How Long Does It Take to Ship a Car?

Another common concern that may be running through the minds of many planning a vehicle relocation is, "How long will it take to deliver my car?".

Although the shortest time may be one day to seven days when your car is picked up from your garage, this is a general, more straightforward answer.

Some factors include the time needed to schedule the first pickup, the flow and intricacy of the given route, and other factors.

In this guide, we will try to show car shipping timelines, understand factors influencing the process, and set expectations for the shipment.

Key factors that can put the brakes on (or speed up) your car's journey

As much as we would love to get our cars delivered quickly, several factors regarding car shipping must be considered.

Therefore, it is essential to understand all these factors to set his expectations accordingly.

Let us explore the key elements that can impact your car's shipping time:

Route distance: The long and short of It

The first is the distance your car must cover, which should be obvious enough to anyone with a basic understanding of logistics.

Therefore, regional travel will, of course, take more time as compared to cross-country travel.

In most cases, you can expect transportation durations to rise as the distances increase.

Location, Location, Location

The access to your pickup and delivery points also has a considerable influence.

Carriers tend to run these routes because if your shipping is to or from a large city near an interstate, routes are more convenient, and the schedule and delivery time are faster.

Nonetheless, suppose your business's address is rural or remote.

In that case, it might take some time for a carrier to deliver or collect your shipment because they may not be ready to navigate from the traditional routes, thus affecting the time between the two.

Vehicle type: Not all cars are created equal

The type of vehicle you are shipping also determines the length of time you will spend shipping the car.

Some vehicles can be easily arranged for transport as compared to others.

For instance, standard cars may not pose much of a problem, while oversized, luxurious, or antique vehicles may need to be transported in special carriers or special transporters, which will take time.

Time of year: Seasonal surges

There are seasons when the car shipping industry is bustling, just like any other industry.

Another factor affecting car shipping time is the season; there is a high demand for car shipping services when the weather is favorable, from late spring to early fall.

As a result of this increase in activity, the pickups might be faster since there are many carriers on the road.

Still, transit times might also be slightly longer if a carrier handles several shipments.

However, during the winter season, there is a decrease in demand, and this may make it take longer to get products that one ordered either for pickup or delivery.

That way, when familiar with the factors at play here, you can calculate the time to have your car shipped and make the necessary arrangements.

Just ensure you talk with your selected car shipping company and make the conversation as open as possible.

They can present more accurate quotations, especially concerning your circumstances, and update you constantly.

Scheduling the pickup: The first step on your car's journey

When you choose to book your car shipment, you will notice that the gears of shipment are already underway, or rather, on the wheels.

The first vital step is arranging the pickup of your car or the one you want to modify.

This is where the knowledge from the auto dispatch team comes in handy since they understand the different routes and the ones that can ensure that you will safely get to your destination.

They study your order, the vehicle used in the transport process, and the distance to be covered.

The scheduling process is quite simple, with the carrier involved open and able to transport standard vehicles.

However, if you are transporting a luxury car, a large car, or a car that must be transported on an enclosed track, securing a carrier with the right equipment might take some time.

Likewise, the route has a part – well-traveled routes lined with popular carrier routes.

Thus, they are more readily available than obscure routes in remote or off-beaten tracks, requiring extra effort.

Receiving the pickup within two to seven calendar days after booking the shipment is possible.

Nevertheless, as highlighted above, factors such as type of vehicle, region, and time of the year affect this period.

It is therefore essential to be in touch with your car shipping company during this period.

They will communicate with you on the day of pickup, and if there is any change in the schedule, you will be informed in advance, thus causing you no inconvenience.

Scheduling the delivery: The final stretch

Once your car is tied securely to the carrier, it is left to the driver, whose itinerary and path will dictate the time it will take to deliver.

Still, it is necessary to understand that, as carriers, optimism is great, but the actual transit times depend on federal regulations and speed limits.

A car carrier driver's average driving distance in a day is 500 miles.

These hours include rest breaks required by the laws, traffic conditions, and different speed limits of the various states in the country.

To get a rough estimate of the transit time for your shipment, you can use this simple formula:

The total distance of the route divided by 500 = The estimated days for transit

For example, if your car covers 1,500 miles (about 2414. 02 km), you would expect to spend three days on the road.

It is, however, safer to create some buffer time of 1-2 days just in case of some events that might slow down the process.

Unplanned events might elicit nature's wrath, hitches in traffic and roads, car or chauffeur breakdowns, et cetera, which could slow down the momentary progression.

Thus, knowing all these factors and expectations will eventually help you to get ready when your car reaches its intended place.

Just remember that the car shipping company will inform the client about the driver's location and delays during shipping.

Specifying pickup and delivery dates: Managing expectations

It is standard for anyone to want their cars picked up and delivered at a particular time; however, since this is an auto transportation business, it is difficult to say when it will be possible to pick and drop the car.

Some of them include the availability of the carrier when one is trying to optimize their route and when certain conditions, such as weather and traffic hold-ups, occur.

Hence, there is a need to avoid raising unrealistic expectations of the number of pickups and deliveries that can be completed within a certain period.

Major car shipping companies will give you a pickup window that should not exceed 7-10 days from when you order the service.

This enables a company to negotiate some of the carrier's schedules and come to a compromise should any change arise.

