Advan Racing

Waiting for a new vehicle import to tinker with and customize can be frustrating, especially if you live a fair bit away from the port city through which it was imported. To help you better plan your time and figure out when you can start working on your next build, here’s how long it really takes to ship a car. 

how long does it take to ship JDM cars

How long does shipping a car take on average?

Obviously, there are always differences and variations, but the rule of thumb is that car shipping takes about 1 day for every 200 to 250 miles of distance. This can seem a bit low for some people, at least at first glance. After all, if you wanted to, you could drive more than that in a single day.

That’s true, however, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Hours-of-Service (HOS) regulations stipulate that delivery drivers aren’t allowed to drive more than 11 hours per day. This is done to both ensure road safety and the personal well-being of the drivers themselves. However, it also means that getting through more than 200 or 250 miles in a day is a tall order in most situations.

There are many other factors at play, of course. We’ll go over all the key and secondary factors that play into the typical timeframes for car shipping, but the averages look something like this:

how much does it cost to ship a car

The main factors that determine the delivery time…

Cross-country car shipping is a complicated endeavor that includes a lot of floating factors. Here are the 4 main ones:

1. Location

Or rather, both locations, the starting point and the delivery location. This doesn’t just mean the distance between the two, although that’s important, as seen in the table above. However, the exact locations matter in that some locations and areas are more difficult and time-consuming to ship to.

This can be due to things such as terrain and road quality. But it often just comes down to the fact that some locations are more remote, and multi-car haulers take a while to get to them, or to gather enough vehicles to haul in that area. This can also have an effect on prices, as more remote locations often require single-car haulers, which tend to be more expensive to hire.

2. Size

Unsurprisingly, larger vehicles, especially oddly-shaped heavy equipment machinery, take longer to transport. This is often because they require specialized haulers to transport, or necessitate slower driving speeds. They are also often pricier to transport.

3. Season

There are also seasonal variations in shipping times. However, this isn’t so much due to weather conditions, but more-so due to people’s travel and tourism needs. Cold seasons usually have many elderly people heading south and other folks going on vacations, during which time auto shipping is used much more. This can lead to longer wait times for haulers to become available again, resulting in occasional delays.

4. Price

Distance and time obviously affect price, but the opposite is true as well. The price you’re willing to pay will also affect the time you’re going to have to wait. Most auto shipping companies offer priority shipping for those willing to pay a premium price.

This can be seen as a way for companies to get paid extra, and that’s partly correct. However, it’s also genuinely a way for them to prioritize urgent shipments over those that aren’t all that time-sensitive. 

How long does it take to ship a JDM car

Additional factors to keep in mind…

While the four factors above will determine the shipping times most of the time, there are a few extra things to consider that can also often play a role:

1. Multi-car haulers may spend extra days in a city picking up vehicles for transport

Most auto shippers utilize multi-car haulers for efficiency’s sake. However, these often need to wait a day or more in port cities to get enough vehicles to ship, which can add more days to the total delivery time.

2. Some delivery services utilize teams of drivers for faster delivery speeds

One way some companies go around the 11 hours of driving per day rule, is by assigning two drivers per vehicle instead of one. This way, the two drivers can go for a total of 22 hours a day, effectively halving the delivery time. This is often used for long-distance deliveries, although it obviously costs extra.

3. Unmet import restrictions

A common cause for delays is a failure to meet import regulations on your vehicle, such as vehicle insurance, lacking a certificate of origin, vehicle not matching the requirements of local laws, and so on. This can lead to the auto shipper not being able to pick up the vehicle right away.

what does it cost to ship a car