What To Expect In Winter For Car Shipping

Winter is a good time to ship your vehicle, depending on where you are going. People, like birds, tend to travel the same route when it gets cold. We have things to carry, which is a different thing from birds. These belongings require extra work and money to move. You can expect to pay more for shipping your car if you are traveling with others (we call them "snowbirds") to warmer regions. Car shipping to the opposite direction during winter is much cheaper. Find out more about Florida snowbirds and winter car shipping from Move Car Auto Transport. And, don't forget to ship with us this winter!

About Florida Car Transport's Guiding Demographic

If you don't know, snowbirds are people who move south during winter to warmer states. Many snowbirds are seniors or retirees, but that doesn't mean all. Others simply enjoy the freedom to work in a warmer area. They are from New England (Massachusetts New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, Rhode Island), and the eastern seaboard. (New York, Pennsylvania. New Jersey, Connecticut. Maryland. Delaware, D.C. Virginia). They also come from the Midwest (Michigan and Ohio, Illinois. Indiana. Wisconsin. Minnesota. Iowa. Some of them are from the Plain States or Pacific Northwest. These are colder regions with harsh winters.

Which States are the most popular for auto shipping snowbirds?

Where do snowbirds go? Anywhere warm and with a beach. The top destinations for snowbirds are Arizona, Florida, and Texas. There are many vehicle shipping snowbirds who flock to Nevada (Las Vegas), New Mexico, and Louisiana. Florida is the number one state, as it has been synonymous with "snowbird". A study by the University of Florida found that nearly one million "snowbirds", migrate to Florida each winter. Each year, the numbers rise significantly. Some people keep a vehicle in Florida all year, while others don't use it very often. hundreds and thousands of snowbirds ship a car south to enjoy the winter. This is true in California, Texas, Arizona, and other states. The industry's first and most accurate auto transport quote calculator is available.

Winter Car Shipping Explained

Are you ready to get the most out of winter car shipping? Move Car Auto Transport's team is available to assist you. We provide a breakdown of car shipping during January, the busiest month of the year. Our team will help you decide when it is best to ship your vehicle in winter.

What Happens Every January in Car Transport?

Car shipping in January is both the best and worst time. Every year, people book their vehicle shipping shipments around the holidays. Drivers have families and like everyone else, they value their time at home. The number of vehicles on the road and dispatched has dropped noticeably in the last ten days of December. However, customers are starting to place orders and prefer to ship their cars, SUVs, mini-vans, and pickup trucks as soon as possible. This is usually just after January 1. Customers can call or book online their vehicle shipment if they haven't done so already. This creates an EXPLOSION vehicle inventory that is ready for shipping. Let's take January week by week.

The first week of January: Nearly doubles the number of vehicles awaiting shipment! This means that orders are at 200% of their normal capacity. There are far more vehicles than available carrier space. Many are headed to warmer states. Can you predict which vehicles will ship first and which ones will sit and wait? In the auto transport industry, "loads", which are vehicles that cost more, will generally ship first. Money is everything. We understand this and price our customers' vehicles accordingly. It is not a good idea to be in the middle of the pack. While customers naturally gravitate towards lower prices, auto transport brokers with high cancellation rates (up to 70%) have extremely high cancellation rates. Customers eventually visit our website or call us to receive a quote. Unfortunately, those people waste time and suffer stress by not getting it right the first time. But how could they? Our customers are shipped first because we don't waste time. Customer reviews prove it.

Customers who try to ship a normal shipment from Boston to St. Louis can have their shipment delayed. Why? Why? The mad snowbird holiday rush to Florida and other warm places has an effect on the auto shipping industry. 

Second Week of January: Vehicles still in stock are at 170% of their normal capacity. This means that there is still upward pressure on price. People decide to cancel orders with low-ball agents and go directly to reputable auto transport brokers (read Move Car), who will price the vehicle properly for shipping. As the system is still not flushing out excess inventory, carriers are racing down I-95 and I-75 to refill and do it again. It happens again and again.

Third Week of January: Vehicles still in stock are at 130% of their normal capacity. This means that the system is slowly gaining some balance. While the higher-priced vehicles move more quickly, the average-priced cars in the middle are starting to be picked up. While the lower-priced vehicles are still sitting, brokers have experienced nervous breakdowns. Perhaps their customers are also nervous. A snowbird will likely spend four months in Florida, or anywhere else. It is quite a burden to leave their vehicle for the first three or four weeks. It is not the fault of the carrier. They work harder than anyone and are often working in extremely harsh conditions. It's not the fault of the auto shipping broker, who should have known better.

Fourth Week of January: There are currently 100% of available vehicles that can be shipped. This means that the auto shipping industry is at parity or equilibrium. Everything is back to normal. The majority of reasonably priced vehicles, which have well-populated destinations and originations, will ship promptly. The higher-priced vehicles will ship first, while the mid-range vehicles will be shipped a few days later. The cheapest stuff will likely be the last to move, even though it may take a while.

January begins crazy, and it takes the entire month to get back on track. Add a snowstorm or two to make things even wilder.

February and March: There is a subnormal amount of vehicles that are ready to ship. It is, therefore, easier to transport your vehicle. However, it is still possible to transport your vehicle more easily in harsh weather conditions. This is especially true if temperatures drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit and if there is a snowstorm with higher snow accumulations.

January's best car transport tip: Pay more, not less. You'll be glad that you did.

Move Car Auto Transport invented the online auto shipping quote calculator. Our system for pricing vehicles is superior to any cheap knockoffs and we have the lowest cancellation rates in the sector. MoveCar is the best choice!

Nevertheless, it is important that you remember that there will always be thousands of vehicles in the shipping queue on any given day, whether it's January, February, or March. All those vehicles are competing for space in the auto transport truck fleet. We recommend that you add a little more money when placing an order. Sometimes, $50 more can make a huge difference.

The first-of-its-kind car shipping calculator adjusts winter car transport prices and offers customers the option of Rush and Expedited rates. This is exactly what you need to reduce customer stress and get your car on the road this winter. You can book it online or contact our customer service representatives. Do you have questions about Florida snowbirds, Florida car transportation, or general car shipping? You can call the number above or email us online