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InterCar

Car shipping

Snowbird car shipping between your summer and winter addresses

The short answer

Snowbird car shipping moves the same vehicle south in the fall and north in the spring on a carrier instead of a two-day drive. Lanes into Florida, Arizona and Texas tighten as the season turns, so the price follows the direction the trucks are already running. Licensed carriers quote you directly.

Send your seasonal route

When shipping beats driving it down

The car has to get there either way. These are the cases where putting it on a truck is the cheaper or the safer half of the choice.

  • The drive is two days you would rather not spend

    A run from the Northeast or the upper Midwest to the Gulf coast is two long days each way, twice a year. Shipping trades that for a pickup window and a walk-around at each end.

  • You are flying down and the car should be waiting

    Book the pickup so the vehicle leaves before you do. Carriers quote a delivery window rather than a date, so the car going first is what keeps you from waiting on it.

  • Driving it is no longer the obvious option

    Night vision, a recent procedure, a spouse who used to split the driving. Nothing about the trip changed except who is doing it, and the carrier removes the part that got harder.

  • The car should not add the miles

    A low-mileage vehicle kept for a lease return, a resale value you are protecting, or a car already close to a service interval. A carrier adds nothing to the odometer.

How a seasonal move is arranged

The difference between a quiet snowbird shipment and an expensive one is almost always notice and access.

  1. Work backward from the season, not the date

    Southbound capacity tightens through the fall and northbound tightens in the spring. Getting the route in front of carriers before the corridor fills is worth more than any negotiation once it has.

  2. Give a pickup window, not a day

    A window of several days lets your car join a truck already running the lane. A single fixed date has to be bought, and in the busy direction it may not be available at any price.

  3. Sort out access at both ends

    Gated communities, barrier islands, low-hanging trees and park streets often cannot take a full-length carrier. Say so up front and a meeting point at a wide lot gets planned rather than discovered on the day.

  4. Name someone who can be there

    If you are flying and the car is not, a neighbor, a park manager or a family member has to hand over the keys, walk the vehicle with the driver and sign. Give the carrier their name and number in advance.

  5. Prepare the car for the far end

    It will sit for months once it arrives. Deal with the battery, the tire pressures and where it will be parked before it leaves, because arranging any of that remotely is harder than doing it now.

Upfront pricing

What a seasonal lane costs

These are published market ranges, not an offer. InterCar Group does not quote transport and does not take payment for it: the carrier running your lane sets the price and confirms it with you before pickup.

Typical price ranges for this service. The local operator confirms the job before anything is dispatched.
ServiceTypical rangeWhat is included
New York to Florida, open carrier$879 – $1,363one vehicle, totalA published sample of the busiest snowbird corridor in the country.
Open carrier, 500 to 1,500 miles$0.65 – $1.2per mileWhere most Northeast and Midwest runs to the Gulf coast land.
Open carrier, over 1,500 miles$0.55 – $0.95per mileNorthern states to Arizona and southern California.
Typical US move, all in$1,000 – $1,500one vehicle, totalThe national average across distances and trailer types.

Estimates only. Final price confirmed by the local operator before dispatch.

What moves this price

  • Direction against the season. Southbound in the fall and northbound in the spring are the busy halves; a truck running the quiet half is the cheaper booking.
  • How much notice you give. A route in front of carriers weeks ahead gets onto a truck already running the lane instead of pulling one onto it.
  • Where the car is collected. Gated communities, barrier islands and park streets usually need a meeting point, which costs the driver time.
  • Vehicle size and weight, because a carrier is selling deck length and payload rather than a slot.
  • Open or enclosed. Enclosed trailers run fewer of these corridors, and they fill first when the season turns.
Send your seasonal route

Where these ranges come from

Where these statements come from

Anything numeric or regulatory on this page carries the document it was read from and the date it was checked against it. A claim with no source is left off the page.

Frequently asked questions

How far ahead should a snowbird car shipment be booked?

Weeks rather than days, and earlier in the busy direction than the quiet one. Southbound capacity tightens through the fall and northbound tightens in the spring, so a route sent to carriers before the corridor fills has more trucks competing for it. Nobody can promise a pickup date on a lane that is already full, at any price.

Is it cheaper to ship south in the fall or north in the spring?

Neither reliably. Carriers price the direction as well as the route, and the busy half of a snowbird corridor flips with the season. What is consistent is that shipping against the seasonal flow costs less than shipping with it, because the truck is running that way anyway and would otherwise run it empty.

Can the carrier collect from a gated community or a snowbird park?

Often not. A loaded car carrier is the length of a semi with a low ramp, and it cannot manage tight turns, low branches, weight-restricted bridges or streets that ban commercial vehicles. Tell dispatch about the access before pickup is scheduled and the driver arranges a nearby wide lot, usually a shopping center, instead of discovering the problem in the street.

Can someone else hand over the car if I have already flown down?

Yes, as long as the carrier is told in advance and has their name and phone number. Whoever meets the driver has to hand over one set of keys, walk the car with them and sign the Bill of Lading, which is the condition report a damage claim rests on. Ask them to photograph every panel in daylight first.

Do you arrange the transport?

No. InterCar Group holds no FMCSA operating authority, so we never quote a firm price, never take a deposit and never put a truck on your lane. We pass your route and vehicle details to licensed carriers. They quote you, contract with you and are paid by you, directly, and they confirm the price before pickup.

What should I do with the car once it arrives?

Plan the far end before it leaves. A vehicle that sits for a season is happier with a full tank, correct tire pressures, the parking brake off if it will be on a level surface, and a battery tender if there is an outlet. Ask whoever receives it to start it periodically, and check whether your insurer will move it to a storage rate.

Last updated

Send the route for either direction

Pickup and delivery ZIP codes, the vehicle, and the week you would like it collected. We pass the details to licensed carriers, who quote you and contract with you directly. We book nothing and take no payment.

Send your seasonal route

Estimates only. The local operator confirms the final price before dispatch.