Texas Car Shipping [2021 update]

Reading this article you’ll get answers for all questions, you can face during Texas car shipping:

• Why Americans ship their vehicles to TX;
• How much does it cost to move my car to TX;
• Shipping a car to TX near me;
• How to prepare for shipping;
• How to register a car in TX.

Texas is the second-largest state in the US and it has countless opportunities. Geographically diverse, the state has almost all types of landscape: mountains and deserts of Big Bend in the western part, plains, and prairies in the north, woods, and lakes in the east, gulf coast in the south and hills in the central part.

“The Lone Star State” (official nickname of Texas that stands for its previous status as an independent state) is also culturally diverse. The main state centers like Houston, Austin, and Dallas are often referred to as the Silicon Valley of the south. Moreover, Austin is also known as “Live Music Capital of the World” since there are more than a hundred free music performances in the city.

Why do people ship their vehicles to Texas?

• The cost of living is much lower than in other states: In Los Angeles or New York if you’re blue-collar you will be renting a house forever and trying to make ends meet. In Texas, it’s so much different. For example, the median home price is $300K in Dallas and $260K in Fort Worth. Also, Texas has very low tax policies. It’s one of the seven states where you do not have to pay personal state income tax, but only a federal income. The data was taken from https://livingcost.org/.

– jobs and low unemployment rate:  The last oil and gas boom is turning Texas in a new economic center, especially Houston – its energy capital, which is also strong in tech and business services. Texas has consistent growth and its unemployment rate is lower than the national average. There are plenty of job positions for blue-collar specialists and jobs for university graduates. This rate was changed only because of coronavirus and following the information from Fortune it was raised to 13%, but we believe that soon the situation will come back to normal.

– great universities: speaking of universities, students that are considering to receive a degree in Texas will find a lot of colleges, technical and art schools, and universities to choose from. They offer a top-ranked academic program and two of the state’s publicly funded universities are among the largest in the country. So if you are going to study in Texas, we can transport your car for the most reasonable price for students.

– business-friendly: Texas has more business opportunities than other states and overall the policies of business is much better. It has low taxes, stable business climate, excellent infrastructure, and a friendly regulatory structure. Chief Executive magazine ranked the Lone Star State as the best state for business for 10 years in a row.

How much does it cost to ship a car to Texas?

The price for moving the vehicle depends on so many factors as its size (i.e. sedan, SUV, pickup truck or RV), distance, time of the year (i.e. prices for moving in December are higher than usual), popular routes (some pick up or drop off locations are not so popular because there are only few vehicles going there). But you can get to know your shipping price by requesting your free quote with Movewheels.

All transport companies are looking for drivers on the website called Central Dispatch (only a registered broker, carrier or dealer has access to the website). The company posts the information about the vehicle with a specific price mentioning its year, make, model, pick up and delivery zip-codes, and how soon it needs to be picked up. If the price works for the driver, he calls the company and set up the pick up date. If the price is too low the driver can make an offer to move the vehicle for a higher price or wait till the company reposts the vehicle for a higher rate. Frankly speaking, it’s like an auction for a spot on the trailer.

Here are some pictures of the car shipping quotes to Texas posted on Central Dispatch for July-August 2020*:

*All prices are for a sedan and are only carrier rates (you will need to add $100-170 brokers fee and you will have total price). If you have SUV multiple the price to 1.2 (i.e. sedan is $1000, SUV = $1200). If you have a pickup truck multiple the price to 1.4. Enclosed is 1.5 more and if your car is inoperable add $100, since a special trailer with a winch is needed to transport such vehicles and they usually have only 3-4 spots, unlike usual 8 car haulers.

Shipping from the Northeast area to Texas

Shipping from the Southeast area to Texas

If you need to ship the car from Key West to Texas, you need to add $250. Key West area is a hard location for the big car hauler to get to. There is a special trailer picking up the vehicles in Key West and delivering it to Homestead where the car is loaded on the trailer going to Texas.

Shipping from the North area to Texas

Shipping from the Northwest area to Texas

Shipping from the Southwest to Texas

Texas Car Shipping near me

There are a lot of shipping companies located in Texas, just search and you’ll find a company with an office in this state. For example, Abundance Freight LLC located in Katy, TX moves the vehicles only within the state, while Interstar Auto Transport located in Pasadena goes from TX to LA, MS, GA, FL, and NC. Some Texas companies can also offer enclosed transportation, i.e. 1 Fast Transport LLC with the office in Tomball, TX offers enclosed hard-side trailer with 2 spots and they go anywhere within all 48 continental states.

Texas is a really large state and if you are looking to move the car within the state or cross country, our highly qualified shipping agent will find the best driver for the most reasonable price. Just contact us to get your free quote and your personal manager will assist you from the very beginning of the moving process till you receive the car at the drop-off.

How can I get ready for moving?

Most of the drivers are making 7-10 days ahead reservation, so it’s better to place an order at least a week ahead to the 1st available pick up date. This will help you to get the carrier for a reasonable price and avoid expedited shipping costs.

Also once everything is set up and the driver is assigned to your order, you can prepare your vehicle for the transportation by removing all tags and plates so you won’t receive any tickets by mistake (road cameras may take a picture of your car by mistake). You can easily dispute it by showing the Bill of Lading but it will still take some time. And we recommend you remove all loose parts and fog lights to prevent them from damage, make sure it’s a one quarter tank of fuel (fuel is need for loading car on and off the trailer), and make sure that the car is operable.

 How to register the car in Texas?

Once the car is delivered to you in Texas, you need to register it and for that, you usually have 30 days*. First of all, you need to have your vehicle inspected at a certified Department of Public Safety inspection station. You can find the nearest one here: https://www.dps.texas.gov/rsd/vi/VIactiveStationLocator/default.aspx

After inspection, you can receive your vehicle registration sticker and license plates. For that, you should visit your local county tax-assessor collector office and have your insurance card, the Vehicle Inspection Report, and proof of ownership (the registration or title from your previous state) with you.

And what is also very important, as a new Texas resident you are also required to obtain your Texas driver license within 90 days after moving. You can find more information on how to get it here: https://www.dps.texas.gov/

 *If you are active in the military or a full-time student attending a Texas college or university, you are not required to register or title your vehicle in Texas.

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