Cross Country Car Shipping - Reliable Coast to Coast Auto Transport
Shipping your car from one side of the country to the other? National Auto Transport has moved over 47,000 vehicles since 2018. Every shipment gets $250K insurance, door-to-door service, and a real person you can call at (602) 860-6894 whenever you have a question.
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The Cross Country Car Shipping Process
Here's the short version: we load your car onto a licensed carrier truck and drive it from your door to any address in the lower 48. Our carriers run the same routes week after week, covering corridors like LA to New York, Phoenix to Chicago, Miami to Seattle, and everything in between.
After you book, pickup happens within 1-7 days. Your vehicle covers roughly 300-500 miles per day depending on the driver's DOT rest requirements and traffic conditions. A full coast-to-coast run averages about 10 days, while shorter cross-country routes (say, Phoenix to Atlanta) wrap up in 7-8 days.
The big upside of using a professional carrier? Zero miles added to your odometer. No gas, no hotels, no road fatigue. You fly or drive your other vehicle while your car arrives at the destination without a scratch.
Why Ship Cross Country With National Auto Transport?
We've been at this since 2018 out of our Phoenix, AZ headquarters, and cross-country moves are the backbone of our business. Our dispatch team knows the fastest carriers on I-40 from Barstow to Nashville, I-80 from the Bay Area to the East Coast, and I-10 from LA to Jacksonville. We don't guess at routes. We know them.
Every carrier in our network holds an active FMCSA license and carries commercial liability insurance. We don't contract with part-timers or new operators. The drivers we work with move 50+ vehicles per month at minimum. That experience shows up in how they handle your vehicle.
And we don't ask for money upfront. A lot of competitors collect $200-$500 before they've done anything for you. We get paid when the carrier shows up and your car is loaded. If we can't find you a carrier, you owe us nothing.
What Does Cross Country Car Shipping Actually Cost?
Expect to pay between $900 and $2,400 for a cross-country shipment, depending on your route, vehicle type, and whether you choose open or enclosed. A mid-size sedan from Phoenix to Atlanta runs about $1,100-$1,350 on an open trailer. Go enclosed for the same route and you're looking at $1,400-$1,700.
The route itself drives pricing more than raw distance. California to Texas is cheap because carriers run that lane constantly. California to Maine? Fewer trucks head that direction, so the price per mile goes up. Summer months and snowbird season push prices another 15-25% higher because demand spikes.
The biggest thing you can do to save money: book 2-3 weeks before your target pickup date. We've watched identical routes cost 20-30% more for customers who called with under a week's notice. A Los Angeles to Boston move that normally runs $1,600 can jump to $2,200 when you need it tomorrow.
How Many Days Does Cross Country Car Shipping Take?
From the day your vehicle gets loaded to the day it arrives, plan for 7-14 days. Most shipments land in the 9-11 day range. Pickup happens within 1-7 days after booking, and once the truck is rolling, your car covers about 350 miles per day with mandatory driver rest stops factored in.
California to New York or Florida? Figure 10-12 days. Phoenix to Miami or Atlanta? More like 8-10 days. Weather can throw a wrench in things. An ice storm through the Texas panhandle or heavy snow in the Rockies might add 2-3 days to any route that crosses those areas.
Your pickup window will be 1-3 days rather than a specific hour. Drivers deal with traffic, construction zones, and other pickups before yours. We track every shipment and you'll get a notification when the car is loaded and again when the driver is heading your way for delivery. Our tracking tools keep you in the loop the whole way.
Who Needs Cross Country Car Shipping?
If you're moving more than 1,000 miles and flying to your new city, shipping your car is the obvious play. We handle a huge volume of corporate relocations where employees are transferring from Austin to Portland, Baltimore to Las Vegas, or Chicago to San Diego with a week to get settled.
Parents ship their kids' cars to college campuses across the country. Military families use us for every PCS move, sometimes twice in the same year. Retirees heading from Michigan or Ohio to their new place in Arizona or Florida ship rather than put 2,000 miles on a car they just paid off.
And if you're sitting on a classic Corvette or a high-end Porsche, the last thing you want is 2,500 highway miles and three tanks of gas between you and your destination. Shipping costs less than the depreciation those miles would cause on a vehicle like that.
Your Vehicle's Insurance and Safety on the Road
Every car we move is backed by up to $250,000 in commercial carrier insurance. That covers the full market value of most vehicles and protects against damage during loading, highway transit, and unloading. This isn't a basic liability policy. It's the same grade of coverage that protects new vehicles coming off the factory line.
Our carriers use hydraulic ramps and wheel-net tie-downs that secure your vehicle without touching the paint or body panels. The open carriers in our network are identical to the trucks you see delivering brand-new cars to dealerships. Enclosed options use hard-sided aluminum trailers for full weather and debris protection.
If we can't get a carrier to your door within 7 days, we refund any payment. If a carrier runs more than 2 days behind the quoted window, we find a replacement truck at no extra cost to you. That's been our standard since we started in 2018.
Cross Country Shipping in 4 Steps
Get Your Price
Call (602) 860-6894 or submit the form above. Give us the pickup city, delivery city, and what you're shipping. We'll have a firm quote back to you within a couple of hours.
Pick Your Dates
Choose open or enclosed, confirm your schedule, and we match a licensed carrier to your route. You'll have the driver's name and phone number 24 hours before pickup.
Load and Go
The carrier walks around your car with you, notes the condition on the bill of lading, straps it down, and hits the road. You'll have tracking info before the truck leaves your street.
Inspect and Sign
The driver calls you the day before arrival. When the truck shows up, check your car against the bill of lading, confirm everything is good, and you're finished.
Open vs. Enclosed for Cross Country Moves
| Category | Open Carrier | Enclosed Carrier |
|---|---|---|
| Price Range | $900 - $1,600 | $1,400 - $2,400 |
| Weather/Debris Shield | Road spray only | Full protection |
| Average Transit | 7-12 days | 8-14 days |
| Recommended For | Daily drivers, SUVs, trucks | Exotics, classics, high-value cars |
| Truck Availability | Plenty of options | Fewer trucks, book early |
If your move date has any wiggle room, avoid May through September. That's when college students, families, and snowbirds returning north all compete for the same carriers. Winter rates drop 15-20% because demand falls off a cliff. Carriers are looking for loads, and you benefit with lower prices and faster pickup times.
Cross Country Shipping FAQs
Honest answers about coast-to-coast auto transport with National Auto Transport.