Movers
The Ultimate Car Shipping Guide For Movers In The United States
Are you looking to move a car or truck across state lines or even across the country? We’re here to help you find the best time of year to secure inexpensive car shipping quotes that won’t zap your budget, along with other general information about American moving trends.
Did you know that the average American moves about 12 times over the course of their lifetime? With a current average cost of $980 for in-state moves and a whopping $4,100 for moves from state to state, the cost of moving can add up in dramatic fashion. And with 9.8% of the population, or 31 million people, moving in the United States last year according to Census data, a lot of folks are incurring major bills due to relocation.
The cost to move a car or truck can add to those expenditures, leaving your bank account in dire straits and your credit cards with hefty balances at high interest rates. If you’re moving across the United States and decide to drive your car instead of having it shipped, you’ll have to factor in the cost of gas and hotels and inevitable automobile repairs which come with the wear and tear such a journey will put on your beloved vehicle.
Nexus Movers Pro Tip #1 — That’s where companies like Nexus Auto Transport come in — offering the cheapest automobile shipping quotes possible when movers like you need them most. We work with movers like you daily, surprising and delighting everyone from college students to families of four with cost efficient vehicle transport services for a variety of different car relocation needs.
The truth about moving a vehicle is that overall car shipping costs are not static. There are several factors to each particular vehicle shipment which influence the price of shipping a car or truck. The main concerns which factor into the cost of shipping a vehicle are as follows:
- The make and model of your vehicle
- The size and weight of your vehicle
- The distance between your car pickup and car delivery points
- Special needs such as closed car hauling or expedited vehicle shipping
- The time of year in which you ship a car
There may be other aspects of your particular car shipment which will either inflate or decrease the price of shipping a car, but it’s these five factors which will hold the greatest sway. And while you may not be able to control how big your car is or the distance of your move, picking the right time of year to move a car could save you hundreds of dollars in moving costs.
When is the best time to move a car with a vehicle shipping service?
As stated before, the car shipping industry is as seasonal as they come. Ultimately, consumer demand for vehicle shipments varies wildly based on what month it is. To give you a better idea of how demand for automobile shipping services changes as the calendar flips pages, let’s first break down the percentage of total moves each year in the United States on a month by month basis.
Gauge the best (and cheapest) time to move a car with a look at when other movers are on the go.
As you can see from the data above, nearly half of the moves executed in the United States happen in the four-month window from May through August. It likely won’t surprise you that customer demand for car shipping services is at its highest during this time. However, that doesn’t necessarily correlate to more expensive auto shipping quotes. There are a host of extenuating factors which can influence the cost to ship a car, from car hauler drivers who head home to the holidays to working with an overtaxed small vehicle shipping company who doesn’t have an extensive fleet of car shippers to work with.
Nexus Movers Pro Tip #2 — That’s why Nexus Auto Transport has consistently been rated as one of the most reliable and cheap vehicle moving companies in the United States. With a fleet of over 80,000 car haulers and an expert auto shipping customer service team putting together schedules that work for both drivers and customers, Nexus Auto Transport is able to offer competitive car shipping quotes at any time of year.
However, it’s simply true that you’ll pay more to move a car with any vehicle shipping company when demand is high and driver availability is not balanced with said demand. For example, December may not be nearly as popular for moving as the summer, but demand for automobile transport services may be high compared to the dwindling number of vehicle shipping drivers on the road due to the holiday season.
In addition, the time of week in which you schedule your vehicle shipment could also affect the overall cost of shipping an automobile. As you can see below, demand for moving services of all kinds is much higher on Friday and Saturday than at any other point of the week.
Planning the right day for your auto shipment could mean big savings for your moving budget.
While it’s not a guarantee of cheap vehicle transport rates, Sunday is the least desired moving day for most Americans by a solid margin. If you can catch a car hauler in transit on Sunday or beginning their work week earlier, you might be able to find ample spots and cheaper car shipping costs than if you schedule a vehicle pickup a day or two earlier.
Ready to learn more about when and why Americans move? The more informed you are as a mover, the better prepared you’ll be (and the more money you can potentially save!)
Learn more about moving trends in the United States
In our humble opinion, the vehicle transport industry is just as much about people like you as it is the cars and trucks you love. In addition to offering you unbeatable, affordable car shipping rates with our online vehicle shipping costs calculator, we also want to help inform you about general moving trends so you can make the right moving decision for you and your family.
Are you looking for a change? Do you feel like your current state is offering you nothing but dead ends in terms of employment and housing opportunities? Is it simply too expensive to maintain the quality of life you want where you’re at? Let’s take a detailed look at the top destination states for movers like you, along with the ten states which Americans are moving away from in the greatest of numbers.
