Ship Your Car to Another State | Transport Car to Another State

Step One: Determine What Method Of Shipping You Want

The first decision you will make when working with ShipLux is picking which form of shopping works best for you. When it comes to long-distance trips, we offer both open-car carriers and enclosed transport. Both have their strong points so it will come down to what you are wanting!

Open Car Carrier/Open-Transport

If, when you see dust or some mud on your car, your reaction is “what’s a little car wash?!” Then, you are a great candidate for open-transport shipping!

The name gives a lot away with this method: your vehicle will be loaded and transported via a trailer that is open on all sides! Don’t worry, we will ensure your car will enjoy the breeze they feel with our premium handling and methods. We offer a large variety of open trailers that range in both size and style. Whatever your vehicle’s size and type, it will be safely driven or placed by the careful hands and detailed orientated eye of our expert team, who will do many safety checks before taking off and throughout the journey to maintain everything smooth along the ride.

Two major benefits of going with an open-transport method include being budget-friendly and more regular shipments. As there are often more cars being moved this way, your bill will be less than other methods. Plus, our open transport options take place more regularly with shipments nearly every day across the entire country, so you can have a reliable shipping service without extended waiting times.

Should open-car carriers not appeal to you, no problem we also offer enclosed transportation, which is our more luxurious service. However, regardless of which option you opt for, every single ShipLux vehicle shipment is covered by our premium service which includes expert handling from door to door, 24/7 communication, and unlimited tracking updates. White glove service is guaranteed with us!

Enclosed Transportation

Enclosed transportation is the opposite of open carriers, as your vehicle will be delicately and smoothly loaded into a completely covered trailer, where it will be protected from virtually all elements that could impact the car on the duration of the trip, such as bad weather including hail, sleet, rain and snow, temperature changes, any sneaky opportunistic thieves, or other dangerous debris that could damage the car. In the final decision, your car will be just like new.

ShipLux offers a collection of different, enclosed trailers depending on the vehicle you are transporting to specifically fit your needs. Depending on the arrangement, your precious car will either ride with between 1-3 other cars, or 6-7 or even 8-9 cars, depending on the liftgate or soft side trailer. No matter how many other buddies are in your car, it will be spacious and comfortable.

We highly suggest enclosed transportation if you have a vehicle with a substantial price tag, such as a classic car, antique car or exotic car, or if your vehicle is just incredibly special for you. With the added protection, it will ensure your special car can make the trip to a new state without any issues.

If we’re being totally honest, when deciding between enclosed and open shipping, both options offered by ShipLux are reliable and safe. We only work with accredited and vetted individuals and will ensure that your car is handled and transported securely between locations. Your main decision is if you want your vehicle to be fully covered or not. There is no wrong choice with ShipLux!

Step Two: Book Your Shipping (As Soon As Possible!)

When it comes to booking your shipping, we suggest you book it as soon as your plans are confirmed, as this will ensure you can get the timing and type of shipping you desire.

Like other industries, yes, auto-shipping does have busy seasons, which you can avoid and get the best deals by booking. Booking early = best price. The seasons are as follows:

Winter: Winter is a great but bit of a trickier season, due to the unpredictability that comes with the weather and road conditions. This can mean cheaper, discounted rates, but only sometimes. The winter means it’s the holiday season, which means many people want to take time off to be with their families, so this can be reflected in fewer trips available. Winter is the ‘snowbird’ season, a nickname given to people and retirees who leave for warm weather, taking over the balmy southern states from locations like New York to Texas. Snowbirds cause a lot more traffic. Industry tip? Look into shipping between February and March, there is sometimes a bit of recess, and therefore can impact a cheaper rate for you.
Spring: In spring, the weather is getting better in (most!) states and people are keen to leave their winter hibernation and enjoy the warmth. On the roads, there is less drama caused by bad weather, so there are fewer delays and accidents. Due to this, it is an efficient time to ship your car, but bear in mind the prices may be a bit steeper.
Summer: Summer is a popular time to ship your car. This is due to many factors such as college and school finishing off, people taking holidays, and moving. It’s a relatively safe and easy time to ship but beware of surcharges.
Fall: Fall is a beautiful season to enjoy the falling leaves, hot drinks and changing temperatures. It’s also a beautiful time to take advantage of car shipping, as many people don’t think of shipping this season! The weather is still relatively decent and people have come back from traveling and moving in the summer, so voila! A great price and flexibility. Industry tip #2: September through November = serious savings.

At ShipLux, we are super flexible when it comes to schedule, so if you can be flexible in your timing and date of arrival, this will work in your favor when it comes to pricing and availability. With flexible scheduling, it essentially means that we will wait until we fill up a whole carrier (open and enclosed) from one or more locations. This allows for the pick-up of your car and the drop-off at the final destination to be as efficient as possible.

We do, of course, also offer expedited shipping too! If you opt for our excellent expedited service, we will ask for the specific dates that you need your car to be picked up and dropped off. When you pay for this extra service, we will ensure we arrange for your car to be prioritized and we abide by the time frames you asked for as close as we can. We really try to respect the timing and do our best to plan the route ahead of time, but sometimes factors out of our control get in the way, like:

Weather issues
Poor road conditions
Dense, bottleneck traffic
Driver breaks
Construction or diversions

Regardless if you opt for the flexible or expedited, our impressive 24.7 customer service team will offer all/any updates on timing and potential delays.

