It will usually take a few days to two weeks for your car to arrive at the pickup point after leaving for transportation. This time frame is extremely long because automatic transport times vary considerably depending on the individual shipment. Open carriers can carry more vehicles at a time, meaning they'll have to make several stops to pick up other vehicles along the way. When you ship your vehicle, make a reservation at least a few weeks in advance so that carriers have enough time to find the right carrier.
It can take a while to ship vehicles due to long distances, the possibility of poor weather conditions, traffic jams and high levels of demand. Most vehicle transportation companies require you to pay part of the balance in advance and the rest after the vehicle is delivered, while some require the full amount before the transportation of the car begins. To ship a car to Hawaii, you must consider land transportation in Hawaii, the shipping time by boat or plane, and ground transportation in the destination area. The peak vehicle shipping season can increase transportation costs, but the good thing is that they shorten transit time. There are many factors that can affect the delivery time of your car shipment and many unforeseen circumstances that could delay it even further.
Either way, this should give you peace of mind and a solid estimate of how long it will still take for the car to ship. You'll need to pay the remaining balance at this time if you only paid a portion of the shipping costs for the car beforehand. For example, you can't expect a quick two-day delivery if you want to ship your car between New York and California, as it will take several days to cover the distance of more than 3000 miles between two locations. Another obvious factor affecting the delivery time of the car shipment is the distance between the pickup location and the destination.
The choice of transportation method will also play an important role in the time needed to ship your car. The best way to reduce the time it takes to ship a car is to book a delivery weeks in advance, while the most efficient suppliers are still available. On the other hand, it may take longer to organize pickup and delivery during the winter months because the demand for car shipping services is lower. While many car transport services offer express deliveries, remember that the length of the shipment should still be realistic based on the distance.