Learn about the most attractive moving destinations in the U.S. and the states which Americans are moving away from in droves.
| Top 10 States Americans AreMoving To | Top 10 States Americans Are Moving From | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Idaho | Illinois |
| 2. | Nevada | New Jersey |
| 3. | Vermont | West Virginia |
| 4. | Arizona | New York |
| 5. | Oregon | Alaska |
| 6. | North Carolina | North Dakota |
| 7. | Tennessee | Connecticut |
| 8. | Montana | Kansas |
| 9. | South Carolina | Michigan |
| 10. | Alabama | California |
What do the top ten moving destinations in the United States have in common? Well, besides playing home to some of the most popular car shipping destinations in the country, they are also some of the fastest growing states in the Union in terms of job opportunities and cheap housing opportunities.
On the flip side, most of the economies of the bottom 10 states have been facing major challenges, while heavily populated states such as New York and California are experiencing pronounced spikes in cost of living — an untenable situation for many American families living paycheck to paycheck.
Now that you’ve got a sense of where Americans like you are moving to and from (and shipping cars to and from), let’s take a deeper look into why Americans are moving.
Our car shipping customers are moving to and from for a wide variety of reasons.
| Looking for a better house or apartment | 17.4% |
|---|---|
| Seeking to establish their own household | 12.2% |
| Job transfer or new employment | 10.8% |
| Family reasons or concerns | 10.5% |
| Seeking cheaper housing | 8.2% |
| Unlisted housing concerns | 6.7% |
| Shorter commute to work | 6% |
| Looking to own a home, not rent | 5.9% |
| Marital status change | 4.8% |
| Unlisted reasons | 4.4% |
| Enrolling in college | 3.2% |
| Wanting better neighborhood with less crime | 3.1% |
| Health concerns | 1.8% |
| Searching for work | 1.5% |
| Unlisted job-related reasons | 1.2% |
| Eviction or house foreclosure | 0.9% |
| Climate change | 0.8% |
| Retiring | 0.7% |
| Natural disaster | 0.1% |
Looking deeper at the data above, we see that about half of Americans are primarily moving due to some sort of concern with housing. In addition, the vast majority of movers in the United States are headed to a new or unfamiliar area with a brand new housing situation.
Moving to a new house or apartment usually comes with a bevy of added costs including deposits for apartments, down payments for homes, insurance and licensing concerns, and other household-related expenditures.
Nexus Movers Pro Tip #3 — With added housing costs tacked onto your moving costs, you’ll need an affordable vehicle shipping option to help counterbalance things. Secure an instant car shipping quote with Nexus Auto Transport and see how much money you can save!
Expert tips and tricks for cheap car moving
The connection between moving trends in the United States and customer demand for vehicle shipping services is undeniable. The more that people move around the country, the greater the demand for vehicle transportation.
If you ship a car with the wrong automobile transport service when customer demand is high, you risk inflated vehicle shipping prices and delays in both car pickups and car deliveries. Some auto transportation companies simply don’t have the means and the drivers to meet your moving needs, while others (including some car shipping brokers) may take advantage of a seller’s market to gouge you for basic car shipping when you need it most.
We here at Nexus Auto Transport believe that it’s our duty as an ethical vehicle shipping company to inform you on the ways you can save money when securing a car shipping quote. That’s why we’ve compiled this insiders’ list of the top tips and tricks for cheap car moving in the United States.
You could save hundreds of dollars in vehicle shipping costs with these expert car transport tips and tricks.
1. According to our data, February is the cheapest month to ship a car. October and early November are also great times to secure cheap auto shipping quotes.
2. Try to place your vehicle pickup and vehicle delivery locations in well-populated areas right off a main highway or byway. The more accessible your car pickup and delivery points are, the cheaper your vehicle shipping costs might be.
3. If you have to move a car during busy auto shipping seasons such as the summer or even during the holiday season, do your best to schedule your automobile shipment three weeks in advance. The farther out your schedule an auto shipment, the better your chances of getting a cheap automobile shipping quote.
4. Ensure that your car is in running condition and requires no added labor to load and unload it onto a car transport hauler. Non-running vehicles cost more to ship.
5. Secure a quote with a direct car transport company with a high customer service satisfaction rate. For example, around 99.9% of car shipping customers who ship a car with Nexus Auto Transport report a favorable shipping experience.
6. Do not ship a car with a vehicle shipping broker. These are for-profit companies which usually add a hefty service charge on top of normal auto shipping costs.
With these car shipping tips and tricks in mind, you can decrease your vehicle transport bills by a significant margin. In addition, unforeseen trends and shifts in consumer demand may occur at a moment’s notice which could impact your overall auto shipping costs.
That’s where we come in.
We here at Nexus Auto Transport pride ourselves on being a direct vehicle transportation company with our finger on the pulse of everything car shipping. Contact us at (224) 218-2949 or use our online portal to chat with one of our car shipping experts. And once you’re ready to save some money on car moving expenses with a company you can trust, secure your anonymous, instant vehicle shipping quote through our online auto shipping costs calculator. You’ll be really glad you did.