How the Truck Driver Shortage Affects Car Shipping Prices and Timing

• Specialized equipment: Car haulers use multi-level trailers with hydraulic decks, ramps and winches. Not every truck driver has one or knows how to load it.
• Specialized skills: Loading eight to ten vehicles without damage, within height and weight limits, takes experience.
• Small carrier base: Many car carriers are owner-operators with one or a few trucks. When a few leave a region, local capacity drops noticeably.
• Insurance costs: Rising commercial insurance premiums push some small operators out of the business.

The American Trucking Associations has estimated the overall U.S. driver shortage in the tens of thousands, and car hauling is one of the harder segments to staff.

Prices are set by supply and demand on each lane. When fewer car haulers serve a route, carriers can be choosier, and the price needed to get a truck goes up. That effect is strongest on:

• Rural and remote routes
• Uncommon state pairs
• Specialty equipment, like winch trucks for non-runners and enclosed trailers
• Peak weeks, when every carrier is already full

On busy interstate corridors, the effect is usually smaller because there are more trucks competing. See car shipping rates by state.

The biggest change is usually in the time it takes to assign a carrier, not the time on the road. Once your car is on a truck, transit times are roughly the same: one to two days for short trips and seven to ten days coast to coast. But getting a carrier assigned can take a few extra days on thin routes or in busy seasons.

• Summer relocation season (May–August)
• Snowbird migrations: southbound in late fall, northbound in spring
• Holidays, when many drivers take time off
• Severe weather, which can take trucks off the road for days

Read the best time of year to ship a car to plan around them.

• Book two to three weeks ahead.
• Offer a flexible pickup window.
• Be completely accurate about your vehicle — size, modifications and running condition.
• Compare about three quotes.
• Avoid the busiest weeks if your schedule allows.
• Get your price and terms in writing.
• Choose a pickup location a big truck can reach easily, near a main road.
• Stay reachable by phone before and during transport.

If timing matters more than price, expedited car shipping gets priority dispatch.

Most forecasts expect driver availability to stay a challenge for years, as many experienced drivers near retirement. Better dispatch technology helps match trucks to loads, but it doesn't add drivers. Autonomous trucks aren't a near-term answer for car hauling — see autonomous trucks and auto transport.

On major interstate corridors, many trucks pass through every day, so a carrier with an open spot is usually nearby. On rural routes, a carrier may have to drive dozens of extra miles off the interstate — or skip the load entirely. When fewer drivers are working, those out-of-the-way loads are the first to wait.

If you live in a rural area, consider meeting the driver at a town near the highway. It can shorten your pickup window and lower the price. See car shipping rates by state.

Winch trucks for non-running vehicles, enclosed trailers, and flatbeds for tall vehicles make up a small share of carriers. When capacity tightens, these are the hardest to find. If you need one, book earlier and give a wider pickup window. See enclosed car transport and inoperable vehicle transport.

A broker sees many carriers at once instead of relying on one company's trucks. When drivers are scarce on a lane, that wider reach makes it easier to find a truck. Read why an auto transport broker is your best choice.

The American Trucking Associations has estimated the U.S. shortage of truck drivers in the tens of thousands, with projections that it could grow over the next decade as experienced drivers retire faster than new ones join. The trucking workforce overall is large — well over a million heavy-truck drivers — but certain segments are much harder to staff than others.

Car hauling is one of them. It requires specialized equipment, training in loading and securing vehicles, and comfort with frequent stops at customers' homes. Many car haulers are owner-operators who run one or a few trucks, so a small number of drivers leaving a region can make a noticeable difference in local capacity.

• Equipment cost: A car hauler rig with a multi-level trailer is a major investment, and owner-operators carry that cost themselves.
• Insurance: Cargo coverage for loads worth hundreds of thousands of dollars is expensive and has been rising.
• Skill: Loading eight to ten vehicles of different sizes, within height and weight limits, takes experience.
• Customer-facing work: Drivers handle inspections, paperwork and payment at each stop.
• Time away from home: Long cross-country runs mean weeks on the road.

Brokers post your car on load boards at a price they expect carriers to accept. When fewer carriers are working a lane, the price that gets a carrier to say yes goes up. That's the main way the driver shortage reaches you: higher carrier pay on thin lanes and in busy seasons, and sometimes longer waits for a carrier at a given price.

On dense corridors like Texas to California or New York to Florida, competition among carriers keeps the effect smaller. On lanes into rural areas or less-traveled states, it's larger.

• Carrier assignment: The stage most affected. Thin lanes may take a few extra days.
• Pickup windows: Carriers may ask for a wider window to fit your car into their route.
• Transit: Mostly unchanged once loaded; drivers still cover roughly 400–500 miles a day under hours-of-service rules.
• Delivery: Usually on schedule after pickup, barring weather or traffic.

The effect is strongest when a capacity squeeze overlaps with high demand: summer relocation season, the fall snowbird wave into Florida and Arizona, the spring return north, and holiday weeks when many drivers take time off. In those windows, booking early and offering flexibility matter more than ever. See when to book car shipping.

• Recruiting and training: Carriers and schools are working to bring new drivers in, including younger drivers through apprenticeship programs.
• Better pay: Rising carrier pay on tight lanes encourages more drivers to run them.
• Technology: Load boards, routing tools and electronic Bills of Lading help drivers fill trucks more efficiently.
• Hotshot carriers: Smaller one-ton truck and trailer setups add flexible capacity on regional lanes.

Book two to three weeks ahead: Carriers plan routes about one to two weeks out, so this puts your car into their planning window.

Offer flexibility: A five-day pickup window lets a carrier fit your car into a route already in motion.

Be accurate: A car that turns out not to run, or a truck that's taller than described, can cost you your spot.

Choose an accessible pickup: A wide street or parking lot near a main road saves carriers time.

Get your terms in writing: Know your price and how long the quote is valid.

Stay reachable: Drivers move on to the next load if they can't reach you.

The driver shortage mainly shows up as longer waits for a carrier and higher prices on thin lanes and in busy seasons. You can't control the market, but you can control timing, flexibility and accuracy — and those three things make the biggest difference.

Does the truck driver shortage make car shipping more expensive?: It can, especially on rural routes, uncommon lanes and during peak seasons, where fewer car haulers mean higher carrier pay.

Why is auto transport affected more than general freight?: Car hauling needs specialized trailers and loading skills, and many carriers are small operators, so capacity can tighten quickly.

Does the shortage make shipments take longer?: Mainly the time to assign a carrier. Transit time once the car is loaded is largely the same.

How can I avoid delays?: Book two to three weeks ahead, offer a flexible pickup window and choose an easy-to-reach pickup location.

Does the driver shortage affect enclosed transport more?: Often, yes. Enclosed carriers are a smaller share of the market, so capacity tightens faster.

Will prices come down if more drivers join?: More capacity on a lane usually leads to more competitive pricing, though fuel and insurance costs also matter.

Is the shortage the same everywhere?: No. It's felt most on rural and low-volume lanes and least on busy interstate corridors.

Do brokers help when drivers are scarce?: Yes. Brokers see many carriers at once, which makes it easier to find a truck when capacity is tight.

Will expedited shipping get around the shortage?: It helps. Expedited service pays more to get priority, which makes carriers more willing to take your load quickly.