Open, enclosed, and expedited auto transport across greater Houston, planned around the tolls, the bayous, and the gates.
Fast, secure pricing in 30 seconds.
Houston, Texas
Car shipping in Houston starts with a question of distance. The Woodlands and Pearland are an hour apart on a good day.
Ship Guy is a licensed auto transport broker. We book vetted carriers across Houston and the surrounding counties, and we do not own the trucks.
Interstate 10, Interstate 45, and Interstate 69 fan out from downtown. Two beltways ring the city, and both of them charge tolls.
This page covers the sprawl, the tolls, and the storm and flood season. It also covers the energy and medical relocations and the gated suburbs where most newcomers land.
Most pickups happen within 1 to 3 days, with more carriers based here than anywhere else in Texas.
Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas are same-day lanes. New Orleans takes about a day. Atlanta and Denver run two to three.
Storm season runs June through November. When a storm enters the Gulf, carriers leave the coast days before landfall.
The Sprawl
Houston covers more ground than almost any American city. The freeways are how carriers manage it.
Interstate 10 runs east to New Orleans and west through the Energy Corridor to San Antonio. Interstate 45 heads north to Dallas and south to Galveston. Interstate 69 runs southwest to Sugar Land and northeast to Kingwood.
The 610 Loop circles the inner city. Beltway 8 and the Grand Parkway ring the suburbs, and both charge tolls. So do the Hardy and Westpark tollways.
Carriers pay those tolls and price accordingly, so they are built into every quote. There is never a separate charge.
The metro is so large that Katy and Clear Lake pickups are different days for one truck. Tell us your side of the loop.
Storm Season
Houston floods more often than it takes a direct hit, and carriers respect both.
The bayous rise with a heavy rain, and low-lying neighborhoods along them can flood in an afternoon. A carrier will not stage on a street that is under water.
When a hurricane enters the Gulf, carriers leave the coast days before landfall. Contraflow on Interstate 45 and 10 moves evacuees out, and no truck runs against it.
If you want the car out before a storm, call as soon as the track firms up. After a storm, demand jumps as people replace flooded vehicles, and a little patience saves money.
We keep you updated through it and never send a driver into a flood zone or an evacuation.
Lanes & Costs
The corridors out of the Gulf Coast, with estimated open-transport ranges. Price your exact route above.
| Route | Corridor · distance | Est. transit | Est. open rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | US-290/SH-71 · ~165 mi | Same day | $220–$340 |
| San Antonio, TX | I-10 · ~200 mi | Same day | $230–$350 |
| Dallas, TX | I-45 · ~240 mi | Same day | $250–$380 |
| New Orleans, LA | I-10 · ~350 mi | 1 day | $320–$470 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | I-45/I-35 · ~450 mi | 1 day | $400–$570 |
| Atlanta, GA | I-10/I-65/I-85 · ~790 mi | 2 days | $550–$800 |
| Denver, CO | I-45/US-287 · ~1,030 mi | 3 days | $750–$1,050 |
| Chicago, IL | I-45/I-55 · ~1,085 mi | 3 days | $780–$1,100 |
| Phoenix, AZ | I-10 · ~1,175 mi | 3 days | $800–$1,150 |
| Los Angeles, CA | I-10 · ~1,550 mi | 3–4 days | $900–$1,300 |
*2026 estimates, operable sedan, open trailer. SUVs and trucks add roughly 10 to 25 percent, enclosed more. Tolls are built in, and storm season plus carrier availability on your dates set the real quote.
The Texas Triangle lanes to Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas are busy and inexpensive. Interstate 10 west to Phoenix and Los Angeles is the long-haul workhorse.
Storm weeks can lift prices for a stretch. Vehicle size, condition, and enclosed service fill in the rest, and the cost guide explains each.
Who Moves Here
Three industries relocate people to Houston from everywhere on earth.
The energy companies along the Katy Freeway bring engineers and executives in from Texas, the Gulf, and abroad. Those moves follow start dates and project cycles.
The Medical Center is the largest medical complex in the world. Residents, physicians, and researchers arrive every June, and the district’s streets are far too tight for a trailer.
The space center in Clear Lake moves engineers and contractors on program schedules. Ellington Field nearby hosts Guard and Coast Guard units on orders.
International arrivals through the airport are common. Once the car is released in the country, we ship it domestically like any other. Ship Guy is a private broker with no government affiliation.
The Suburbs
Most Houston newcomers land in a master-planned community, and most of those have a gate.
