When To Ship A Car To Dallas
When To Ship A Car To Dallas

When To Ship A Car To Dallas
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After over 20 years in the auto transport business, we’ve learned the best time to ship a car to Dallas, Texas in all four seasons. Depending on the season, your approach to shipping a vehicle to Dallas should change. Seasonality has a dramatic effect on Dallas car shipping quotes, overall costs, and level of service.
We include in this blog savvy tips and strategies that will help you have a successful experience.
Key Takeaways:
- Car shipping to Dallas is affected by the seasons.
- The highest vehicle shipping cost to Dallas is around the Christmas and New Year holidays during the snowbird Winter season.
- The cheapest auto transport quotes to Dallas are in the Autumn season, particularly from late October to mid-December.
- The car shipping cost to Dallas is elevated, higher than most routes, for the Winter, Spring, and Summer seasons.
- Year-round, vehicle shipping to Dallas normally costs more than the reverse.
In This Blog Article:
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Shipping A Car To Dallas In The Winter Season
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When Is The Best Time To Ship A Car To Dallas In The Winter?
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College Students Create A Spike In Car Shipping Every August
Shipping A Car To Dallas In The Winter Season
We start with the hard part first, shipping a car to Dallas in the winter season. Specifically, over the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays.
When we talk about seasonality in the vehicle transport industry, late December and early January are the big reasons. No other time is as hectic, expensive, and stressful as that period shipping a car to Dallas.
Direct Express Auto Transport has over twenty years of experience shipping cars to Dallas, Texas. We track daily the number of single-vehicle Sedans, SUVs, Pickup Trucks, and Vans system-wide that are available to ship on the auto transport load board.
We omit here in our study multiple vehicle orders, those that are anywhere from 2 to 10 vehicles on the car transport trailer because we are better able to assess market volume changes. The numbers tell the story of shipping to Dallas, and we share the past year’s results in this blog.
Here is what typically happens to the sheer number of vehicles car shipping to Texas on any given day in the Winter Season from December to February. It is often called Snowbird season as well.
| Winter Season Auto Transport To Texas | Avg. Daily Single Vehicles Avail. To TX | Ratio Of Vehicles Shipping To/From TX | Comments About Winter Season Car Shipping To Texas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Week of December | 1890 | 1.1:1 | The lull from November continues |
| 2nd Week of December | 1883 | 1.1:1 | Early December is ideal to ship a car |
| 3rd Week of December | 2679 | 1.4:1 | The snowbird rush to TX begins in earnest |
| 4th Week of December | 4189 | 1.2:1 | Carriers want to be home for Xmas too |
| 1st Week of January | 4822 | 1.1:1 | The busiest week of the year is New Year’s |
| 2nd Week of January | 3234 | 1.2:1 | Highest priced orders ship first |
| 3rd Week of January | 3071 | 1.3:1 | 2nd highest priced orders ship next |
| 4th Week of January | 2232 | 1.3:1 | The number winnows down |
| 1st Week of February | 1923 | 1.4:1 | A period of stability takes over |
| 2nd Week of February | 2411 | 1.5:1 | Car transport prices remain elevated … |
| 3rd Week of February | 2357 | 1.4:1 | Because there are more car shipping to TX |
| 4th Week of February | 2946 | 1:4.1 | It stays that way until October |
| End of February / Begin March | 2901 | 1.8:1 | Twice as many vehicles are shipping to TX |
When Is The Best Time To Ship A Car To Dallas In The Winter?
If at all possible, you should avoid the last two weeks of December and the first three weeks of January. It is hectic for everybody. Just look at the chart and see how the number of vehicles available to ship skyrockets fourfold around the holidays. It is more than the car transportation system can handle.
During the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays, the auto transport carriers and brokers, and most of all the customers, are stressed. The carriers and brokers understand what is happening … why some orders ship and others that are priced too cheap – don’t.
But not all customers understand the auto transport industry, and why the order they placed weeks ago is still languishing in their cold driveway.
Do Not Book A Vehicle Shipment To Dallas Too Soon
The car shipping industry is not first come, first served. Once Christmas arrives, the vehicle shipping cost rises incrementally almost daily for four weeks. If a customer booked too early, he will likely have too low a price when the time comes to ship his car. He will have to wait. Or add money to rectify the dilemma.
The carriers are not concerned with when any particular order was booked. They are only concerned with maximizing their profit, as anyone would be. The carriers quite naturally choose to haul the highest-paying vehicles available. For them, it is a feeding frenzy. Kind of like Piranha.
