College student car shipping

Plenty of students attend school far enough from home that driving the car there means a long weekend on the interstate, right when everyone is busy packing a dorm room. Shipping lets the student fly in for move-in and have their own car a few days later. In May, the same car can head home while the student finishes finals, takes a summer internship somewhere else, or just catches a flight.

• First-year students heading to a school in another region, once they've confirmed they're allowed a car on campus.
• Students moving off campus into an apartment, where a car becomes a necessity.
• Graduates moving the car home or straight to a first job in a new city.
• Parents managing all of it from home, which is how most of these shipments get booked.

1. 1

   Book from wherever you are

   A parent can request the quote, book and pay. We just need the pickup and delivery addresses, the vehicle, the dates, and who will meet the driver at each end.

2. 2

   Pick a meeting point the truck can reach

   A full car carrier can't drive onto most campuses or into residence-hall lots. The usual plan is a commercial lot or a wide street nearby. We'll suggest one if you're not sure.

3. 3

   Pickup at home

   An adult hands over the keys, walks around the car with the driver and signs the bill of lading, the receipt that records the car's condition.

4. 4

   Delivery near campus

   The student, or another adult you name, meets the driver, compares the car with the condition noted at pickup, then signs. The family hears from us when the car is on its way and when it's delivered.

Student cars tend to be sensible compacts and sedans, which works in your favor: they take up less carrier space than a big SUV. Timing is what moves the price most, because thousands of families are shipping cars the same few weeks.

For the full picture of what goes into a quote, see how much it costs to ship a car.

Heading to school: book in early summer for an August move-in. Plan pickup at home a week or so before the student flies out, so car and student land around the same time. Transit across a few states is often 2–4 days on the truck, and a coast-to-coast trip generally runs seven to ten days once loaded, plus whatever the pickup range adds at the front.

Coming home: finals week is the worst time to coordinate anything. Book the May pickup during spring break, choose a pickup date after the last exam, and make sure someone is around to hand over the keys if the student has already left. If the car needs to go straight to an internship city, we can ship it there instead of home.

• Confirm the school allows the car. Some universities don't let first-year students park on campus, and most require a parking permit. Sort out the permit before the car arrives.
• Don't use the car as a moving box. Dorm gear, clothes and electronics ride uninsured; the carrier's cargo policy covers the car, not what's packed into it. Ship them separately or bring them on the plane.
• Leave about a quarter tank, check the tires, and make sure the car starts, steers and brakes.
• Remove toll tags and old parking permits so they don't log charges or cause confusion on campus.
• Photograph the car on pickup day, inside and out, and send the photos to the student.
• Check insurance and registration. Tell your insurer the car will be garaged at school. Many states let students keep their home-state registration, but rules vary, so check both states.

For the full pre-shipping routine, read our car prep checklist.

Someone has to release the car and sign the condition report at pickup, and someone has to sign again at delivery. It doesn't have to be the car's registered owner, but it should be an adult. If the student is under 18, a parent or another adult you name should handle the signing, or at least be there for it. Tell us who to expect at each end so the driver isn't left waiting.

Common campus lanes include New York to California for students at West Coast schools, California to Texas, and Florida-bound lanes for students heading to schools in Orlando and Tampa.