Auto Transport to Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, South Carolina. Home to a population of over 129,200 residents, Columbia is the largest city in South Carolina and also serves as the capital of the state. Columbia also anchors the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area, home to almost 800,500 residents and spanning six counties in central South Carolina. Columbia was founded in 1786 due to South Carolina’s need for a capital; Columbia was chosen because of its location in the center of the state. During the 19th century Columbia emerged as an industrial center of the Carolinas, though the Civil War did much to set the city back. It has recovered and today is the most popular car shipping location in South Carolina.
As mentioned, Columbia anchors the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area, home to almost 800,500 residents. As the largest city anchoring the largest metro area in the state, Columbia is perhaps the most popular car shipping location in the state, which tends to make it one of the cheapest and most cost-effective to ship to or from as well. This is because of the fact that auto transport carriers prefer to run routes into and out of major cities that are surrounded by large and expansive metropolitan areas, as that’s where their customers tend to be. Rural areas and small towns see little vehicle shipping traffic on the customer side of the equation, which can mean lower profit margins and a harder time breaking even on the route. This is why they like major cities – plenty of customers to choose from more often than not.
Columbia is accessible via several major interstate highways, which is what car shipping companies like to see. The interstate highway system is the main artery that auto shippers use to pickup, transport and deliver vehicles, and cities that sit in close proximity to major routes along the IHS tend to be cheaper and faster to get into and out of for shippers than rural areas, as mentioned above. In this, Columbia is pretty lucky; it sits along I-20, I-26 and I-77. Of the three, I-20 is perhaps the most heavily traveled, but all of those interstates see plenty of transportation traffic along them, which tends to result in lower prices.
During the summer months is when Columbia tends to see the most auto transport traffic among carriers, due to the increase in demand along most routes and the fact that the weather makes it much easier to run routes through areas of higher elevation. Columbia sees hot, humid summers and mild winters, so even during the winter months shipping into or out of Columbia should not be that difficult. Usually carriers like to avoid areas that see a lot of wintry weather, as snow and ice can cause delays and increases the risk of damage for both the trucks they drive and the vehicles they ship. Columbia sees little wintry weather other than colder temperatures, so auto transportation services tend to be cheaper during the winter than other areas too.
If you’re interested in shipping a vehicle to or from Columbia, South Carolina, we can help! Take a minute to fill out our free online quote request form and you’ll get an instant quote to ship your vehicle. Our instant auto transport quote calculator is designed to give you a price that will move your vehicle when you need it moved. No hassles, no issues, just a free quote. You can also contact us any time at 800-930-7417 to speak to one of our representatives. They can answer questions, give you a quote, book your shipment and much more.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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