The car shipping carriers have a dilemma to contend with once in Dallas. There is very little freight leaving Dallas. Because there are so many competing car transport carriers swarming to Dallas, and elsewhere in Texas, in late December and all of January, chances are high that a carrier returns home with a half-empty trailer. That means he must make money on the trip to Dallas. He doesn’t have the luxury of transporting cheap orders.
Book Your Car Shipment Order To Dallas About One Week Prior
A good rule of thumb is to book your vehicle shipment to Dallas about 7 days before availability. The overwhelming majority of auto transport carriers will not commit to picking up a car shipment more than three days in advance of the vehicle availability.
So why book much earlier than that? It is almost always best to have current auto transport market pricing. If it’s high, then there’s no way around it, you gotta pay. Because other cars will ship and yours won’t.
How To Select The Best Car Shipping Rate To Dallas
Direct Express Auto Transport uniquely has three levels of service on every route, including shipping a car to Dallas. The customers who choose the highest Rush rate are typically happiest with the service.
The customers who choose the Expedited rate are often satisfied with the results.
Those who book the Standard rate to Dallas during the busy snowbird season are frustrated while waiting their turn.
We are writing this blog to give good advice to unaware customers. The smartest thing to do if you are in a hurry to ship a car is to go with the higher Rush or Expedited rates.
Transporting A Vehicle To Dallas In The Spring Season
When the Dallas snowbirds return home in the Spring season, starting in late April, throughout all of May, and into early June, the above scenario repeats itself in reverse.
This blog, however, is about shipping a vehicle to Dallas during the four seasons. We are advising you on the best strategy during each season.
| Spring Season Auto Transport To Texas | Avg. Daily Single Vehicles Avail. To TX | Ratio Of Vehicles Shipping To/From TX | Comments About Spring Season Car Shipping To Texas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Week of March | 3289 | 1.6:1 | The ratio is nearly 2-1 cars shipping to TX |
| 2nd Week of March | 3730 | 1.6:1 | It stays that way for several weeks |
| 3rd Week of March | 3339 | 1.6:1 | College Spring Break in Texas |
| 4th Week of March | 4212 | 1.9:1 | Spring Break to Texas creates demand |
| 1st Week of April | 4462 | 1.8:1 | More Spring Break shipments |
| 2nd Week of April | 4117 | 1.9:1 | The 2-1 ratio to TX elevates quote prices |
| 3rd Week of April | 3914 | 1.8:1 | It is more expensive car shipping to TX … |
| 4th Week of April | 4213 | 1.7:1 | Than shipping from Texas in the Spring |
| 1st Week of May | 4027 | 1.9:1 | Car shipping is nearly twice as costly to TX |
| 2nd Week of May | 4193 | 1.5:1 | There is not much let up in May |
| 3rd Week of May | 4513 | 1.3:1 | There is also a spike in cars leaving TX |
| 4th Week of May | 4086 | 1.4:1 | But there are still more coming than leaving |
| End of May / Begin June | 4254 | 1.4:1 | Memorial Day creates more backlog |
In the Spring Season, the volume of orders to Dallas is higher than normal. The Spring Season in Texas is nothing like the Spring Season in Florida. The ratios stay elevated car shipping to Dallas in the Spring. It is close to two to one the entire season.
The Toughest Time Of Year To Ship Your Car To Dallas
Other than the New Year’s holiday, the most prolonged and toughest time of year for auto transport pricing to Dallas, Texas occurs in in the Spring Season.
With so many vehicles shipping to Dallas, and so few leaving, the reverse route from Dallas becomes incredibly cheap. Enjoy it while you can.
However, car shipping quotes to Dallas skyrocket as demand for car transport carrier space is very high. Available carrier space is in short supply.
Auto Transport To Dallas In The Summer Season
College Students Create A Spike In Car Shipping Every August
There is a very discernible car shipping spike every year in the late Summer Season. Texas has many popular universities and colleges that attract students from all over America. For many, it is an ideal place to go to college.
