Moving services
Auto transport: shipping your car when you move
A separate contract from your household move. The condition report signed at pickup and delivery decides almost every dispute.
Written by HyreMover Research Desk Primary-source research and fact checking
The short answer
Shipping a car, motorcycle, boat or RV is a separate industry from household moving, with its own registration, contract and claims route, even when your mover sells it on the same quote. The document that matters is the condition report on the bill of lading, signed at pickup and delivery.
Key takeaways
Auto transport is not part of your household goods move, even when one company sells both.
They post loads to carriers. That is normal, but know which one you hired.
And much cheaper. Enclosed is for classic, exotic and high-value vehicles.
The bill of lading, signed at pickup and delivery, is what a claim rests on.
From every angle, before loading, and again before you sign at delivery.
Many carriers ban them or cap the weight.
Not an appointment. Terminal-to-terminal is cheaper than door-to-door, and slower.
Plan your move, vehicle included
Free, with no obligation: a person at HyreMover reads your request and replies. Matching with moving companies is not live yet, so this is not a quote.
When is shipping your car better than driving it?
The most common reason.
Of hotels, fuel and time off work.
Mileage and road exposure matter.
Or does not run and needs winching.
And the car needs to get there on its own.
Running the same route twice a year.
Winter mountain passes, or a drive you simply do not want.
What should you confirm before booking car shipping?
Auto transport leans on brokers, so who you are actually contracting with is the first question, not the last.
Stated plainly. Many first contacts are brokers, which is legitimate, but it changes who is liable.
Once a carrier is assigned, plus its insurance certificate. Look them up in SAFER.
On the carrier actually hauling your vehicle, not the broker.
And whether a top-deck position is offered or charged.
And what “door” realistically means on a residential street.
In writing, understanding that they are windows.
And what is refunded if no carrier is ever assigned.
Whether they are allowed, and up to what weight.
Whether they can be handled. It needs a winch and is charged.
How does car shipping work, step by step?
Usually through a broker, who posts the load to a national dispatch board where carriers on that route bid for it.
A carrier accepts the load. Now you should get the carrier’s name, USDOT number and insurance details. Ask if they are not offered.
A window, not an appointment, because the carrier is building a route around several vehicles.
The driver records existing damage on the condition report on the bill of lading. Walk it with them. This document decides any later claim.
Driven or winched onto the trailer and strapped down. Declare a non-runner in advance, because it needs the winch.
Several days on a long route, with the carrier picking up and dropping off other vehicles along the way.
Compare the car with the pickup report before signing, in daylight if at all possible. Write any new damage on the document then and there.
Often a deposit to the broker at booking and the balance to the driver at delivery, sometimes in cash or certified funds. Confirm the method before the day.
Open or enclosed car transport: which do you need?
| Option | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Open carrier | The standard, and how new cars travel from factory to dealer. Exposed to weather and road debris. Much cheaper and far easier to book, so waits are shorter. |
| Enclosed carrier | A fully covered trailer, often with a lift gate and soft straps. The right choice for classic, exotic, low-clearance and truly high-value vehicles. Costs considerably more, and there are fewer of them, so scheduling can take longer. |
What changes the cost of shipping a car?
Car shipping prices follow the route and the market, which is why quotes for the same car change from week to week.
| Factor | Why it changes the number |
|---|---|
| Distance and route | Busy interstate corridors cost less per mile than rural pickups or drop-offs, because the carrier can fill the rest of the trailer. |
| Open or enclosed | Enclosed transport costs much more, and it is the right answer for a narrow set of vehicles. |
| Vehicle size and weight | A crew-cab pickup or large SUV takes more deck space than a compact car, and is priced to match. |
| Running or not | A non-runner needs winching and a carrier equipped for it. Declare it: finding out at the curb means a refused load. |
| Door-to-door or terminal | Terminal-to-terminal is cheaper and slower. Door-to-door is the norm, limited by where a full-size car carrier can physically go. |
| Season and demand | Some routes are seasonal, and prices move with demand on them. |
| Date flexibility | A wide pickup window costs less than a narrow one, because it lets the carrier build a better route. |
| Top-deck position | Some carriers charge for the upper deck, which keeps a vehicle clear of anything above it. |
HyreMover publishes no national average price for this work. Distance, weight or volume, crew size, access, season and regional labor rates move it far enough that a single figure would mislead.
The condition report decides almost every claim
Photograph the car in daylight from every angle, including roof, wheels and interior, right before loading. Walk the condition report with the driver instead of accepting their marks.
At delivery, inspect before you sign and write any new damage on the document then and there. A signed clean delivery report is very hard to argue with later.
What should I ask an auto transport company?
The full checklist is on choosing a moving company.
How do I get my car ready for transport?
Damage cannot be judged, or usefully photographed, through dirt.
Every panel, the roof, the wheels, the interior and the odometer, before loading.
Personal items, toll transponders, parking permits and anything loose.
Enough to load and drive off, without extra weight.
Disable it, or give the driver clear instructions.
Note and photograph any existing leak and tell the driver. It affects where the car can be loaded.
Mirrors folded, antenna retracted or removed, and loose roof racks and spoilers taken off.
Keep one set, and give the driver the other.
What goes wrong with auto transport?
A signature on a clean report is close to unarguable later. Deliveries often arrive late in the day, when damage is hard to see. Inspect first, with a flashlight if you must.
Many first contacts in auto transport are brokers. That is normal and often useful, but liability sits with the carrier, and a claim against a company that never touched the car goes nowhere.
Personal items are generally not covered, add weight the carrier is not authorized to haul, and can get the load refused. Many carriers allow only a little in the trunk. Ask first.
A very low price can mean the load is posted at a rate no carrier will accept, so it sits unassigned while your date passes. The quote that gets a truck is the one that moves your car. See the other warning signs.
Carriers build routes around several vehicles across several states. Windows move. Plan for it.
Door-to-door means as close as the truck can legally and safely get. Meeting the driver in a nearby grocery store parking lot is normal, not a downgrade.
Your inquiry
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Free, with no obligation: a person at HyreMover reads your request and replies. Matching with moving companies is not live yet, so this is not a quote.
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Questions
Is my car insured during transport?
What is the difference between a broker and a carrier in auto transport?
Can I put things in the car?
How long does car shipping take?
Is enclosed transport worth it?
What do I do if my car arrives damaged?
Should I book auto transport through my moving company?
Written and audited by
HyreMover Research Desk
Primary-source research and fact checking
We are not a moving company and not a broker. We read the federal rule, the FMCSA record or the state regulator’s page ourselves, and publish what it says with the source and the date we read it.
Where a number cannot be traced to a primary source, we publish the shorter page and say what we could not verify.
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How this desk works
- Primary sources only. Interstate rules come from 49 CFR Part 375 and FMCSA. Carrier records come from SAFER and the FMCSA registration system. We do not cite an article that cites a source; we read the source.
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Sources & retrieval dates
Information on this page is general and varies with the move, the state and the company. It is not legal or insurance advice. HyreMover is not a moving company and not a broker: it moves, stores and handles nothing.