Shipping a Car Coast to Coast This Winter? Why the Truck May Not Take the Route You Expect

Ask someone to picture a car going from Chicago to San Francisco and they will usually trace I-80 straight across Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada. In July, that is often exactly what happens. In January, it often is not. Winter changes the map for the people who drive car carriers, and once you know how, a lot of the questions about timing and dates answer themselves.

Start with the three big east-west corridors in the West. I-80 is the most direct line for the northern half of the country, but it crosses some of the highest, windiest stretches of interstate in the U.S. — southern Wyoming and the Sierra Nevada over Donner Pass. Wyoming regularly closes sections of I-80 in winter storms, and California posts chain controls on its Sierra passes — when they are up, any truck over 6,500 pounds has to chain up to keep going. I-70 through Colorado climbs to the Eisenhower Tunnel and over Vail Pass, where Colorado's Traction Law is in effect every year from September 1 through May 31. I-40 and I-10 run farther south, through New Mexico, Arizona and Texas, and see far fewer closures.

A loaded car carrier is long, heavy and tall, and a driver carrying nine or ten customers' cars cannot afford to sit at a closed gate for a day and a half. Federal hours-of-service rules also cap a truck driver at 11 hours of driving after 10 hours off, so a day spent waiting at a closed gate is a day of driving lost. So when the weather turns, many drivers on coast-to-coast runs drop south to I-40 or I-10 even if it adds a few hundred miles. More miles on a detour usually still means a more predictable trip than waiting out a storm on a mountain pass.

“More miles on a detour usually still means a more predictable trip than waiting out a storm on a mountain pass.”

That has a few effects you will notice. The first is time. By our published estimating method a 2,000-mile trip runs roughly 5 to 8 days in transit, and a winter detour or a weather hold can push the delivery toward the later end of that range or past it. The second is that the dates in your booking are estimates for a reason: a company that promises an exact delivery day in January on a northern route is promising something no driver controls. The third is that your car may be on the truck a day or two longer than it would be in summer — which is why loose items left inside are a bigger risk in winter, not a smaller one.

So plan with a cushion. If you need the car by a certain date, book two to four weeks ahead and ask for delivery a few days before you actually need it. If you are flying to the destination, have a plan for the first few days without the car. And if your schedule is fixed — a job start, a lease ending, a return flight — tell the company you are considering at the start, so they can tell you honestly how they handle weather on your route.

Ask a couple of route questions when you compare offers. Which way will the truck likely go this time of year? How will they let you know about weather delays, and who will you hear from? There is no single right answer, but a company that has a ready answer to both has clearly done winter runs before.

Prep the car for winter, too. Leave about a quarter tank of fuel, check the battery and the antifreeze, and take out anything loose. If the car is going somewhere cold, consider having winter tires put on before pickup so it is ready to drive when it arrives.

When the car arrives, it may be covered in road grime from a long winter run. Walk around it in daylight, compare it with the photos you took at pickup, note every new scratch or dent on the Bill of Lading, and then sign. If the grime makes it hard to see the paint, take your time and look closely before you sign — that signature records the car's condition at delivery.

How it works with us is simple. We put your shipment in front of vetted, licensed auto transport companies, they compete with their best offers, and you choose the one whose dates, route and price work for you. You book directly with that company, and you never pay us a cent. Moving coast to coast this winter? Get your free estimate early and give the trip a little extra room.