Texas colleges on the semester system create a mid-August boost in auto transport to Dallas that lasts until the end of the month.
| Summer Season Auto Transport To Texas | Avg. Daily Single Vehicles Avail. To TX | Ratio Of Vehicles Shipping To/From TX | Comments About Summer Season Car Shipping To Texas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Week of June | 4296 | 1.4:1 | Summer is a busy time shipping to Texas |
| 2nd Week of June | 3384 | 1.4:1 | Pricing stays stable & high in May, June, July |
| 3rd Week of June | 3629 | 1.3:1 | It is much cheaper shipping FROM Texas |
| 4th Week of June | 3676 | 1.4:1 | Because more are shipping cars to Texas … |
| 1st Week of July | 3193 | 1.5:1 | Auto transport quotes remain higher to TX |
| 2nd Week of July | 3091 | 1.5:1 | The 4th of July holiday created more pressure |
| 3rd Week of July | 2630 | 1.4:1 | No break in pricing shipping to Texas |
| 4th Week of July | 2389 | 1.7:1 | The imbalance shipping to TX gets worse |
| 1st Week of August | 3408 | 2:1 | There are twice the cars shipping to TX |
| 2nd Week of August | 3751 | 1.9:1 | College kids shipping cars to Texas |
| 3rd Week of August | 3378 | 2.2:1 | Families relocating to Texas before school |
| 4th Week of August | 3402 | 2.4:1 | A horrible time to ship a car to Texas |
| End of August / Begin September | 3164 | 2.2:1 | Because more than twice the vehicles are shipping TO Texas than FROM Texas |
Auto transport to Dallas in the Summer Season is fairly steady and predictably higher than normal. Auto transport costs remain elevated throughout most of the Summer.
Vehicle Shipping To Dallas In The Autumn Season
Hurricanes & Thanksgiving Can Cause Interruptions
National weather forecasters can see hurricanes forming in the Gulf of Mexico days in advance. Car transport carriers know how long they have to get out of Texas, and they avoid entirely any route there. They wait it out, which usually takes but a few days, a week at most.
September and October are the two most susceptible months for hurricanes, but of course, there are exceptions. Hurricanes create a backlog of vehicle shipments to Dallas that are usually overcome within a week after the event.
At the end of November comes Thanksgiving. Like everybody else, auto transport carriers like to be home for Turkey Day too.
Because Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November, drivers are usually home by the Wednesday before and don’t return to the road until the Monday after Thanksgiving. Essentially a five-day break for many. It takes about a week for the vehicle shipping freight system to recover and return to equilibrium.
| Autumn Season Auto Transport To Texas | Avg. Daily Single Vehicles Avail. To TX | Ratio Of Vehicles Shipping To/From TX | Comments About Autumn Season Car Shipping To Texas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Week of September | 3165 | 2:1 | Extremely high ratio of 2-1 car shipping to TX |
| 2nd Week of September | 2720 | 2.3:1 | Shipping to TX is very high cost early Sept |
| 3rd Week of September | 2308 | 2:1 | Higher than normal throughout September |
| 4th Week of September | 2260 | 1.7:1 | The almost 2-1 ratio to Texas continues |
| 1st Week of October | 1817 | 1.8:1 | Pricing remains high due to the imbalance |
| 2nd Week of October | 2372 | 1.4:1 | Ratios are a big deal to car shipping quotes |
| 3rd Week of October | 2294 | 1.3:1 | Car Shipping Quotes start to come down |
| 4th Week of October | 2593 | 1.2:1 | There is almost parity in the market |
| 1st Week of November | 2461 | 1:1 | Best time to ship a car to Texas is now |
| 2nd Week of November | 1893 | 1:1 | Early November is a great time to ship a car |
| 3rd Week of November | 1565 | 1.2:1 | November is okay for car shipping to Texas |
| 4th Week of November | 2514 | 1.1:1 | Vehicle shipping interrupted by Turkey Day |
| End of November / Begin December | 2832 | 1.1:1 | Thanksgiving causes a minor backlog |
The Autumn Season is perhaps the best time of year to ship a car to Dallas, or anywhere else for that matter.
Bottom Line: When To Ship A Car To Dallas
As far as car shipping to Dallas goes, some seasons are much easier than others. The Winter season is by far the toughest, especially around the auto transport snowbird migration to Dallas in late December and January, as shipping costs soar.
The Autumn season is a good time to ship a car to Dallas. The Autumn season is ideal weather, and car transport quotes tend to be lower than average.
The Original Car Shipping Quote Calculator To Dallas
Direct Express Auto Transport originated the instant car shipping quote calculator in 2004. It is still the best, most sophisticated, reliable tool available online. We offer three options that we call tiers of car shipping quote estimates to Dallas, Texas.
The Standard rate is the cheapest car shipping quote. Use the Standard rate if you can be patient.
