Frequently asked questions
Questions people ask before they hand over the keys.
These come up on almost every call, and they are answered here the way we would answer them on the phone. We own the trucks that run Florida to New England, so the answers are ours to give. If your question is not on this page, call (941) 205-0012 and ask it.
Price and payment
How do you set the price?
We price the run on the miles between your pickup address and your delivery address, starting at $1.10 per mile. Vehicle size moves it from there. A sedan prices at the base, and a full size pickup, a three row SUV or a van costs more, because it takes a bigger slot and more weight on the deck. We give you the number on the phone, once we know the two addresses and the year, make and model.
Can the price go up after you have my car?
No. The number we agree on before pickup is the number written on the Bill of Lading, and it is the number you pay at delivery. There is no fuel surcharge, no seasonal adjustment and no dispatch fee added after the fact. The only thing that changes a price is you changing the job, for example a different vehicle than the one we quoted, or a delivery address in a different city.
Do I have to pay a deposit?
No. There is $0 upfront and no deposit to hold a spot on the truck. You pay when your car is off the deck, standing in front of you, and the Bill of Lading is signed at delivery. If we do not move your car, we have not taken a dollar of your money.
When do I pay, and what do you take?
Payment is due on delivery, after the car comes off the deck and you have walked around it. We will tell you on the call exactly what we take, and it will be in writing and agreed before your car is picked up, so there is nothing left to settle in the driveway. Nobody is going to surprise you with a payment method in your driveway that you never agreed to.
Are the prices on your website actual quotes?
No. Those are real runs we have priced on this lane, published so you can see the shape of the number before you call. Orlando, Florida to Woburn, Massachusetts is 1,298 miles and priced at $1,427. Your addresses are not those addresses and your vehicle may not be that vehicle, so call and we will price your actual run.
Why does my pickup or large SUV cost more?
A car hauler has a fixed number of slots and a legal weight limit it cannot go over. A full size pickup or a large SUV takes a bigger slot and adds weight, so it displaces what else can ride on that trailer. That is why larger vehicles price above the per mile base. We tell you the number for your specific vehicle before you commit to anything.
What is Top Load, and do I need it?
Top Load means your vehicle rides on the upper deck of the trailer instead of the lower deck. Some owners want it because nothing is parked above their car. It is optional and it costs extra. Most cars on this lane ride the lower deck without any trouble, so ask on the call and we will tell you what it adds.
Booking, pickup and delivery
How far ahead should I book?
For the fall run south and the spring run north, a week or two of notice is comfortable. Those are the weeks half of New England decides at once, and the decks fill up. Outside the season rush we can often work with a few days. Call early even if your date is still soft, and we will tell you honestly what the calendar looks like.
Do you guarantee a pickup date?
No, and nobody being honest with you about a road this long will. Weather, traffic, a scale house and the other cars on the trailer all move a schedule. We give you a window, not a promise. What we do commit to is that you hear from us when the window moves, instead of finding out by standing in your driveway.
How long does the run take, and can you give me a date?
Once your car is loaded, Florida to New England is typically a matter of days on the road. The truck is carrying other vehicles, and the order of the stops decides which day yours comes off. We give you a window, not a promise, and the driver calls ahead before he is at your door. Anyone selling you a guaranteed delivery date on this lane is selling you something he does not control.
Do I have to be there for pickup and delivery?
Somebody has to be, at both ends. The Bill of Lading has to be walked and signed by a person at pickup and again at delivery, and that person is your protection. It does not have to be you. A spouse, an adult child, a neighbor or a building manager can stand in, as long as you give us their name and number ahead of time.
What is a Bill of Lading, and why is it signed twice?
The Bill of Lading is the written condition report for your vehicle, and it is the document everything else rests on. At pickup, the driver and your person walk the car together, mark every existing scratch, dent and chip, and both sign it. At delivery you walk the car again against that same sheet, and both sign it again. Two signatures at two ends is what makes the condition of your car a documented fact instead of an argument later.
What if my street cannot take a full size car hauler?
