Auto Transport Prices: Summer vs. Winter

While cars can be shipped at any time of year, certain patterns appear at different times of the year. You might expect that the price you pay to ship a vehicle would be based on the size of the vehicle and how quickly you want it to arrive, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

One consideration is the distance the vehicle will be traveling and the route it will have to take. In summer, more people ship their vehicles than at any other time of the year. This causes the cost to rise on the most popular routes, as although there is greater demand there are only a certain number of shipping companies around.

Auto transport trucks can essentially choose which loads they want when they are traveling to and from popular areas. The higher the cost, the sooner a vehicle will be picked up, as it is beneficial to the carrier.

During summer, most people will ship vehicles out of cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, giving carriers a much easier time. The routes are well-established, there is plenty of money to be made, and the funds raised often keep the carrier running through the winter.

In winter, demand for vehicle shipping drops off, and there are far fewer customers around. Furthermore, shipping during winter often takes longer than in summer. Carriers are often fighting to win customers, meaning that prices come down due to the competition.

As winter sets in, roads can become more difficult to drive safely on. Wet weather, cold weather, snow, and ice all play a part in making vehicle shipping a much harder task for carriers, and routes may have to change or be extended to avoid areas with bad weather.

Carriers will want to avoid empty spaces on their trucks that could be filled by paying customers, so pick up times may take longer. For rural routes, this can cause the prices to once again increase – they are still in competition with other carriers, but unless you are willing to wait for all the spaces on the truck to be filled, the carrier needs to make the journey worthwhile for themselves.

Because of poor weather conditions, certain routes may not even be considered during winter.

The most sensible choice for a customer is to obtain quotes from a variety of carriers and speak to a representative who will be able to guide you on the present situation. The prices and routes will vary during the year, and it always wise to fully understand the picture before coming to a decision.