The Expedited rate is the most recommended and best auto transport quote. We have many very satisfied Expedited rate customers because the vehicle shipping process tends to go quicker.
The Rush rate is our highest level of auto transport quotes and service, and many customers are glad they went with that method too. If in a hurry, go Rush rate. You will be glad you did.
Car Transport Cost: FAQ
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Should You Ship Your Car Open or Enclosed?
About 97% of all vehicle shipments are shipped on an Open Trailer. It’s proven to be a very safe method with statistically very few problems. You may notice new cars being delivered to dealerships in an open trailer, and that’s because it’s safe. If you have a collector car or really expensive automobile, say around $75,000 or more, then we recommend shipping it in an Enclosed Trailer. Expect to pay about 33-50% more for an Enclosed transport. Our auto shipping costs calculator automatically adds the extra enclosed car transport estimate to your quote, so you can experiment with the quotes if you like. -
How Long Will It Take To Pick Up My Vehicle?
Over 90% of our orders ship inside of one week. That could be anywhere from 1 to 7 days. Most of the U.S. population lives in a major metropolitan area and is shipping to another well populated area, and that makes a big difference. Cars usually ship in a very regular manner, almost half within just a few days.
If either your origination or destination locations are away from population centers, in other words, in a remote area, then you might consider meeting a driver in a nearby big city or town to increase your chances of shipping timely. Or adding money to the carrier fee may entice a carrier. Remember, anyone you choose can serve as your point of contact, which takes the stress out of shipping your vehicle.
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How Do I Prepare My Vehicle For Shipment?
Clean out your vehicle of all loose items as much as possible. Leave nothing of value in the vehicle. It’s very rare that any items are stolen during transport, but we recommend extra caution to prevent loss.
Keep extra items as previously discussed to a minimum and place in the trunk or out of sight. Have only about a quarter tank of gasoline. Give the auto transport carrier a set of keys and advise them of any special instructions for your vehicle, like difficulty starting, steering, braking, etc.
Driver Consideration: Being a truck driver can be a thankless job. They work long hours and are away from their families for weeks at a time. Please be friendly and considerate to our drivers, and they will treat you in the same manner.
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How Are Car Shipping Quotes Calculated?
The first factor used to calculate car shipping cost is the transport distance. Next are the length, height and weight of the vehicle, followed by running condition and type of trailer (Open or Enclosed). Finally, seasonal fluctuations may impact the overall cost.
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Non-Running Vehicles Cost More
Maneuvering non-operational vehicles on and off a car transport trailer is a big challenge. Car shipping companies much prefer operational (running) vehicles because it gives them an easier option to reposition their entire load. Non-running vehicles take considerably more time to get on and off the trailer. So the car shipping quote must reflect the higher cost. Many auto transporters don’t have a winch and cannot accommodate non-running vehicles. That is one reason it takes longer on average to ship non-operational vehicles. Fewer do it. If at all possible, fixing your vehicle before trying to ship it will save on the non-running car transport cost, and make the process go faster.
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How Long Does It Take To Deliver My Vehicle?
Delivering is final step in the process, and also the simplest part. Once your vehicle has been assigned and picked up, not too much can go wrong. Once the vehicle is picked up, you can estimate that it will take roughly 1 day of transit time for every 500 miles distance. Delivery Time Estimate Guide 100-500 miles takes 1 or 2 days 500-1000 miles takes 2 or 3 days 1000-1500 miles takes 3 or 4 days 1500-2000 miles takes 4 or 5 days 2000-2500 miles takes 5 or 6 days 2500-3000 miles takes 6 or 7 days Depending on the distance, weather conditions and population centers it could be a few days or weeks until a vehicle reaches its destination. The carriers usually estimate about 10 days on coast to coast trips, but they frequently arrive earlier.
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Can I Put Stuff In My Car When I Ship It?
Yes and no. The strict interpretation is no, you can’t ship items inside your vehicle. The reality is that almost all carriers look the other way on items that weigh less than 100 pounds, roughly the equivalent of 2 suitcases. We recommend placing any additional items in the trunk and out of sight. The U.S. Transportation Law states that a carrier can be fined $10,000 for hauling household items in the vehicle, but it’s rarely enforced. However, the drivers do estimate the weight of each vehicle that they carry and don’t want problems at weight scales. So they must keep the personal items to a minimum. Some drivers will accept a tip ($50-$250) for hauling extra stuff, but some won’t. Rule of thumb, don’t take advantage.
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