Florida to New York car shipping

Northbound out of Florida runs the same interstate as the southbound leg and behaves like a completely different lane. The demand peak is in March, April and early May rather than October to December, and the two hardest practical problems swap ends: the gated community is now the pickup, and New York City is now the delivery.

It also has a distinctive quirk. A large share of the vehicles on this lane have been sitting for months, which makes non-starting cars far more common northbound than on almost any other route in the country.

The northbound calendar

The mirror image of the southbound peak, and just as predictable:

• March through early May is the peak. Seasonal residents heading home compete for the same trucks. Book four to six weeks ahead.
• Late spring into summer is moderate, with general relocation traffic taking over from seasonal traffic.
• Autumn is the value window northbound, because the seasonal flow is all going south.
• Shifting two or three weeks either side of the spring peak saves real money on the same corridor.
• Book both legs at once if you make the trip every year — it is the most effective thing a returning snowbird can do.
• Hurricane season, June through November, can suspend outbound dispatch around a named storm, and demand spikes afterwards.

Cars that have been sitting

More relevant on this lane than on any other, because of who ships on it:

• Batteries are the usual casualty of a vehicle left for a season. Check it a few days before pickup rather than on the morning.
• Tires lose pressure and develop flat spots. Inflating them makes loading dramatically easier and cheaper.
• Check for fluid leaks that developed in storage. A dripping vehicle can be refused at the curb.
• Rodent damage to wiring is common in stored vehicles and is not something the carrier caused. Photograph the engine bay before pickup.
• A car that will not start is fine — but tell us, because it needs a winch-equipped carrier and is priced differently. See inoperable vehicle transport.
• An undisclosed non-runner means a refused load and a repositioning fee. Accuracy at quote stage costs nothing.

The route your vehicle takes

I-95 north, the busiest vehicle corridor on the East Coast:

• I-95 north from South Florida through Jacksonville, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey into the New York metro.
• I-75 north first from Gulf-side pickups — Naples, Fort Myers, Tampa — joining I-95 in Georgia.
• I-87 north at the end for upstate New York deliveries.
• I-4 across the middle for Orlando and interior pickups.
• The corridor is heavily trafficked year-round, so outside severe weather both availability and transit are reliable.

Delivery into New York

The constraint at this end is the hardest on the lane, and worth settling before you book:

• Manhattan delivery at the address is rarely possible. Expect a meeting point in New Jersey, Queens or the Bronx, agreed in advance.
• Brooklyn and Queens vary block by block. Give us the exact street at quote stage.
• Long Island delivers easily in the suburbs; the parkway network is closed to commercial vehicles so routing is constrained.
• Upstate New York is straightforward, with winter the only real variable — an unploughed driveway will stop a delivery.
• Spring arrivals are the common case on this lane and generally avoid winter problems entirely.
• See New York car shipping for the full borough picture.

Pickup in Florida

Straightforward once the community access is arranged:

• Most gated and 55-plus communities prohibit commercial carriers or have height barriers at the gate.
• Arrange gate registration, access hours and release authority before the driver arrives.
• Coastal condominium addresses usually have nowhere legal for a carrier to stop; expect a nearby lot.
• If you are flying north before the vehicle ships, name a local Florida contact over 18 who can release it.
• Have the keys, and only the set you want to send — one travels with the car, you keep a spare.

Questions about this route

Both ends of this lane

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