Routes we can tell you something real about

Distance

~1,280 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 3–5 days once loaded

This is the East Coast’s flagship car transport lane. Carriers run I-95 between South Florida and the New York metro constantly, which means good capacity and short pickup windows most of the year — and a strong seasonal price swing driven by snowbird traffic.

I-95 end to end, with the Jersey Turnpike approach into the metro area

Distance

~1,250 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 3–5 days once loaded

New Jersey shares the I-95 corridor with New York but is the easier end of it: most towns can take a full-size carrier near home, and many New York City shipments actually terminate here. Capacity is strong year-round with the same snowbird swing as the rest of the Northeast.

I-95 through the Carolinas and Virginia, finishing on the New Jersey Turnpike

Distance

~1,190 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 3–5 days once loaded

Philadelphia sits directly on the I-95 corridor, so this lane rides the same heavy carrier flow as the New York run — often on the same trucks. That keeps capacity strong and pickup windows short, with row-house streets being the main thing to plan around at delivery.

I-95 end to end

Distance

~1,490 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 4–6 days once loaded

Boston is the far end of the East Coast run: the same I-95 corridor as New York, plus another two hundred miles of New England. The lane is busy in both directions thanks to one of the country’s strongest snowbird flows, and winter is the season that actually changes how it behaves.

I-95 through the mid-Atlantic and Connecticut into the Boston metro

Distance

~660 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 1–3 days once loaded

Atlanta is the freight hub of the Southeast, and the run up from South Florida is short, dense and constantly served. Trucks pass through Atlanta on the way to most of the country, so this lane quotes quickly and moves quickly — often within a day or two of assignment.

Florida’s Turnpike to I-75 north, straight into the Atlanta metro

Distance

~235 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 1–2 days once loaded

This is a short in-state hop — about three and a half hours by road — so the honest first question is whether to ship at all. When there is no second driver, the car cannot be driven, or it is one leg of a bigger move, shipping makes sense; here is how the lane actually works.

Florida’s Turnpike end to end

Distance

~1,380 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 3–5 days once loaded

Chicago–Florida is one of the great seasonal corridors in American car shipping: a huge Midwest snowbird population moves south every fall and north every spring, and the lane’s pricing breathes with them. The run itself is straightforward interstate the whole way.

I-75 out of Florida, then I-24 and I-65 through Nashville and Indianapolis into Chicagoland

Distance

~1,190 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 3–5 days once loaded

This is the Gulf Coast trunk line: pick up I-10 in North Florida and it runs straight to Houston. The lane carries heavy commercial and auction freight year-round, so capacity is dependable — with tropical weather as the one variable that can move a schedule.

Florida’s Turnpike to I-75, then I-10 across the Gulf states into Houston

Distance

~1,310 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 3–5 days once loaded

Dallas shipments ride the same Gulf corridor as Houston for most of the trip, then turn north for the final leg into the Metroplex. It is a dependable year-round lane with strong dealer and relocation volume in both directions.

I-10 along the Gulf, then I-49 and I-20 into the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex

Distance

~2,520 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 7–9 days once loaded

Las Vegas sits just off the main east–west trucking rivers, so this shipment usually rides the I-10 flow toward Southern California and breaks north for the last leg. It is a long run with reliable coverage — the detour at the end is what shapes the schedule.

I-10 across the South, then north from the Phoenix area on US-93/I-11 into the Las Vegas valley

Distance

~2,700–3,100 driving miles depending on destination

Transit

Commonly quoted at 7–10 days once loaded

Coast to coast on the southern route: nearly every Florida–California shipment rides I-10 west and enters the state through the Southern California freight hub. Where in California the car finishes is the single biggest variable in both price and timing.

I-10 across the South into Southern California, with I-5 north for Bay Area and NorCal deliveries

Distance

~2,730 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 7–10 days once loaded

Miami and Los Angeles anchor the southern cross-country route, and the lane between them is one of the most heavily served long hauls in the country. Expect dependable coverage in both directions and a transit window that reflects a genuine 2,700-mile drive.

I-10 essentially end to end — Jacksonville to the LA basin on one interstate

Distance

~2,690 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 7–10 days once loaded

San Diego shipments ride the southern route with Los Angeles freight for almost the whole trip, finishing down the coast or across I-8. It is also one of the country’s premier military lanes — a large share of this corridor is PCS moves to and from the region’s Navy and Marine Corps installations.

I-10 west, finishing via the LA basin or I-8 into San Diego County

Distance

~3,050 driving miles

Transit

Commonly quoted at 8–11 days once loaded

The Bay Area is the far corner of the Florida–California trade: the southern route west, then a serious leg north. At over three thousand miles it is among the longest domestic lanes there is, and the extra distance shows up honestly in both the window and the quote.

I-10 to Southern California, then I-5 up the Central Valley into the Bay Area

Distance

~2,700 road miles to the West Coast, then ~2,550 ocean miles to Honolulu

Transit

Commonly 3–5 weeks door to port, combining the truck leg and a weekly sailing

There is no direct consumer sailing from Florida to the islands, so a Miami-to-Hawaii shipment is really two moves: a cross-country truck to a West Coast port, then an ocean crossing to Honolulu. It is routine — thousands of vehicles make the trip every year — but the timeline and the prep rules are different from any mainland lane.

I-10 to a Southern California port (Long Beach is typical), then a scheduled ocean service to Honolulu

Distance

~1,000 ocean miles from South Florida to San Juan

Transit

Ocean transit is commonly 3–4 days; allow 1–2 weeks door to door around sailing schedules

Florida-to-Puerto Rico is the workhorse of US ocean car shipping: dedicated carriers sail the lane multiple times a week, crossings are short, and the process is well-worn. The two things that surprise first-timers are the drop-off deadline before sailing and the excise tax due before the car is released in San Juan.

