Michigan Vehicle Shipping

Michigan auto transports are always in high demand. That shouldn’t be a surprise given the “Big Three” (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) are still headquartered in the state.

Shipping cars to and from Michigan has some interesting challenges but before we dive into those, let’s highlight the best car shipping locations in the state. Any location along, or close to, I-94, I-96, and I-69 are good options. Solid car shipping locations along I-94 include Kalamazoo, Marshall, and Ann Arbor. Grand Rapids and Lansing are great options along I-96, and Flint along I-75/I-69 is also a great option.

The most obvious car shipping location in the state is Detroit. It is, in fact, the best car shipping location in the state with an important caveat. Shipping an individual car from Detroit when the new model year vehicles come out can be challenging. For example, when Ford starts shipping out their new model year vehicles from Detroit, car carriers don’t want to deal with a single unit leaving Detroit simply because they don’t have any room on their trailers for one. Their trailers are plum full of new model year vehicles from Ford. This typically happens in late summer/early fall. If you need an individual car shipped from Detroit during this time, you will pay a premium and you’ll need a little patience as it may take a little longer to find a car carrier that has a spot available.

There is a positive to this “Detroit challenge,” and that is when car carriers head to Detroit to pick up those new model year vehicles, their trailers are usually empty, or at least they have plenty of open spots available. Car carriers will be thrilled to ship your car to Detroit during this time because a car carrier always wants a full load to maximize their profits. As a result, shipping rates to Detroit during this time are usually cheapest as car carriers are willing to take less to fill up their trailers with vehicles.

If you look at a map of Michigan and draw a line from Grand Rapids in the west to Flint in the east, anything above that line in Michigan is going to be difficult to ship a car to or from. By difficult I mean, your auto transport may take a little longer and/or require more money to complete. In fact, the more north you go from that line, the more difficult the car shipment will be because as you go north, there is less population. Car carriers just aren’t going into those areas of Michigan on a regular basis.

A final challenge to Michigan auto transports is the weather. Like any midwestern state, winters can be harsh in Michigan, especially as you go further north in Michigan. Shipping cars to or from Michigan during the winter months may take a little longer to complete. Car carriers like to avoid northern states in the winter so there aren’t as many of them serving the state in the winter. Another reason transports may take longer in the winter is simply due to delays because of snowstorms.

If you want to know how much it will cost to ship a car to or from Michigan, and how long it will take to complete, get an instant quote online or call us at (800) 656-7638.