Service guide
Snowbird Vehicle Shipping
Snowbird shipping is the most predictable seasonal pattern in this industry, and that predictability is the whole game. Everyone wants to go south in the same six weeks and come back in the same four, so capacity — not distance — sets the price.
We move vehicles from the Northeast, Midwest and Pacific Northwest into Florida and Arizona each fall, and back north each spring, delivered door to door including seasonal and gated communities.
Best suited for
- Seasonal Florida and Arizona residents
- Retirees with two-home households
- Extended winter stays
- Second-vehicle moves
- 55+ and gated communities
Book both legs at once
A carrier who knows a spring northbound load is waiting can price the fall southbound trip more competitively. When you book one direction only, the empty return leg is priced into your rate whether it's itemized or not.
Booking both also protects you from the spring squeeze, which is consistently tighter than the fall one.
Peak weeks, and how to ship around them
Southbound peaks in the two weeks after Thanksgiving. Northbound peaks in the two weeks after Easter. Shipping seven to ten days off either peak usually costs meaningfully less for identical service.
If your dates are fixed, book four to six weeks ahead. Availability during peak weeks is a booking-lead-time problem, not a price problem.
Delivering into seasonal communities
Many Florida and Arizona communities restrict commercial trucks or have gates that turn away unannounced drivers. Give us the gate code, guard-house name or property management contact at booking and we pass it to dispatch.
If a full-size carrier can't enter, the driver arranges a nearby handoff with you in advance — never as a surprise on arrival.
Seasonal shipping checklist
- Reserve the return leg when you book the outbound one.
- Provide gate codes or community access contacts.
- Leave a spare key with your seasonal-address contact if you fly in later.
- Arrange for the vehicle to sit in heat or cold on arrival — check battery and fluids.
- Keep insurance and registration active during the shipment.
Common questions
- When should I book for snowbird season?
- Four to six weeks ahead for November and December departures, and by early March for the spring return.
- Can you deliver into a 55+ or gated community?
- Yes, with gate access details in advance. Where trucks are restricted, we arrange a nearby handoff.
- Is it cheaper to ship one way or round trip?
- Booking both legs generally prices better per leg, because the carrier isn't absorbing an empty return.
Related services
Open car transport
The industry standard. Around 95% of vehicles ship this way, and it's the most affordable door-to-door option.
Enclosed auto transport
Fully covered trailers for classic, luxury, exotic and high-value vehicles. Maximum protection from weather and road debris.
Dealer & business fleets
Multi-car moves, auction pickups and corporate relocations with one dedicated point of contact for the whole load.
Get a real number for your vehicle
All-in pricing with nothing added at delivery. $0 due today — $299 when your driver is dispatched and the balance COD.
$0 due today. Just $299 when your driver is dispatched and the balance COD.