Car Shipping Transit Times from San Francisco
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San Francisco at a glance
- Typical price
- $525 – $5,215
- Open transport
- $0.33–$1.89 per mile
- Transit time
- 1–9 days
- Trips within California
- $240 – $660
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Get a San Francisco car shipping quote
1–8 days
500–2,000 miles
Regional and mid-distance
5–13 days
2,000+ miles
Cross-country
11 hours a day
Driving limit
Federal hours-of-service rule
Transit times from San Francisco to major cities
Estimated days on the road after pickup, from nearest to farthest.
| Destination | Distance | Standard transit | Open transport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas, NV | 500 mi | 1–2 days | $365 – $945 |
| Portland, OR | 640 mi | 2–3 days | $465 – $1,210 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 720 mi | 2–3 days | $525 – $1,360 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 780 mi | 2–4 days | $570 – $1,475 |
| Houston, TX | 1,970 mi | 4–8 days | $790 – $3,725 |
| Chicago, IL | 2,230 mi | 5–9 days | $825 – $4,215 |
| Atlanta, GA | 2,560 mi | 6–11 days | $895 – $4,840 |
| Charlotte, NC | 2,760 mi | 6–12 days | $965 – $5,215 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 2,840 mi | 6–12 days | $995 – $5,370 |
| New York City, NY | 3,080 mi | 7–13 days | $1,015 – $5,820 |
Pickup window vs. transit time
- Day 0
Book
Compare estimates, choose a company and confirm the price, pickup window and payment terms in writing.
- Before pickup
Carrier assigned
Your order goes to a carrier with space on your route. Busy routes usually fill faster than rural ones.
- A range of days
Pickup window
Pickup happens within an agreed window, not at an exact hour. Drivers usually call ahead to set a time.
In transit
Time on the road depends on distance, weather, other stops and drivers' required rest breaks.
- On arrival
Delivery
Inspect the car against the Bill of Lading and note any new damage before you sign.
What can slow a shipment from San Francisco
- The hills are not a figure of speechRussian Hill, Telegraph Hill, Nob Hill and much of Bernal and Noe have grades no loaded carrier will attempt, on streets parked to the curb on both sides. Drivers know the handful of flat, wide places that work, and taking their suggestion is faster than arguing with the topography.
- Bridges decide the route, and the timingA truck coming from the east crosses the Bay Bridge; from the south it comes up the Peninsula. Both have their own congestion, and neither is the route you would drive. That is why a San Francisco window is wide and why a driver may prefer to meet you outside the city entirely.
- Most Bay Area handovers happen in the East BayOakland, Emeryville and Berkeley have the flat ground, the wide streets and the freeway access the city lacks, and they are twenty minutes away. A great many San Francisco bookings are loaded there by mutual agreement, at no extra cost.
- The corridor itself works in your favorUS-101 and I-5 carry constant traffic between Southern California, the Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest. Lanes in those directions are among the most frequently run in the country, so waiting for a truck is rarely the problem here. Reaching your address is.
Truck drivers may drive up to 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty, which is why long routes are measured in days, not hours. Source: FMCSA hours of service
Standard vs. expedited shipping
Example: San Francisco to Houston.
Standard shipping
4–8 days in transit
- Most cost-effective
- Widest choice of carriers
- Good for flexible schedules
Expedited shipping
Sooner pickup; similar time on the road
- Priority carrier assignment
- Shorter wait for pickup
- Costs more
Delivery dates are estimates. Weather, freeway closures and other stops on the truck's route can add time, so plan a little buffer.
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