We run door to door anywhere a full size car hauler can legally and safely get in. Some streets cannot take one, and we will say so: a tight cul de sac, low tree branches, a gated entrance with a hard turn, a posted truck restriction. When that happens, the driver calls you and the two of you agree on a spot nearby that works, usually a wide lot or a shopping plaza a few minutes away. You are never left waiting somewhere you did not agree to.
Can I reach somebody while my car is on the road?
Yes. The office is at (941) 205-0012, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern, and the driver calls ahead before delivery. We do not have a tracking app or a map with a moving dot on it, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. What we have is a phone that a person here picks up, and a driver on our payroll we can reach.
Your vehicle
Does the car have to run?
Yes. It has to start, steer, brake and drive on and off the ramp under its own power. Every vehicle we carry drives onto the deck on its own wheels, so a car that will not run cannot ride. If your car will not start reliably, get it running before pickup day, because we cannot load it.
Can I leave things in the car?
No. The vehicle has to be free of contents when it goes on the deck. Loose weight changes how the car sits and what the straps and ratchets are holding, and household goods are not cargo we are authorized to carry. We haul motor vehicles only. Empty the trunk, the back seat and the cabin, and take anything you would hate to lose out of the glove box.
How much fuel should I leave in the tank?
About a quarter tank. That is enough to drive up the ramp, drive off at the other end, and get you to a gas station. A full tank is dead weight on a loaded trailer, and there is no reason to pay to ship gasoline the length of the lane.
What do I do about my toll transponder?
Take it off the windshield and bring it in the house, or seal it in the foil bag it came in. A transponder left in the glass will read at the gantries the truck passes and bill your account for tolls the truck already paid. This one quietly costs people real money every season, and it takes thirty seconds to prevent.
My car rides outside on an open carrier. Is that a problem?
Open carrier is how nearly every new car in America is delivered to the dealership, and it is what we run. Your vehicle is strapped and ratcheted to the deck, and it sees the same weather it would see sitting in your driveway. Expect road dust and expect to want a car wash when it lands. If you would rather it rode on the upper deck, ask about Top Load.
What do I do if I find damage at delivery?
Handle it before you sign and before the driver pulls away. Walk the car against the pickup side of the Bill of Lading, and if something is not on that sheet, write it on the delivery side and have the driver sign it with you. Then take clear photos in daylight and send us a written claim as soon as you can, with the photos and your copy of the Bill of Lading, to info@lopesexpressshipping.com. A note on the Bill of Lading plus photos sent the same day is what moves a claim. A phone call three days later with nothing written down is what stalls one.
About the company
Are you a broker or a carrier?
We are a licensed and insured motor carrier, USDOT 3013626, MC-30467. We own the trucks that run Florida to New England, seven of them, and the drivers are Lopes employees. A broker does not own the truck. A broker takes your money, posts your car on a load board, and waits for a stranger's truck to accept the price.
Who is actually driving the truck my car is on?
A Lopes employee, on our payroll. Our drivers run this lane season after season, and they know which streets in Naples and which streets outside Boston a full size hauler can get into. They are not an anonymous truck that picked your car off a load board this morning. Ask for the driver's name and you will get it.
How long have you been doing this?
Lopes Express Shipping has been on the Florida to New England lane since 2011. Fifteen years, one road, both directions, all season. It is a family business, run by Marcus Lopes. Since we went paperless we have documented more than 15,000 vehicles in our digital inspection platform, and we average around 98 vehicles a week.
Can I talk to a real person?
Yes. Call or text (941) 205-0012, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern, or email info@lopesexpressshipping.com. You get somebody who works here and can pull up your run, not a call center reading from a script. Our staff speak English and Portuguese.
Where do you go, and where do you not go?
One lane, both directions: Florida to New England and New England back to Florida, along the I-95 corridor in between. In Florida that is Tampa, Sarasota, Bradenton, Naples, Fort Myers, Orlando, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. In New England that is Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maine. We do not take work off that road, and we haul motor vehicles only, because the whole point of running one lane is knowing it.
Still have a question? Ask a person.
Call or text (941) 205-0012, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern. Give us the two addresses and the year, make and model, and we will price your run on the phone. No deposit, nothing due until your car is in the driveway. One road. Both directions. All season.
LOPES NEVER STOPS