The Woodlands, Cinco Ranch, Sugar Land, Pearland, and League City each set their own rules. Large trucks on interior streets are the usual sticking point.
If the truck cannot enter, the driver meets you at the gate or a lot nearby. Provide the community name and gate code when you book.
Timing delivery to a new-home closing is the most common Houston request. If the closing slides, tell us early and we shift the window.
The interstate side of a relocation is covered on our state-to-state page.
Access
Inside the loop, a few neighborhoods were built before trucks and have stayed that way.
The Heights has narrow historic streets and low oaks. River Oaks and West University have winding lanes and gated estates. Montrose and Midtown are dense and tightly parked.
For those, the driver meets you on a wide street or in a large lot. The Galleria, the stadium lots, and the big centers along the loop all work.
Memorial, the Energy Corridor, and the suburbs are wide grids where the truck reaches the curb.
Your Options
Open transport is the everyday choice, and Texas Triangle traffic rides it.
Enclosed transport keeps a car covered against afternoon downpours, humidity, and grit. River Oaks and Memorial keep enclosed carriers busy with collector cars.
A commuter car does fine on an open trailer, and the heat changes only the loading hour. Our open and enclosed pages explain both options.
The Basics
It is a quote, a pickup, and a delivery, in that order and nothing more.
Approve the price and we assign the carrier. The driver notes the car’s condition on a Bill of Lading and you sign at pickup. That note is what you inspect against at delivery.
Our how it works and preparation guides go step by step.
Why Ship Guy
We know the tolls, the flood-prone streets, and which gate codes to ask for.
Ship Guy operates with active FMCSA brokerage authority, and a $75,000 surety bond stands behind it. Both can be checked.
One coordinator runs the whole shipment. Open, enclosed, and expedited transport are all arranged through that contact. The services page lists everything we do.
Nearby
Carriers that work Houston also cover these nearby cities.
Statewide guide: Texas auto transport · See all 66 cities we serve →
Visit Us
Our office is on Bissonnet in southwest Houston, minutes from Beltway 8 and Interstate 69.
Houston FAQ
They are already in the quote. Carriers pay Beltway 8, the Grand Parkway, and the Hardy and Westpark tollways and price accordingly. There is never a separate charge. Routes that stay on the interstates and the 610 Loop do not add anything.
Carriers leave the coast days before landfall, so pickups pause. Contraflow moves evacuees out on Interstate 45 and 10, and no truck runs against it. If you want the car out beforehand, call the moment the track firms up. After a storm, demand jumps as people replace flooded vehicles. A little patience saves money. No driver of ours goes into an evacuation.
It depends on the community. Some admit a full-size truck with a gate code, and others keep trucks off interior streets. If the truck cannot enter, the driver meets you at the gate or a lot nearby. Provide the community name and gate code when you book. Access is confirmed before dispatch.
Both are same-day lanes and among the least expensive in Texas. Austin usually runs two hundred twenty to three hundred forty dollars for a sedan. Dallas runs two hundred fifty to three hundred eighty. San Antonio falls between them. Larger vehicles add somewhere around 10 to 25 percent. A quote firms up the number for your dates.
Yes, both are steady sources of Houston moves. Energy relocations follow start dates and project cycles. Medical Center residents and physicians arrive every June. The district is too tight for a trailer, so the handoff happens at a nearby lot. Employers that reimburse the move get the documentation from us.
The overseas leg is international work we do not arrange. Once the car is in the country and released, we ship it domestically like any other. Tell us the release date and where the car is. A high-value import can ride enclosed.
Usually not the narrow historic blocks or the winding estate lanes. The driver meets you on a wide road or in a large lot. The Galleria and the stadium lots are typical. It is a quick drive away. Memorial, the Energy Corridor, and the suburbs allow curbside.
Mainly the hour. Drivers load early to beat afternoons that pass 100 degrees with heavy humidity. Afternoon storms roll through in summer, and a driver waits out a downpour rather than load in it. Electric vehicles do best at a partial charge. The shipment itself is unchanged.
Yes, we arrange transport for cars that will not run out of Houston often. A carrier with a winch handles the loading, which adds time and a fee. Mention if it rolls, steers, and brakes. We assign the truck from that.
The pickup and delivery addresses first. The year, make, and model second. Whether it runs and rolls comes third. Open or enclosed and your dates last. That is everything an accurate Houston quote needs. Precise in, precise out.
Get Started
The quote takes about two minutes. Then tell us your side of the loop and your dates. We will plan around the tolls and the storm season.