A carrier can drive this whole route on a single interstate. I-10 starts at the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica and ends in Jacksonville, about 2,460 miles later. Most coast-to-coast trips require several highway changes, but this one doesn’t. It passes through Phoenix, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, and the Florida Panhandle on the way to the Atlantic.
The full trip typically runs 2,500 to 2,800 miles and takes 7 to 10 days. Deliveries to Miami or the Keys usually leave I-10 at Jacksonville for I-95, while Tampa and Naples deliveries switch to I-75.
Ports and auction hubs sit at both ends. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach anchor the western end, and JAXPORT, one of the country’s major vehicle-handling ports, sits near the eastern end of I-10. Dealer cars move between auction lots around Riverside and Anaheim and lots in Orlando and Jacksonville, which keeps carriers on this lane between relocation peaks.
Demand changes with the seasons. Snowbirds book southbound loads from October through December. Navy families transferring from Naval Base San Diego to NAS Pensacola, NAS Jacksonville, or Mayport create a summer PCS spike. Retirees moving east for lower housing costs ship year-round.
The weather changes a lot along the way. Summer heat from the Coachella Valley through West Texas is hard on older cooling systems, which is why classic car owners often choose enclosed transport. At the Florida end, hurricane season, from June 1 to November 30, can delay deliveries along the Gulf Coast and in the Panhandle.
Safeeds Transport connects you with a licensed, insured carrier that runs the I-10 corridor.
Shipping somewhere else? See how state-to-state car shipping works.