Sailings from Florida ports — Jacksonville and the South Florida ports among them — into San Juan

Distance

~1,100 ocean miles from South Florida to Charlotte Amalie

Transit

Ocean transit commonly runs about a week; allow 2–3 weeks door to door around sailings

St. Thomas is served by regular sailings from Florida ports, and as US territory there is no foreign customs process. What shapes the move instead: weekly vessel schedules, the territory’s road tax on arriving vehicles, and an island road network that favors smaller vehicles.

Weekly sailings from Florida ports into Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Distance

~1,100 ocean miles from South Florida to Frederiksted/Christiansted

Transit

Ocean transit commonly runs about a week; allow 2–3 weeks door to door around sailings

St. Croix sits forty miles from St. Thomas and runs on its own port and its own vessel calls — a detail that matters more than anything else when booking. The rest mirrors USVI shipping generally: no customs, weekly-cadence sailings, a road tax on arrival, and left-side driving.

Sailings from Florida ports calling at St. Croix directly — separate from St. Thomas service

Distance

~800 ocean miles from South Florida to Rio Haina

Transit

Ocean transit commonly 2–4 days; allow 2–3 weeks door to door including export filing and customs

The Miami–DR lane is one of the busiest vehicle export routes in the hemisphere, with frequent sailings and a deep bench of experienced providers. The gate to check before anything else: Dominican law restricts imports by vehicle age, so eligibility comes before price.

Sailings from the Miami River and South Florida ports into Rio Haina and Caucedo

Distance

~1,150 ocean miles from South Florida to Colón

Transit

Ocean transit commonly 4–6 days; allow 2–4 weeks door to door including export filing and customs clearance

Panama is one of the friendlier Latin American destinations for vehicle imports: the ocean leg from South Florida is short, sailings are frequent, and the import process is established. The real decisions are container versus roll-on/roll-off and understanding duties before you commit.

Sailings from South Florida ports to Colón (Manzanillo/Cristóbal) on the Caribbean side

Distance

~1,200 ocean miles from South Florida to Puerto Limón

Transit

Ocean transit commonly 3–6 days; allow 2–4 weeks door to door including customs clearance

The ocean leg to Costa Rica is short and well served; the decisive factor is the country’s import tax regime, which scales steeply with vehicle age and routinely amounts to a large share of the car’s value. On this lane, the tax math comes before the transport quote.

Sailings from South Florida ports to Puerto Limón/Moín on the Caribbean coast

Distance

~800 ocean miles from South Florida to Belize City

Transit

Ocean transit commonly 3–5 days; allow 2–4 weeks door to door including customs clearance

Belize is a short sail from South Florida with established weekly service, an English-speaking import process, and duties that vary sharply by vehicle type. Expats run this lane constantly — the ones who do it well pick the vehicle with the duty table in hand.

Weekly sailings from South Florida ports to Belize City

Distance

~1,100 ocean miles from South Florida to Cartagena

Transit

Ocean transit commonly 4–6 days; allow 3–5 weeks door to door where an eligible import clears customs

Read this before requesting: Colombia broadly prohibits importing used vehicles, with narrow exceptions — new vehicles, qualifying classics, diplomatic and returning-resident programs among them. When a shipment qualifies, the Cartagena lane is short and well served; when it does not, no quote can fix it.

Sailings from South Florida ports to Cartagena and Barranquilla

Distance

~2,800 ocean miles from South Florida to Guayaquil via the canal

Transit

Ocean transit commonly 8–12 days; allow 4–6 weeks door to door for qualifying imports

Ecuador, like Colombia, prohibits ordinary used-car imports. The exception most shippers use is the returning-migrant household program, which can admit one qualifying vehicle under strict conditions. If your situation fits, the Guayaquil sailing itself is routine.

Sailings from South Florida through the Panama Canal to Guayaquil

Distance

~1,300 ocean miles from South Florida to Willemstad

Transit

Ocean transit commonly 5–8 days; allow 3–4 weeks door to door including customs clearance

Curaçao sits outside the hurricane belt at the far end of the Caribbean runs, served by regular sailings from South Florida. As a country within the Dutch kingdom it runs its own customs: import duty on arrival and vehicle standards to confirm before the car sails.

Southern Caribbean sailings from South Florida ports into Willemstad

Distance

~1,200 ocean miles from South Florida to Philipsburg

Transit

Ocean transit commonly 4–7 days; allow 3–4 weeks door to door including clearance

Saint Martin is one island under two flags — Dutch Sint Maarten and French Saint-Martin — and which side the car will live on decides the import rules and taxes. Vehicle sailings from South Florida arrive at Philipsburg on the Dutch side; the paperwork path starts with your answer.

Eastern Caribbean sailings from South Florida ports into Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

Distance

~4,000–4,800 ocean miles depending on the port pairing

Transit

Ocean transit commonly 2–3 weeks; allow 4–6 weeks door to door including both customs processes

Transatlantic car shipping from Miami runs two ways: containerized from South Florida, or roll-on/roll-off from the Southeast’s dedicated vehicle ports a day’s truck ride north. Which one, and which European port, depends on the car and the destination — and EU import charges shape the economics throughout.

Container services from South Florida, or trucking to Southeast RoRo ports (Jacksonville, Brunswick) for sailings to hubs like Bremerhaven, Zeebrugge and Southampton