When a driver has been assigned a shipment, communication with that driver commences.

In this respect, a reputable car shipping company will inform the clients of the appropriate notification concerning the pickup and delivery dates.

They will also be able to notify you if there are any changes to the schedule so that your preparations will also be in tune with what is happening.

Nevertheless, the fact is that car transportation is very flexible, with no strict timetables that can be followed closely all the time.

It helps to accustom oneself to the fact that there are fluctuations involved in the process.

That is why consistent communication with your shipping provider is beneficial to avoid unwanted interruptions in your plans.

Booking in advance: Striking the right balance

However, as much as it concerns the timing of when to book your car shipment, it is made easy.

Booking too early may come with controversies while waiting until the last minute may also be disadvantageous.

What, then, is this 'Goldilocks' – the location that is not too hot and not too cold, rainy enough when it is rainy, sunny enough when it is sunny, and providing just the right degree of shade when it is sunny?

We suggest you start booking 3-10 days before the date you wish to be picked.

This timeframe is fair enough because it allows carriers enough time to plan their loads without compromising the priority of your shipment.

Booking too early, say two weeks and above, might make your shipment among the first to be deprioritized because most logistics firms go for urgent shipments.

However, if you book later, be sure that car shipment and transportation companies have strategies to address early bookings effectively.

They will often check and clarify your order details and questions after booking but will not aggressively arrange your shipment until you wish to be picked up.

This approach aligns with planning existing carriers' routes, ensuring you get the best chance of securing timely and efficient transportation of your car.

Adhering to this recommended number of days minimizes car shipment booking time and shoring up the system against hitches that would slow it down or jeopardize the timely handling of cars in transit.

Putting it all together: Estimating your car's total travel time

Well, let us find out how long it takes to have a car shipped.

Thus, speaking about the total time from scheduling and actual time on the road, one can estimate that the average time ranges from 6-12 days (about one week, five days).

But it is better to remember that it will be an average by now. We have outlined the factors that may cause variation in your car's journey, making the time different.

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  Faster shipping: If one is transporting a regular car during rush hour when standard vehicles are moving from one region to another, chances are you will realize faster moving cars. For example, transporting a sedan between Los Angeles and Las Vegas could take 2-3 hours.
  
  Slower shipping: On the other hand, delivering a gigantic SUV from a small town in Montana to a distant place in Maine in winter… may take 12 days or even slightly more. Also, subsurface charges may be required if the address is in Alaska or Hawaii; it is usually costly to ship to these destinations because they are very isolated geographically.
  

It is, therefore, essential to consider these aspects and be straightforward during your interaction with a car shipping company to avoid setting unrealistic goals that will affect the shipping process.

Please note that every shipment is different, and the time estimate you have received from your selected company will be as close as possible.

How to expedite car shipping: Need for speed?

Although the traditional car shipping procedure provides much more reasonable time frames, there are situations where you will require your car to be delivered even quicker.

If you're in a hurry, consider these tips to expedite your car shipping:

• 
  Plan ahead: First comes the early bird and in-car shipping, which rings very accurately. Especially providing as far as two weeks' notice to the carrier of the date your vehicle needs to be picked up ensures that carriers include your shipment in their routes, and hence, the chances of getting it noticed the first instance are incredibly high.
  
  Choose open transport: The most frequent and accessible transport is open car transport, where your car is conveyed on an open trailer. It is also usually the case that exposure transport is quicker than enclosed car transport since more open trailers are circulated on the roads. If your car does not need the special services of enclosed transport, you are welcome to use open transport, which will further help speed up the shipment.
  
  Consider guaranteed pickup or express Shipping: However, if time is essential, some auto transportation companies provide high-end services such as a warranty for pickup or shipment on priority. All these options place your shipment first so it can be picked up much sooner and delivered faster, but the downside is that these are more expensive.
  
  Work with a reputable company: It is advisable to hire a car shipping company that specializes in delivering cars on time to avoid inconveniences. Always choose companies with good customer feedback and ensure that you want any project you assign to them, whether it is a writing project or any other project, done within your expected completion time. Ensure that the company is willing to meet those deadlines.
  

Still, circumstances like weather and traffic may add more time to the estimated completion time when choosing express services.

However, if you have organized everything properly, selected an appropriate type of transportation, and cooperated with a proper company, there are many opportunities to enhance the probability of a car's safe and swift delivery.

Conclusion: Your car's journey, our priority

As we have explained, the time taken to ship a car is not a fixed parameter by distance and location but is affected by other parameters like type of car and time of year.

Still, one must remember the set range lies between 6-12 days or one week, five days on average.

Therefore, it is essential to do detailed research and identify a reputable and experienced company that will guarantee a smooth and punctual car shipping company.

Be sure to work with a provider who has shown success, has open relations with the customers, and prioritizes customer satisfaction.

The service providers will need you to employ their services, give you the proper estimates you require, and then constantly update you on the progress made.

You have your car collected to a particular depot or taken to one by a shipping company, and now you are ready to ship it out?

Do not allow the state of disoriented and fuzzy cut-off times to cause concern for you. Talk to us today for a special quote; let Universal Transit ship your car and help you keep the rest of your mind that your vehicle is in the right hands.