargo and liability insurance is active. You receive the carrier details and a direct contact for the load. If you want your own policy to overlap, tell your insurer the vehicle is in interstate transport.
Open or enclosed on a long lane
The longer the route, the longer the exposure to weather and road debris — which is why some owners who would use open transport for a 300-mile hop choose enclosed for a coast-to-coast run. For a standard daily driver, open remains the sensible choice at any distance.
What we need to quote it
Pickup ZIP, delivery ZIP, year, make and model, whether it runs, and open or enclosed. That is enough to price the lane against real current carrier capacity and give you a pickup window we can hold.