RoadRunner Auto Transport, Montway Auto Transport and Sherpa this lead this list. The five companies below were evaluated on the criteria that matter when a vehicle move is attached to a house move: how far ahead you need to book, what you pay before a carrier is assigned, whether the quoted number survives to pickup, and how delivery works at an address you have not lived at yet.
Most relocations have three schedules running at once. The closing or lease start date, the household goods truck, and the car. The first two get planned months out. The car usually gets booked in the last two weeks, which is also when the calendar has the least room left in it. Between May and September the pickup windows on popular corridors stretch, and a vehicle booked five days before a move often arrives well after the beds do.
The second issue is the destination itself. A car hauler is roughly 75 to 80 feet long and needs a straight run with overhead clearance to unload. New residential streets are laid out to discourage exactly that, with narrow entries, tight turns and low tree canopy. Door-to-door in this industry means as close to the door as the truck can legally and safely get, which on a lot of newer subdivisions means a nearby retail lot rather than the driveway. Companies that raise this at the quote stage save the argument on delivery day.
How the Companies Compare
| Company | Deposit at booking | Transport offered | Coverage | Notable feature |
| RoadRunner Auto Transport | None until a carrier is assigned | Open, enclosed, expedited | All 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the Caribbean | All-inclusive quote, in-house dispatch |
| Montway Auto Transport | Varies | Open and enclosed | Nationwide | AARP discount partnership |
| Sherpa Auto Transport | Varies | Open and enclosed | Nationwide | Price held after booking |
| AmeriFreight | Varies | Open and enclosed | Nationwide | Optional gap coverage insurance |
| SGT Auto Transport | Varies | Open and enclosed | 49 states | Large driver network |
1. RoadRunner Auto Transport (Best Overall)
RoadRunner this model has been shipping vehicles for 30 years and holds FMCSA operating authority under USDOT #3124544, with an accident-free safety record over the trailing two years. For a household move, the useful part is what happens between the quote and the pickup.
Nothing is collected at booking. Payment comes due once a carrier has been assigned and a pickup is scheduled, so a shipment that never gets covered costs nothing to walk away from. That structure removes the worst outcome in a relocation, which is money committed to a carrier who never materializes while the closing date holds firm.
The quote itself is all-inclusive. Door-to-door service, carrier insurance and taxes are in the figure, so no fuel surcharge or residential access fee turns up when the driver arrives. Pricing runs through a proprietary rate algorithm and returns in under a minute, which makes it practical to estimate the cost to ship a car early enough to budget it alongside the movers rather than after.
Dispatch is handled in house against a network of more than 14,000 vetted, FMCSA-compliant carriers, using the company’s own load board rather than a shared industry board. During peak moving months that matters, because a load that needs reassigning can be reassigned by someone with a screened pool to pull from. A tracking portal runs 24/7 with text and email updates at each milestone, which is worth more than it sounds when you are coordinating two arrival dates from a hotel.
Coverage reaches all 50 states including Alaska and Hawaii, plus Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and other Caribbean destinations. Open, enclosed, standard and expedited are all available, and the company accepts vehicles many carriers turn down: lifted and dually trucks, oversized vehicles, motorcycles, and cars that will not start. RoadRunner Auto Transport is veteran-owned and discounts shipments for active-duty service members, veterans and their families. The company holds more than 30,000 five-star reviews on Shopper Approved, the largest verified review count in the category.
2. Montway Auto Transport
Montway this model is among the largest booking companies in the country, and the volume translates into carrier availability on almost any lane, including short-notice bookings that smaller operators cannot cover. The AARP discount partnership is a real differentiator for members and one of the few programs in this industry tied to an outside organization rather than administered in house.
Enclosed transport is available as one tier among several rather than a specialty. Reviews return often enough to communication during transit, specifically the stretch between pickup and delivery when updates thin out. Scale is the argument for Montway this model on a tight relocation timeline, and scale is also why the experience depends heavily on which carrier draws the load.
