Ship a car from California to Florida

California to Florida is a true cross-country move. From Los Angeles to Jacksonville is roughly 2,400 miles of interstate. From the Bay Area to Miami it's closer to 3,100. Driving it yourself is five or six long days with hotels, fuel and a lot of West Texas, which is why most people moving between the two states fly and ship the car.

The people on this lane are mostly relocating: job transfers, retirements, families following lower housing costs, and military households changing coasts. A smaller group sends a second car to a Florida winter home. Because the trip is long, the planning decisions matter more here than on shorter lanes: open or enclosed, a realistic pickup window, and someone available at the Florida end.

Most cars ride I-10, which runs from Santa Monica to Jacksonville. Leaving Los Angeles, carriers cross the Inland Empire and the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning, run the desert through Palm Springs and Blythe, and cross into Arizona for Phoenix and Tucson. Then come New Mexico, El Paso, and the long West Texas stretch through Van Horn and Fort Stockton before San Antonio and Houston. Past Houston: Louisiana's elevated swamp crossings near Lafayette and Baton Rouge, a short run along the Mississippi and Alabama coast, and the Florida Panhandle into Jacksonville.

The southern route is popular for a reason: it avoids the Sierra and Rocky Mountain passes that can close in winter. Bay Area and Sacramento cars often head south on I-5 to meet I-10, or go east on I-40 to Texas, depending on the carrier's other stops. Cars for Orlando or Tampa leave I-10 for I-75 or I-4 in north Florida; Miami-bound cars continue down I-95. Expect the I-10 desert stretches to be hot from June through September, and the Gulf Coast portion to sit inside hurricane season from June 1 to November 30.

This lane runs all year, with two softer peaks. Relocations cluster from May through August, when families time moves around the school calendar and new jobs start. In fall, cars bound for Florida winter homes add to the eastbound traffic from October into December.

• Give us two to three weeks for a summer move; coast-to-coast loads are planned further out than regional runs.
• Flexibility saves the most money on a trip this long. A carrier filling a full load from California to Florida will fit you in more readily if your window is a few days wide.
• Late hurricane season can pause deliveries along the Gulf Coast for a day or two when a storm is close; the carrier holds the car until it's safe.

An open carrier is how most cars cross the country, and it's a sound choice for a daily driver. Over this distance the car will see desert sun, some wind-blown grit through West Texas and New Mexico, and probably a Gulf Coast rain shower. Plan on a wash and a look-over at delivery.

The longer the trip, the more an enclosed trailer is worth for a car you care about: a collector car, a car with fresh paint or ceramic coating, or a low sports car. Fewer enclosed trucks run a full coast-to-coast lane, so they need more lead time. Compare both on our enclosed transport and open car transport pages.

California pickups depend heavily on the neighborhood. A full car carrier is about 75 feet long, and plenty of the state's streets weren't built for one.

• The Westside and the hills (Santa Monica, Brentwood, the Pacific Palisades, Silver Lake, the Hollywood Hills): narrow, steep and winding streets, so plan to meet the truck on a main boulevard.
• Apartment garages in Koreatown, Mid-Wilshire, Downtown and West Hollywood have low entrances and tight ramps. Bring the car up to the street.
• The San Fernando Valley, Orange County and the South Bay usually have wider residential streets and easier loading.
• The Inland Empire (Riverside, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands) sits right on I-10 and is often the simplest pickup on the lane.
• San Diego cars typically head out on I-8 or up I-15 to reach I-10. The Bay Area means steep San Francisco streets and permit-parking blocks, while the suburbs down the Peninsula and across the East Bay are simpler.

Our Los Angeles and Palm Springs pages cover the local details.

Coming in on I-10, Jacksonville is the first stop, then the car follows I-75 or I-4 to Central Florida and the Gulf Coast or I-95 to South Florida. Arrival order depends on the carrier's other deliveries, so we give you a delivery window and update it as the truck gets closer.

Many Florida neighborhoods are gated or HOA-run, and some don't allow car carriers inside. Check with your community before delivery day. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, so morning delivery windows are the norm. The local details are on our Orlando, Tampa and Miami pages.