How car shipping works in San Diego County
San Diego sits at the end of the road in a literal sense: Interstate 5 and Interstate 15 both run out of country a few miles south of downtown. That geography shapes how vehicles move here. Carriers coming into the county are usually finishing a route, not passing through, so they want a load for the trip back out. Big Bear's job is to put your car on one of those trucks at the right price, with a driver whose authority and insurance have already been checked.
The quote tool at the top of this page prices your route from live carrier rates. For anything that needs a conversation, such as a PCS move with a report date, a non-running project car in a Santee garage, or a classic you want to keep enclosed, call the San Diego desk at (619) 367-2757.
Military and PCS car shipping from San Diego
San Diego is home to one of the largest military communities in the country: Naval Base San Diego, Naval Air Station North Island, MCAS Miramar, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Naval Base Point Loma and Camp Pendleton up the coast. A large share of the vehicles we ship from the county are moving on orders. A few things that matter when you ship on PCS:
- Timing around your report date. Tell your coordinator the date you need the car at the destination. We work backward from it to set the pickup window, and we build in a cushion for the weather and traffic that come with a cross-country run.
- Base access. Carriers generally cannot drive onto base housing. Pickups are arranged at your off-base address or at a meeting point outside the gate; your coordinator will confirm which.
- Paperwork for reimbursement. You receive an itemized invoice and a bill of lading with condition reports at both ends, which is what finance offices ask for when privately owned vehicle shipping is reimbursable.
- Lanes we run constantly. San Diego to Norfolk, Jacksonville, San Antonio, Pensacola, Camp Lejeune and the DC area are regular routes with predictable transit times.
Active duty and veterans receive a military rate on every quote. Mention your status when you book.
Routes and transit times from San Diego
Most trucks leaving the county head north to Los Angeles and then east on the 10 or the 15, which is why transit to Phoenix and Las Vegas is quick and why a San Diego car can share a truck with LA freight on the long lanes. Representative routes:
| Route | Distance | Transit | Open carrier est.* |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego → Phoenix, AZ | 355 mi | 1–2 days | $450–$650 |
| San Diego → Las Vegas, NV | 330 mi | 1–2 days | $450–$650 |
| San Diego → Denver, CO | 1,080 mi | 3–4 days | $850–$1,100 |
| San Diego → Seattle, WA | 1,255 mi | 3–5 days | $850–$1,150 |
| San Diego → Austin, TX | 1,290 mi | 4–5 days | $900–$1,200 |
| San Diego → Dallas, TX | 1,360 mi | 4–5 days | $900–$1,200 |
| San Diego → Chicago, IL | 2,085 mi | 5–7 days | $1,150–$1,500 |
| San Diego → Norfolk, VA | 2,700 mi | 7–9 days | $1,300–$1,700 |
| San Diego → Jacksonville, FL | 2,400 mi | 6–8 days | $1,250–$1,600 |
| San Diego → New York, NY | 2,760 mi | 7–9 days | $1,350–$1,750 |
*Estimates for a standard running sedan on an open carrier with a flexible pickup window. Enclosed, oversized, inoperable and expedited shipments price differently. Your instant quote reflects live rates for your exact ZIPs.
San Diego neighborhoods and nearby cities we serve
Our carriers pick up door to door from the border to the Orange County line. Coastal neighborhoods like La Jolla and Point Loma have narrow, winding residential streets where an 80-foot hauler cannot turn around; your driver will arrange a nearby meeting point on a main road such as La Jolla Boulevard or Rosecrans Street. Inland communities with wider streets and newer layouts, such as Rancho Bernardo, Eastlake and 4S Ranch, are usually straightforward.
Pricing a San Diego shipment
Two things set San Diego apart from Los Angeles when it comes to price. First, slightly less outbound capacity: there are fewer trucks loading here on a given day, so lanes that are inconsistent, say San Diego to Boise, can price higher or take longer to assign. Second, a short positioning leg: a driver who picks up in Chula Vista and delivers in Chicago is adding 120 miles to an LA-based route, and that is reflected in the rate. The gap is modest on the big lanes and larger on unusual ones. The good news is that both factors are small compared with vehicle size, trailer type and how flexible you can be on pickup timing.
Our quotes are all-in. There is no fuel surcharge added later and no fee for door-to-door service. The one common add-on is a winch fee for a vehicle that does not run, because the carrier has to bring a truck with the equipment to pull it aboard.
Open and enclosed carriers in San Diego
Open transport is the default and the right choice for most daily drivers. The county's car culture, though, produces a lot of candidates for enclosed service: lowered imports from the Kearny Mesa scene, restored classics that show at Cruisin' Grand in Escondido, and exotics coming out of Rancho Santa Fe and Coronado garages. If the vehicle has a value that would make you flinch at a rock chip, or a ride height under about five inches, ask for enclosed. The quote tool lets you compare both with one click.
Snowbirds, students and seasonal moves
San Diego's mild winters draw seasonal residents from the Midwest and Northeast, and many of them ship a car instead of driving it both ways. Book both legs at once, in September or October for the inbound trip and in April or May for the return, and you lock in a schedule before the peak rush. The same applies to students at UC San Diego, San Diego State, USD and Point Loma Nazarene; parents in other states ship a car in August and bring it home in June.
Cross-border and Hawaii shipments
Our carriers operate in the lower 48 only. We do not transport vehicles into or out of Mexico, and we cannot pick up in Tijuana. For Hawaii, we arrange the overland leg to the port in Long Beach, where the ocean carrier takes over; ask your coordinator about the combined timeline.
Before the truck arrives
Wash the car, drop the fuel to a quarter tank, remove the FasTrak transponder and anything loose inside, and take photos of each side. Have a key ready for the driver. If you are deploying and will not be in town, name the person who will release the vehicle and sign the bill of lading. From there, the carrier handles the rest and your coordinator sends updates at pickup, in transit and on delivery day.