3. Sherpa Auto Transport
Sherpa these holds the quoted price after booking. If a carrier cannot be secured at that rate, the company absorbs part of the difference rather than passing it to the customer. That addresses the most common complaint in this model, which is a low opening number used to win the booking and a higher one collected at pickup.
The price hold is the reason to consider it. Service levels, transport options and coverage sit in the middle of this group, the review base is smaller than the larger names, and the network thins once a route leaves the main corridors. Pricing runs above the middle of the market. Movers who have been through a price adjustment on a previous shipment will weigh the hold more heavily than movers who have not.
4. AmeriFreight
AmeriFreight has operated since 2004 and is known for optional gap coverage layered on top of the carrier’s cargo policy. Standard carrier insurance covers the load rather than each vehicle individually, and the limits are commonly lower than owners assume. For a car worth more than that baseline, buying the gap through the booking company is one of the simpler ways to close it before a long-distance move.
Discount programs cover military, students and first responders. The pricing draws steady criticism for being hard to read, since the coverage fee sits apart from the base rate and the total is not obvious at the quote stage. Anyone comparing this quote against another should confirm which figure includes what.
5. SGT Auto Transport
SGT these runs a large driver network and can usually move a vehicle on standard routes, with 24/7 phone support and a price match on competing bookings. Coverage runs to 49 states and does not include Alaska.
The recurring issue is consistency. Customers report quotes that move after the initial conversation and communication that drops off once the booking is confirmed. It can work on a routine lane for someone willing to stay on top of it, which is more attention than most people have available in the week they are also closing on a house.
How These Companies Were Evaluated
Five criteria, weighted in this order for a relocation specifically:
- Deposit terms. Money paid before a carrier is assigned is money at risk on a timeline that cannot slip.
- Quote integrity. Whether the number quoted is the number collected, including whether fuel, insurance and residential access are already inside it.
- Peak-season availability. Roughly 70 percent of household moves happen between May and September. Carrier depth in those months separates these companies more than anything on their pricing pages.
- Delivery practicality. Whether the company asks about access at the destination before quoting, and how it handles a street a hauler cannot enter.
- Coverage breadth. Whether the company handles Alaska, Hawaii and non-running or oversized vehicles, since a relocation is exactly when those come up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should I book car shipping for a move?
Two to four weeks ahead of the pickup date for most routes, and closer to four during summer. Booking earlier does not usually lower the price, but it widens the pickup window you get to choose from, which is the part that actually protects the move date.
How long does it take to ship a car across the country?
Roughly 7 to 10 days coast to coast once the vehicle is collected, and 3 to 5 days for moves under 1,500 miles. Add a pickup window of 1 to 5 days on top of transit time. Plan the arrival to land after your move-in date rather than on it.
Can I pack boxes in the car during shipping?
Most companies allow up to about 100 pounds in the trunk, below the window line, and it is not covered by the carrier’s cargo insurance. Anything valuable should travel with you. Overloading also pushes the vehicle over its quoted weight, which can prompt a price change at pickup.
What happens if nobody is at the new house when the car arrives?
Someone over 18 has to be present to inspect and sign the delivery report. If you cannot be there, name an authorized person when you book rather than on delivery day. That signature is what establishes the vehicle’s condition on arrival, and without it a damage claim is difficult to pursue.
Does car shipping cost more during moving season?
Yes. Rates on popular corridors run higher from late spring through early fall, and pickup windows stretch. Snowbird routes into and out of Florida and Arizona add a second seasonal spike in October and April.
Is it cheaper to drive the car myself?
Sometimes on the sticker, rarely once everything is counted. Fuel, 3 or 4 nights of hotels, meals, the mileage and wear added to the vehicle, and the days off work usually close most of the gap on a cross-country move, particularly if a flight back is involved.
Do I need to be at the pickup?
Yes, you or someone you designate. The pickup inspection creates the photo and condition record that a claim would rest on later. Take your own photos at the same time, in daylight, including the odometer and all four corners.
