Weekends or Weekdays? Better Dates for Car Shipping

Imagine planning a cross-country move. You’ve packed up everything in your home and booked a moving date. But suddenly, you realize you forgot something important: Choosing a vendor and date to ship your car.

It’s understandable to be confused when facing the prospect of shipping a car. After all, it’s not a task you perform often. Still, failing to include booking a car transport vendor in your moving plans can be costly. And even if you are diligent and build it into your itinerary, you still need to consider a pickup date for your vehicle.

Before arriving at a decision, it’s a good idea to answer a fundamental question: Should you ship during the week or on a weekend?

Balancing Convenience with Cost Savings

Think back on any moves you’ve made in the past. If you’re like most people, the bulk of the work took place on a Saturday or Sunday.

It’s unsurprising that most of us choose to move on the weekends. Moving on a weekday forces us to disrupt our schedules and use vacation time. But you may be sacrificing cost-efficiency for convenience. It comes down to supply and demand.

On Fridays and Saturdays, the demand for car transportation services peaks since many owners want to have their vehicle ready for them when they arrive on Monday. Because of this high level demand, the supply—or space available on a moving truck—is low. As a result, car transportation service providers charge a premium to move a car from one location to another.

Unsurprisingly, demand on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is at its lowest. If you’re moving on a limited budget, it’s worth considering scheduling a move during midweek to take advantage of the cost savings.

Of course, weekday vs. weekend is only one of many variables that influence the price of car transportation services, and just one of many car shipping FAQ that budget-conscious are seeking answers to.

1. Set a Wide Pickup Window for your Car

We mentioned it earlier but it’s worth repeating: When it comes to booking car transportation services, flexibility pays off.

Most car owners have a specific pickup date and time in mind when they contact a vendor. Unfortunately, the schedules of car owners and car transportation vendors don’t always align. A selected date and time may be busier than usual for the vendor, which can leave them in a bind.

On the other hand, every vendor faces stretches in which business is slow. Many are even willing to offer discounts for those who are open to changing their pickup date to one in which they are less busy. Car owners can take advantage of the ebbs and flows of business by being open to having their car shipped during periods of lower demand.

2. Ship your Car During an Off-Peak Time of Year

If you’ve ever gone on a summer roadtrip, you know how busy the roads can be.

Every year, from June through August, families across the country hit the road for vacations and to visit loved ones. At the same time, leases for millions of Americans end. All of this equates to packed car shipping trailers and busy roads.

To avoid the cost and potential headaches, schedule your pickup in either the fall or spring. Demand isn’t quite as high during these seasons, and the roads typically aren’t as packed. And, unlike the winter, the risk of poor weather delaying the delivery of your vehicle and adding additional costs to your budget is very low.

3. Schedule as Far in Advance as you Can

The worst time to book a car pickup is the day you need to have it shipped.

It’s a lot like booking a flight. As the day of the flight approaches, prices typically rise as other passengers book their reservations last second. By booking your pickup date months in advance, you don’t need to worry about prices rising in response to demand. Instead, you can lock in a price before they start to rise.

But how far in advance should you book your pickup date and time? The answer depends on the time of year you intend to ship your car. For the off-peak months mentioned earlier, aim to schedule your pickup date at least a month in advance. During peak summer months, plan to contact the car shipping vendor at least six to eight weeks before your date.

4. Get Quotes from Multiple Vendors

Every car shipping vendor uses a different formula when determining the price for a specific pickup date and time.

Some may have more trucks available on a given date, which means they are able to accommodate more requests. Others may have unanticipated low demand. In any case, you should seek to find the vendor who is willing to offer you the lowest total price (no hidden fees) for your date.

As you contact shipping vendors, inquire about their rates for the day you hope to ship the vehicle as well as whether they are willing to offer the discounts for scheduling flexibility mentioned earlier.

5. Get your Car Inspected Before Shipping it

It’s always a good idea to have your car inspected regularly. If you’re planning to ship it sometime soon, you may want to schedule the inspection around it.

To ship vehicles, vendors load them onto a trailer. Typically, this is done by placing down a ramp and driving the car into a spot on the trailer. Mechanical issues with the car can complicate this. Rather than driving the car, employees of the car shipping company are forced to use an alternative method, such as a hydraulic lift, to place the vehicle in the trailer. This can result in added costs.

Spare yourself from having to pay a big car shipping bill—and a mechanic’s bill—by getting the vehicle checked out before your move.

Preparation is Key

Like anything else in life, you can avoid inconvenience and bloated moving budgets by planning in advance when and how you will ship your car. By taking a step back and assessing your timeline, you can have a stress free move, no matter how far you need to ship your car.