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8 min read 6 stepsMay 8, 2026Verified May 2026

How to Find Seasonal Car Shipping Companies

Plain-English guide for snowbirds on choosing, booking, and inspecting a car shipping service to move a vehicle between two homes each year.

At a Glance

Get Quotes From Three Reputable Companies

~46s

Start with three online quote requests from established brokers or carriers. Visit montway.com, sherpaautotransport.com, and amerifreight.net. Enter your pickup ZIP code, your delivery ZIP code, the make and model of the car, the year, whether the car runs and drives, and your target pickup date. Each company will email a quote within an hour and may also call. Quotes for a typical sedan from Michigan to Florida in October usually fall between $900 and $1,400 on an open carrier. Quotes will vary by date because demand spikes around the snowbird migration in late October and again in April. Booking three weeks in advance gives you the best price and the widest choice of dates.

Quick Tip

Ignore the cheapest quote if it is more than $200 below the others. Lowball quotes often result in the carrier never showing up or asking for extra money on pickup day.

Verify the Company Is Licensed and Insured

~51s

Every legitimate auto transport broker and carrier has two federal numbers: a USDOT number and an MC number. Find them on the company's website footer, or ask the salesperson by phone. Go to safer.fmcsa.dot.gov, click the SAFER Company Snapshot link, and enter the USDOT number. The site will show the company's full legal name, address, insurance status, and operating authority. Confirm the company has active authority for property transport and at least $750,000 in cargo insurance. Then check the company's reviews at the Better Business Bureau at bbb.org and at Transport Reviews at transportreviews.com. A reputable company has hundreds of reviews and a rating of four stars or better. Avoid companies with fewer than 50 reviews or a pattern of recent complaints about missed pickups or surprise charges.

Warning

Never wire money to a company that calls you out of the blue with a quote far below your other prices. Wire fraud in auto transport is a real problem and the money rarely returns.

Choose Open or Enclosed Transport

~50s

Open transport is the standard for daily-driver cars. The car rides on a two-level trailer that holds eight to ten vehicles at a time. The car is exposed to rain, sun, and road dust, but the actual risk of damage is small for a normal car. Enclosed transport puts the car inside a covered trailer that protects against weather and road debris. Enclosed is the right choice for a 1965 Mustang, a Porsche, a Tesla Model S Plaid, or any car you would never park outside in a storm. Enclosed costs about $1,400 to $2,200 for the Michigan-to-Florida route, which is 30 to 60 percent more than open. Most snowbirds choose open and save the money. If you are unsure, ask the broker which option similar cars on the same route choose. Honest brokers will tell you the truth.

Quick Tip

Single-level enclosed trailers are gentler on cars than multi-level ones. Ask about single-level if you ship a classic or low-clearance vehicle.

Sign the Contract and Read the Fine Print

~48s

Once you pick a company, they will email a contract called an Order Confirmation or Transport Agreement. Read every page before signing. Confirm the pickup address, the delivery address, the pickup date window, the delivery date window, the total price, the deposit amount, the cancellation policy, and the cargo insurance coverage amount. The deposit is usually $150 to $300 and is paid by credit card. The balance is paid to the driver at delivery, often in cash or certified check. Sign electronically through the company's portal. Keep a copy on your phone and email a copy to a family member as a backup. Confirm the pickup window with a phone call to the broker the day before the truck arrives.

Warning

Pickup and delivery windows are usually two to four days wide. If you need a guaranteed date, ask about expedited service, which costs extra but locks in a specific day.

Prepare the Car and Do a Pre-Shipment Inspection

~54s

Three days before pickup, wash the car so existing scratches and dents are visible. Remove all personal items from the cabin and the trunk. Most carriers allow up to 100 pounds of items in the trunk, but checking with your specific carrier is wise. Keep only a quarter tank of gas. Disable the alarm system and confirm the key starts the car. On pickup day, the driver will walk around the car with you and fill out a Bill of Lading. The Bill of Lading lists every existing scratch, dent, and chip. Walk around with the driver, point out anything they missed, and take photos of every side of the car with your phone, including the roof, the wheels, and the underbody if you can. Sign the Bill of Lading and keep your copy. At delivery, repeat the inspection. Any new damage gets noted on the same form before you sign acceptance.

Quick Tip

Date and time-stamp your photos. The metadata proves the condition at the start of the trip.

Track the Shipment and Receive the Car

~51s

Most brokers and carriers offer a tracking number or a phone number where you can check the truck's progress. Some have a real-time GPS portal. Trips from Michigan to Florida usually take five to ten days because the truck stops to pick up and drop off other cars along the route. Avoid scheduling tight commitments around the delivery date. The driver will call when they are a few hours from your Florida home. Have a parking space available where an 80-foot trailer can pull up and unload safely. Empty parking lots, residential cul-de-sacs, or a wide driveway all work. Inspect the car carefully at delivery, sign the final Bill of Lading, and pay the balance. Save every receipt for your tax records or for any future warranty claim.

Warning

If you find new damage at delivery, do not sign clean. Write the damage on the Bill of Lading before signing and take photos. A clean signature can void your insurance claim.

You Did It!

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A snowbird who does not want to drive 1,400 miles each way every fall and spring has a strong option: hire a car shipping company. For roughly $800 to $1,500 each way, a transport company will load your car onto a truck in Michigan or Ohio in October and unload it at your Florida driveway a week later. In April, the trip runs in reverse. You save the wear on the car, the cost of gas and hotels, and the two-day drive at a stage of life when long drives can be hard on the back and the eyes. You also free yourself to fly south on a comfortable flight rather than spend three days behind the wheel.

The car shipping industry is split into two main parts. Carriers are the companies that actually own the trucks and move the cars. Brokers are the middlemen who take your order, find a carrier that fits your route and date, and handle the paperwork. Most snowbird shipments are arranged by brokers because brokers have nationwide networks and can match your route to a truck heading the right way. Reputable brokers include Montway Auto Transport, Sherpa Auto Transport, AmeriFreight, and SGT Auto Transport. Reputable carriers that work directly with consumers in the snowbird market include Roadrunner Auto Transport and United Road. Always confirm that any company you consider has a USDOT number and an MC number that you can verify at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Shipping a car involves choosing between open and enclosed transport, picking a pickup and delivery window, signing a contract, doing a thorough pre-shipment inspection, paying a deposit, and being available to release the car at pickup and receive it at delivery. Open transport, where the car rides on a multi-level trailer exposed to the weather, is the standard option and costs about 30 to 40 percent less than enclosed. Enclosed transport, where the car rides inside a covered trailer, is the better choice for classic cars, luxury cars, or any vehicle worth more than $75,000. Most snowbird daily drivers use open transport without any problem.

This guide walks you through getting quotes, choosing a company, preparing the car, doing the inspection paperwork, and tracking the shipment. Plan to spend a few hours on quotes the first year. Future shipments take less than an hour to book because you already know which company you trust.

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