Auburn Auto Transport
Car shipping for Auburn, Opelika, and Auburn University families. Door-to-door service, licensed and insured carriers, and a free quote in under 60 seconds.
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Fast, secure pricing in 30 seconds.
- Fully insuredYour vehicle is covered from pickup to delivery.
- No upfront depositPay when your vehicle is delivered.
- Auburn dispatchCall (334) 234-3879, day or night.
Auburn, AL 36830
Car Shipping on the Plains
Auburn runs on the university calendar. More than thirty thousand students arrive each August, and a large share of them come from Georgia, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, and states much farther away. Add faculty hires, graduate students, medical staff in Opelika, and employees of the auto suppliers along I-85, and you have a small city with big-city demand for vehicle shipping.
Heartland Auto Transport makes that part of the move easy. We are an FMCSA licensed auto transport broker. You tell us where the vehicle is and where it needs to go, and we assign a vetted carrier with active cargo insurance to move it door to door. You do not pay a deposit to reserve a spot. Payment is due on delivery.
Location helps here. I-85 passes along the south and east edges of Auburn and Opelika, linking the area to Montgomery in under an hour and to Atlanta in under two. Atlanta is one of the busiest car shipping hubs in the country, so carriers working that market can add an Auburn pickup or delivery without going far out of their way.
Parents often ask whether it is worth shipping a student's car instead of driving it. For a trip of a few hundred miles, driving can make sense. Beyond that, once you count fuel, a hotel, meals, and a one-way flight home, open transport is usually comparable in cost and saves two days. Our Auburn dispatchers can price it for you at (334) 234-3879.
Popular Routes for Auburn Car Shipping
Almost every Auburn shipment starts or ends on I-85. Northeast, the interstate runs to Atlanta, then on to Greenville, Charlotte, and the Mid-Atlantic. Southwest, it reaches Montgomery, where vehicles connect to I-65 for Mobile, Nashville, and the Midwest. Birmingham shipments typically take US-280 across the middle of the state.
Student traffic follows a clear pattern. Texas, Florida, and the Chicago area are the long-distance lanes we see most for the university, and all three are well served out of Atlanta. The table lists typical open-carrier prices for a standard sedan. Costs are about the same whether the car is coming to Auburn or leaving it.
| Route | Approx. distance | Typical price | Transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn to Atlanta, GA | 110 mi | $350 – $700 | 1–3 days |
| Auburn to Birmingham, AL | 110 mi | $350 – $700 | 1–3 days |
| Auburn to Nashville, TN | 300 mi | $350 – $700 | 1–3 days |
| Auburn to Charlotte, NC | 350 mi | $350 – $700 | 1–3 days |
| Auburn to Orlando, FL | 440 mi | $350 – $700 | 1–3 days |
| Auburn to Houston, TX | 680 mi | $700 – $1,300 | 3–5 days |
| Auburn to Dallas, TX | 700 mi | $700 – $1,300 | 3–5 days |
| Auburn to Chicago, IL | 780 mi | $700 – $1,300 | 3–5 days |
| Auburn to New York, NY | 980 mi | $700 – $1,300 | 3–5 days |
| Auburn to Los Angeles, CA | 2,110 mi | $1,100 – $1,800 | 7–10 days |
Open carrier, standard running sedan. Enclosed transport runs 60–80% more. Larger or non-running vehicles cost more.
Auburn Vehicle Transport Services
Options for students, families, and everyone else in Lee County.
Open Transport
The budget-friendly standard and the right call for most student cars. Plenty of open carriers run the I-85 corridor between Montgomery and Atlanta.
Learn moreEnclosed Transport
Extra protection for classics, sports cars, and tailgate-ready show vehicles you would rather not expose to the weather.
Learn moreDoor-to-Door
Delivery to a house, apartment complex, or a lot near campus. If a street is too tight for the truck, the driver meets you close by.
Learn moreExpedited Shipping
For a last-minute internship, co-op rotation, or job offer, priority dispatch gets a carrier assigned faster.
Learn moreTiming Your Auburn Shipment
The academic year, football Saturdays, and local roads all play a part.
August move-in
The two weeks before fall classes are the busiest of the year. Carriers fill up and traffic around campus is heavy. Book early in the summer, and consider having the car delivered a few days before or after move-in weekend.
May move-out and summer co-ops
When finals end, thousands of cars need to go home at once. Many engineering and business students also leave for co-ops or internships in the spring and summer. Scheduling pickup before your last exam avoids the rush.
Home football weekends
On a fall Saturday, Jordan-Hare Stadium draws close to ninety thousand fans. Roads near campus close or slow to a crawl. We recommend keeping pickups and deliveries off home game days, and Fridays before big games can be tight as well.
