How to Ship a Car: A Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Shipping a car is simpler than most people expect — but only if you know the steps before you start. Here’s the entire process, start to finish, with the mistakes to avoid along the way.

Step 1: Get an accurate quote

Everything starts with a real price. You’ll need five things:

• Pickup and delivery locations (ZIP or city)
• Vehicle year, make, and model
• Whether the car runs
• Roughly when you want it picked up

Be wary of quotes that come in far below everyone else’s. A lot of sites sell your number to a dozen brokers who race to the bottom to win you — then the price climbs when no carrier will actually move the car for that amount. A real quote is priced from what carriers accept on your lane. Get a real car shipping quote in about a minute.

Step 2: Choose open or enclosed transport

• Open transport is the standard — the same trailers that deliver new cars to dealerships. It’s safe, available, and the most affordable choice for everyday vehicles.
• Enclosed transport protects the car from weather and road debris and runs 40–60% more. It’s the right call for collector, exotic, classic, or high-value vehicles.

For a daily driver, open is almost always the smart choice.

Step 3: Book and schedule a pickup window

Once you accept a quote, you’ll set a pickup window rather than an exact minute. Flexibility saves money: a 3–5 day window lets a carrier fit your car into an efficient route. On busy lanes, pickup usually happens within 1–5 days of booking.

Step 4: Prepare your car for transport

A few minutes of prep prevents most problems:

• Wash it so existing scratches and dings are visible at inspection.
• Remove personal items. Carriers aren’t licensed to haul household goods, and loose items can shift in transit.
• Leave about a quarter tank of gas — enough to load and unload, not so much it adds weight.
• Take dated photos of the car from every angle.
• Note any issues — leaks, alarms, a dead battery, anything that doesn’t run normally.
• Fold in mirrors, disable toll tags, and remove or retract any custom antennas or spoilers.

Step 5: Pickup and the Bill of Lading

When the carrier arrives, you’ll both inspect the car and sign the Bill of Lading (BOL) — the official record of the car’s condition at handoff. Don’t skip this. Check that it accurately notes the car’s condition, and keep your copy. If there’s ever a dispute, the BOL is what settles it.

Step 6: Transit

Carriers cover roughly 400–500 miles per day. So a 1,000-mile move is about 2–3 days on the truck; coast-to-coast is typically 7–10 days. Weather, traffic, and other stops on the route can shift that, which is why good communication matters more than a promised exact date.

Step 7: Delivery and final inspection

At delivery, inspect the car against your pickup photos and the BOL before you sign off. Note any new damage on the delivery BOL right then — that’s your protection. Once everything checks out, you sign, and you’re done.

The most common mistakes to avoid

• Chasing the lowest quote. It’s usually bait, not a real price.
• Skipping the inspection or BOL. It’s your only proof of condition.
• Leaving valuables in the car. Uninsured and against the rules.
• Demanding an exact pickup time. Flexibility is what keeps the price down.
• Not disclosing a non-running car. It strands your car at pickup and costs more anyway.

The easier way to ship

With CarShipOS, your quote is priced from real accepted shipments on your lane, and your move is handled end-to-end by one vetted, FMCSA-registered broker — one point of contact, insurance and compliance verified, every update on a single record. No phone-number blasting.

Start with your quote — it’s free and takes about a minute. Want the cost details first? Read how much it costs to ship a car.