Car shipping in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is one of the busiest car markets in the country in both directions. The outbound side is dominated by relocations: people moving to Texas, Arizona, Florida and the East Coast for work, lower costs or family. Inbound, the region takes in new arrivals, students and a constant stream of cars bought online or at auction. Add the region's car culture, with its EVs and collector cars, and you get owners who care how their car is handled.

For a carrier, LA is a natural starting point. I-10 heads east to Phoenix, Texas and Florida, I-15 goes northeast toward Las Vegas, and I-5 runs north toward the Bay Area. Getting onto those freeways is easy. Getting a 70-plus-foot rig to your building, up your hill or past your garage gate is where the planning goes.

We arrange pickup and delivery across Los Angeles County, Orange County and the Inland Empire. Here's what each area usually means for where the driver meets you:

Texas is the biggest single destination out of Southern California. California to Texas covers Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio along I-10 and I-40, and Texas to California covers the reverse move. Arizona is next door: California to Arizona is a short hop to Phoenix, Scottsdale or Tucson, and it's popular with people relocating and with retirees.

The long hauls run the full width of the country. California to Florida follows I-10 nearly end to end, and New York to California is a classic coast-to-coast relocation lane, often booked around a job start. Closer to home, plenty of Angelenos send a second car out to Palm Springs for the winter season.

Most LA pickups are straightforward once the meeting spot is right. These are the local issues that decide it:

• Hillside streets. In the Hollywood Hills, Laurel Canyon, Silver Lake and parts of Pasadena, roads are too steep, narrow or twisty for a car carrier. Expect to drive the car down to a flat, wide street at the bottom of the hill.
• Gated apartment garages. Subterranean garages almost never clear a carrier, and many have tight ramps. Bring the car up to the street at pickup time, and check whether your building needs notice for a large vehicle at the curb.
• Permit parking. Many neighborhoods have preferential parking districts. A carrier can stop to load, but it can't wait around, so have the car ready and legally parked nearby.
• Freeway timing. Drivers try to stay off the 405, the 10 and the 101 at peak hours, so pickups tend to land mid-morning or early afternoon. A flexible window helps.
• HOA communities. In Orange County and Santa Clarita, ask your HOA whether a tractor-trailer can enter. If not, a commercial lot at the community entrance works well.

EVs are a large share of LA pickups. A moderate charge is better than full or empty, and the driver needs to know how to put the car in transport or tow mode. Our EV shipping page covers the details. For collector cars and anything low or valuable, classic and luxury car transport on an enclosed carrier keeps the car out of freeway grit for the whole trip.

Los Angeles is less seasonal than the snowbird cities, but it has a rhythm. Relocations climb in late spring and summer, when families move between school years and many companies schedule transfers. Lanes out of Southern California stay busy through those months, so book two to four weeks ahead if your date is tied to a lease or a job start. Our corporate relocation service is set up for employer-paid moves.

Winter is generally the easiest time to schedule, with two caveats. Heavy winter storms can slow traffic and close mountain passes on routes heading north or east, like the Grapevine on I-5 and Cajon Pass on I-15. And in fall, Santa Ana wind events and fire-weather closures can shift a pickup day in the foothills. We'll move the window rather than send a truck into a closure.

If you're moving away, ship the car a few days before your flight so you aren't paying for a rental at the other end for long. Pick the airport that's easiest from the pickup spot: