Boston, MA
Boston streets were not built for a full-size car hauler, and between permit parking and double parked delivery trucks a side street is a bad bet, so we agree on a wider avenue or a nearby lot before pickup day.
Southbound Route
New England to Florida car shipping.
We own the trucks that drive it. Family run on this lane since 2011, with our own drivers and 7 trucks pointed south all fall. No deposit, and a window, not a promise.
The Southbound Run, Told Straight
Southbound starts in a driveway in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island or Maine and ends at a door in Florida. The truck works its way onto I-95 and runs south through Connecticut, past the New York metro, down the Jersey Turnpike, over the Delaware Memorial Bridge, past Baltimore and Washington, and through Virginia and the Carolinas into Georgia. Then the load splits. Cars for Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami stay on I-95. Cars for Tampa, Bradenton, Sarasota, Fort Myers and Naples cut across to I-75, and Orlando sits between the two on I-4. Door to door, that is roughly 1,000 to 1,550 miles.
It is a multi-day run with other people's cars on the same deck. Every one of them has a door at each end, and the driver builds the order that makes the route work, runs his legal hours, sleeps, and goes again. In October and November the hard part is the front of the run, where the daylight is short and the driveways are cold. After that come the two chokepoints anybody who drives this road knows, the New York metro and the stretch between Baltimore and Washington. That is why we give you a window and not a promise. What you get instead of a promise is a phone call before the window moves, not after.
Lopes Express Shipping is a licensed and insured motor carrier, USDOT 3013626, MC-30467. Not a broker. Marcus Lopes has been on this lane since 2011, which is 15 years on this road, with 7 trucks and drivers on our own payroll. Transport is open carrier and the cargo is motor vehicles only. Pickup and delivery are door to door, as far as a full-size car hauler can legally and safely reach. When a street, a gate or a garage will not take a truck that size, the driver works out a nearby meeting point with you instead of guessing.
Cities on this run
Where We Load in New England
Pickup and delivery are door to door wherever a full size car hauler can legally and safely get in.
Woburn, MA
Woburn and the towns just north of Boston load quickly because they sit right on the highway with room to drop the ramps without blocking anyone. Orlando to Woburn is one of the sample prices the company publishes, and the same road runs the other way.
Hyannis, MA
Hyannis and the Cape are heavy in October, when the seasonal houses close up. Bridge traffic sets the timing, and if you have already flown south we can do the release with someone you authorize.
Providence, RI
Providence loads right off I-95, though the one way grid downtown usually means meeting the driver a few blocks out where the truck can sit legally while you walk the car and sign.
Hartford, CT
Hartford and the towns along I-91 are straightforward pickups, and they sit right on the way south, which normally gives us more flexibility on the day.
Danbury, CT
Danbury is hill country, and the residential roads there have low branches and steep, curved driveways, so expect the driver to suggest a flat spot on a main road. Jacksonville to Danbury is one of the sample prices the company publishes.
Manchester, NH
Manchester loads easy off I-93. Late in the season, watch the forecast with us, because one snow day in New Hampshire moves everything behind it on the route.
Portland, ME
Portland is the far end of this lane and it adds time to the front of the run, so give us more notice here than you would from Boston or Providence.
We also pick up in the smaller towns across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maine that feed the I-95 corridor. If your town is on the way to the interstate, it is on the lane. Call and ask.
October and November Are the Busy Months Going South
Southbound is the fall direction. Late September brings the early birds. October and November are the crush, and that is when this side of the lane is busiest. December fills in around the holidays, and January and February still run, with more room on the deck for whoever waited.
Two things tighten up in October. The first is the obvious one, which is that the drivers' routes fill from both ends and the good pickup days go early. The second is weather at the front of the run. This direction loads in New England in the fall, so a storm sitting on Massachusetts or New Hampshire pushes the whole route behind it. The more notice you give us, the more room the driver has to build your door into the route instead of squeezing you into what is left.
We do not guarantee a pickup date or a delivery date on this lane, in either direction. You get a window and you get a call when that window changes. Practical advice from 15 years of doing this in the fall: do not plan to hand over the keys on the morning of your flight. Leave yourself a few days of room on the front end, and tell us on the first call if there is a date you truly cannot move.
What Actually Drives the Price Going South
Distance is the first thing, and the published rate on this lane is $1.10 per mile. The sample estimates the company publishes are written Florida to New England, and it is the same road in the other direction. Pompano Beach, Florida to Boston, Massachusetts, 1,458 miles at $1,603. Naples, Florida to Manchester, New Hampshire, 1,529 miles at $1,681. Palm Beach, Florida to Hyannis, Massachusetts, 1,471 miles at $1,618. Jacksonville, Florida to Danbury, Connecticut, 996 miles at $1,095. Those are examples, not quotes. Your southbound number is figured on your two actual doors and we will tell you what it is on the phone.
Vehicle size comes next. A pickup or a large SUV takes more deck and more weight than a sedan and it costs more to move, so give us the year, make and model. Then there is access at both ends. A pickup in Woburn a minute off the highway is not the same job as one at the end of a dirt road in Maine, and a delivery into a gated community in Naples is not the same as a delivery to a straight street in Bradenton. Last is the calendar, because October and November are the weeks everyone wants going south. Top Load, where the car rides on the upper deck instead of underneath, is available for an extra charge.
One thing to keep in mind while you are collecting quotes. Most of the companies that come up when you search are brokers, and a broker has no trucks. He gives you a number that sounds good, holds a deposit, and posts your car on a load board hoping somebody's truck accepts that number. In late October, plenty of them do not. Then the number goes up or your car sits in a cold driveway while you keep calling. When one quote is far below all the others, that is usually what you are looking at. We own the trucks on this road. Nothing upfront, no deposit, and you pay when the car is standing in front of you in Florida.
What it costs
Sample prices on this lane
Real routes off our own rate sheet. Examples for a standard sedan, not quotes.
| Pickup | Delivery | Miles | Example total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pompano Beach, FL 33060 | Boston, MA 02108 | 1,458 | $1,603 |
| Naples, FL 34101 | Manchester, NH 03101 | 1,529 | $1,681 |
| Orlando, FL 32801 | Woburn, MA 01801 | 1,298 | $1,427 |
| Jacksonville, FL 32202 | Danbury, CT 06810 | 996 | $1,095 |
| Palm Beach, FL 33407 | Hyannis, MA 02601 | 1,471 | $1,618 |
These are examples for a standard sedan on an open carrier, not quotes. Pickups, large SUVs and anything oversized cost more. Your price depends on the two doors, the vehicle and the season, and we confirm it before anything is scheduled.
Ask this before you book anywhere
Who owns the truck that will carry my car, and can you tell me the driver's name?
What happens to my price if no driver accepts the load?
How much is due today, and what is due on delivery?
How a Southbound Shipment Runs
1. The call, and a real number
Give us the two doors, the year, make and model, and the week you want to leave. We price the run you are actually asking for. No opening bid that changes once the car is loaded.
2. The booking, with nothing down
$0 upfront. No deposit and nothing held on a card. You are on the driver's schedule for that week, and payment is due at delivery in Florida.
3. Pickup day in New England
The driver calls ahead. Brush the snow off the car if there is any, so you can both see the paint, and empty the trunk and the back seat, because we are authorized to carry motor vehicles and nothing else. Then you walk the car together and the Bill of Lading is inspected and signed at pickup by both parties.
4. The road south
The car goes up the ramp, gets strapped over the wheels and ratcheted down before the truck rolls. From there it is I-95 south for several days, then I-95 or I-75 at the Florida end, with other customers' cars on the same deck. Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern, you call one number and a person tells you where the truck is.
5. Delivery at your Florida door
The driver calls ahead so you can meet him and, if you are behind a gate, get him through it. You walk the car again against the same Bill of Lading, both of you sign at delivery, and then you pay. Anything worth noting gets noted right there, with the driver in front of you.
Questions About the New England to Florida Run
When should I book for the winter season?
Sooner than feels necessary. October and November are the busiest weeks in this direction and the routes fill from both ends. Two weeks of notice gives a driver room to build your door into the run. Two days does not. Calling early costs you nothing, since there is no deposit and no card taken.
Do I have to be there when the truck picks up?
Somebody does. The Bill of Lading is inspected and signed at pickup by both parties, so the car has to be released by you or by an adult you authorize, a neighbor, a family member or a caretaker. That happens often on the Cape and in the smaller towns when the owner has already gone south. Tell us who it will be, and give them the same phone number you have.
What if it snows on my pickup day?
Weather moves trucks. If a storm is sitting on the route, the driver is not putting ramps down on ice, and we are not going to pretend otherwise to protect a date. You get a call and a new window. This is one of the reasons we do not guarantee a pickup or delivery date, and it is the reason to leave yourself a few days before your flight.
Is the price locked in before you take my car?
Yes. The number you agree to on the phone is the number you pay when the car is delivered in Florida. It moves only if the job moves, meaning a different vehicle than the one we priced or an address change that changes the run, and you hear about that before the car goes on the truck.
Can you deliver inside a gated community or to a condo in Florida?
Often yes, sometimes no, and it has nothing to do with willingness. A full-size car hauler is long, tall and heavy, and guard houses, low garage clearances and speed humps decide it. Delivery is door to door as far as the truck can legally and safely go. When it cannot, the driver arranges a spot nearby with you, usually a plaza or a wide lot a few minutes out, and you drive home from there.
Does the car have to run, and can I leave things inside it?
The car has to start, drive up the ramp and steer. We do not offer inoperable or winch service. The trailer carries motor vehicles only, nothing else, so please empty the car before pickup day.
Book the Run South
Call or text (941) 205-0012, or email info@lopesexpressshipping.com. Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern. We speak English and Portuguese. No deposit, and you pay when the car reaches your door in Florida.
LOPES NEVER STOPS