Apartments and campus housing
Large trucks cannot enter most parking decks or apartment lots. Drivers usually meet students at a nearby shopping center, such as the lots along South College Street or at Tiger Town in Opelika.
Fort Benning and military families
Fort Benning is about forty minutes away in Columbus, Georgia, and a number of military families live in Lee County or nearby Smiths Station and Phenix City. We handle their shipments on PCS timelines.
Auto industry transfers
Kia's plant in West Point, Georgia and the suppliers clustered around Opelika and Auburn bring in engineers and managers from Michigan, Ohio, and overseas. We can time delivery to match a start date.
Should You Ship or Drive a Student's Car to Auburn?
It is the question we hear most from Auburn parents, and the honest answer depends on distance.
If home is within five or six hours, such as Nashville, Jacksonville, or Charlotte, driving is reasonable, especially if a parent is making the trip anyway. Once the drive stretches past a full day, the math changes. A run from Dallas or Chicago means two tanks of fuel or more, at least one hotel night, meals on the road, and a one-way plane ticket for whoever brings the car. It also puts around seven hundred miles on the vehicle and takes two days out of someone's schedule. Open transport on those routes typically costs $700 to $1,300, which often lands close to the cost of driving.
There are other reasons families ship. Freshmen usually fly in with luggage for move-in, and the car can follow a week later when campus is calmer. Students leaving for a summer internship in another city can send the car ahead and fly. Graduating seniors with a job offer across the country can ship the car and focus on finding an apartment.
Whatever you decide, check the university's parking rules before the car arrives. Permits are assigned by zone, and a vehicle delivered without one will need a legal place to park on day one. If the student lives off campus, confirm that the apartment complex has a space ready.
For numbers on your own route, enter both ZIP codes in the quote tool at the top of this page. It takes about a minute, and there is no obligation to book.
How to Ship a Car to or From Auburn
Simple enough to arrange between classes.
Get a quote online
Enter the pickup ZIP, the delivery ZIP, and the vehicle. A price comes back in about 60 seconds.
Choose your dates
Pick a window that avoids move-in weekend and home games if you can. We book an insured carrier, with no deposit required.
Meet for pickup
The driver calls first. You or someone you authorize hands over the keys and signs the inspection sheet.
Delivery and payment
At the other end, inspect the car, sign for it, and pay the driver or pay by the method your dispatcher confirmed.
Our Auburn Office
Our Auburn office is on East Glenn Avenue, between downtown Auburn and Opelika. Shipping does not require a visit. Carriers pick up at your address, and dispatch is open by phone day and night.
- Heartland Auto Transport
2515 E Glenn Ave #303
Auburn, AL 36830 - (334) 234-3879
- Dispatch and support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Auburn Car Shipping Questions
How much does it cost to ship a car to Auburn University?
It depends on the distance. From within about 500 miles, including most of Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, expect $350 to $700 on an open carrier. From Texas, the Midwest, or the Northeast, typical prices are $700 to $1,300. From the West Coast, $1,100 to $1,800.
Can a parent book and pay while the student receives the car?
Yes, and it is very common. A parent can arrange the shipment, and the student or another adult can release or accept the vehicle. Just give us both phone numbers so the driver can reach the right person.
Can you deliver directly to a dorm or apartment?
We deliver as close as the truck can safely get. Car haulers are long and tall, so campus streets and apartment lots are often off limits. The driver will name a nearby lot and a time, usually within a few minutes of your building.
When should I book for fall move-in?
Three to four weeks ahead is ideal for August, because demand spikes across every college town at the same time. For the rest of the year, 7 to 14 days of notice is plenty.
Do you ship cars on football weekends?
We can, but we recommend against it in Auburn itself on home game Saturdays. Traffic and road closures make it hard for a truck to keep a schedule. A weekday pickup is smoother for everyone.
How long does shipping take from Auburn to Texas or Chicago?
About 3 to 5 days in transit after pickup for Dallas, Houston, or Chicago. Closer destinations such as Atlanta, Nashville, or Orlando generally take 1 to 3 days.
Is the car insured during transport?
Yes. Carriers in our network carry FMCSA-required cargo insurance, and the vehicle is inspected and documented at both pickup and delivery. There is no extra charge for that coverage.
Can you ship my car home for the summer and back again in the fall?
Yes. For students heading home to a job or an internship, a round trip is easy to arrange. Book the May pickup and the August return together and both dates are set well before finals. If you will not need the car over the summer, leaving it with a friend or in local storage is another option worth pricing.
Need a Car Shipped to or From Auburn?
Get a free quote in under 60 seconds, or call our Auburn dispatchers and get your questions answered.