At this point, you are likely wondering: soooo, how long will shipping take?

Typically, you can expect your vehicle to be picked up at your door within 24-72 hours after you place your order. This may vary depending on demand, time of year, and pick-up location. If you are going to a neighboring state, you can expect a faster delivery but if you are planning a cross-country trip, you can expect it to take anywhere between 7-10 days with open transport and 5-7 days for enclosed transport. Enclosed transport is quicker, as there are fewer vehicles on the delivery route meaning fewer stops for the driver.

Step Three: Tell Us All About Your Dazzling Vehicle

After you decide which type of shipping you wish to do, followed by booking your timing, we want to know all of the juicy details about your beloved vehicle.

The main things we will ask you are as follows:

What is the size?
What is the make?
What is the model?
What is the weight of your vehicle?
Is your vehicle operable, or not?

We need to know the exact vehicle specifications, as it’s vital for our transport planning to determine what space is required to safely secure your vehicle while being mindful of our trailer’s height and side clearance. For example, minivans or trucks have a higher height so it’s important for us to know when we make up your quote.

We need to know weight because, essentially, heavy means that the price will go up. Plus, we need to plan the trailers.

If you wish to ship an inoperable vehicle that doesn’t run, it can make the shipping process a bit more complicated. We are 100% able to take care of your vehicle, regardless of its condition, but we need to know in advance as it will take additional preparations and safety planning on our end. If you select “yes” to it being inoperable, expect some follow-up questions like does it roll? What is the state of the breaks? We ask this to determine what transportation tools we will be needing.

Step Four: Payment Time

By far our most popular question is: how much will the shipping cost me?

It’s fair, but due to the many different variables, we cannot provide a size-fit answer, because no two journeys are the same. Instead, our team at ShipLux will create a personalized quote just for your situation, which will consider your specific journey, vehicle type and any other requirements.

While we can’t give you a set price, the comprehensive quote provides you with a strong idea of the pricing. At ShipLux we are firmly dedicated to 100% transparency and do not believe in surprises when it comes to paying. So, we will never include hidden, sneaky fees in our quotes – what you pay, is what you pay.

When you complete a quote on our easy-to-use website, you will be given a prompt, personalized quote with the price.

Your quote will be returned promptly, completely personalized and will include the price in its entirety. There are no surprises when you work with ShipLux, regardless of how customized your requirements are.

Step Five: Prepare Your Vehicle For Its Shipping Trip!

By step five, it is finally time to start preparing your vehicle for its trip. Shipping a vehicle is not quite as easy as only handing the keys over to our team at ShipLux. Here are some of the steps for preparing your vehicle you will need to take:

Have an in-depth inspection of your vehicle complete

Prior to the shipping trip, it is important to have your vehicle thoroughly inspected and have a routine service conducted, where they will re-inflating tires, top up fluids and check the vehicle’s battery. Following the professional inspection, snap up some shots of the state of your vehicle. Be sure to focus on any dings, dents, scrapes or scratches. Don’t forget to grab photographs of the interior and any damage there, too. These photos aren’t just to look at longingly while you’re separated from your vehicle, but for security as, as much as we go above and beyond to avoid damage, it can happen (especially in open carriers). The photos will help us understand any damages and responsibilities.

Remove Items From on and in Your Vehicle

To avoid any drama and to prevent theft or damage during shipping, we suggest just clearing out everything from inside your vehicle, especially any valuables or other important possessions. Then, remove bike racks, roof packs and other items that are attached to the outside of the vehicle. These items attached can be easily damaged and can get in the way when movers are trying to load and unload your vehicle.

Check the Gas

The best practice for having your vehicle shipped is to have between a quarter- and a half-tank of gas during the move. If you can, avoid going above this amount, as excess fuel can make loading and unloading difficult. Plus it will add additional weight, which you will end up footing the bill for.

Have A Extra Set of Keys Make Up

You may already have an extra set of keys for your vehicle but if you don’t it’s time to do it. One set of keys will take the journey with the vehicle and the driver will keep it safe. However, in the rare event the keys get lost or get stolen, a second set of keys to pick up your vehicle on arrival will save a lot of stress, time and hassle. Many home hardware shops will do this, for a very reasonable cost.

Disable Vehicle Alarms

Have you ever been on a ferry boat when the car alarms are going off constantly? It’s a one-way ticket to a headache. To avoid a headache for our amazing drivers, we ask that you please disable all car alarms, as they can be annoying and disorienting. You can refer to the manual of your vehicle to figure out how to do this.

Get your paperwork sorted

We will normally request the bill of lading, aka the document we issue that acts as a receipt of cargo shipment and sometimes, a driver’s license, and title and registration of the vehicle.

Conclusion

When you work with ShipLux, you and your vehicle are treated like important guests. We offer excellent, stress-free shipping to other states with our premium service, detail-oriented service and 24/7 on-demand customer communication. Not to mention, our brilliant door-to-door pickup and delivery and the careful handling of each and every vehicle we met. Trust ShipLux to ship to any other state!

General Shipping Information