Open, enclosed, and expedited auto transport for Manhattan, with the meeting point named before the truck rolls.
Fast, secure pricing in 30 seconds.
Manhattan, New York
Car shipping in Manhattan works because the truck never tries to come to you.
Ship Guy is a licensed auto transport broker. We book vetted carriers for Manhattan residents and businesses, and we do not own the trucks.
The parkways ban commercial vehicles, and the avenues have no room to stop. A seventy-five-foot trailer would need a block to itself. So carriers meet you across the river or in the outer boroughs.
This page covers the meeting points, the tunnels and bridges, and the garages. It also covers the Florida lane that empties the Upper East Side each fall, and the outbound relocations.
Most pickups happen within 1 to 3 days. The meeting point is in New Jersey or an outer borough.
Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington are same-day or one-day lanes. Florida runs three to four. Texas and Colorado take four to five.
Bridge and tunnel tolls, and any congestion charge in effect below 60th Street, are built into every quote. There is no separate line.
The Core Fact
Almost no full-size car carrier operates on the island, and the reasons are structural.
The FDR Drive, the Harlem River Drive, and the Henry Hudson Parkway all prohibit commercial vehicles. That rules out every fast road along both shores.
The cross streets are too narrow to stop a trailer. The avenues have no legal place to idle one. Alternate-side parking and no-standing zones cover the rest.
Height limits under the elevated tracks and in the older tunnels add a final layer. A loaded carrier stands about thirteen and a half feet.
None of this adds cost. It means you drive a few minutes to the truck instead of the truck idling on your block.
Meeting Points
Every Manhattan neighborhood has a workable meeting point within a short drive.
For the West Side and Midtown, the New Jersey side of the tunnels is the usual answer. Secaucus, Jersey City, and Edgewater have wide lots minutes from the Lincoln and Holland tunnels.
For the East Side and Upper Manhattan, Long Island City in Queens works well. So do the industrial blocks of the South Bronx. Both sit just over a bridge.
Downtown and Brooklyn-adjacent addresses often use Red Hook or Sunset Park. On rare occasions, a wide avenue on the far West Side can be arranged in advance.
Tell us your neighborhood and we will name the spot before the driver is dispatched.
The Crossings
Carriers reach the meeting points by the same crossings everyone else uses.
The George Washington Bridge is the main truck crossing into the region. The Lincoln Tunnel carries carriers, and the Holland Tunnel is restricted for larger ones.
The Verrazzano and the Whitestone carry trucks between the boroughs and Long Island. Interstate 95, 80, and 78 fan out from the bridges to the rest of the country.
Every one of those crossings charges a toll. Manhattan itself has charged a congestion fee below 60th Street. Whatever is in effect on your dates is built into the quote.
Lanes & Costs
The lanes Manhattan households ask about most, with estimated open-transport ranges. Price your exact route above.
| Route | Corridor · distance | Est. transit | Est. open rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia, PA | I-95 · ~95 mi | Same day | $170–$280 |
| Boston, MA | I-95 · ~215 mi | 1 day | $230–$350 |
| Washington, DC | I-95 · ~225 mi | 1 day | $230–$350 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | I-80/I-76 · ~370 mi | 1 day | $340–$490 |
| Charlotte, NC | I-95/I-85 · ~630 mi | 2 days | $470–$680 |
| Chicago, IL | I-80 · ~790 mi | 2 days | $560–$820 |
| Atlanta, GA | I-95/I-85 · ~870 mi | 2–3 days | $600–$880 |
| Orlando, FL | I-95 · ~1,080 mi | 3 days | $760–$1,080 |
| Miami, FL | I-95 · ~1,280 mi | 3–4 days | $800–$1,150 |
| Austin, TX | I-81/I-40 · ~1,750 mi | 4–5 days | $1,000–$1,400 |
*2026 estimates for a running sedan, open trailer. Larger vehicles add about 10 to 25 percent, with enclosed adding more. Tolls and any congestion charge are included. Season plus carrier availability on your dates set the real quote.
Interstate 95 south is the flagship lane. Florida in particular moves so many New York cars that pricing stays competitive despite thirteen hundred miles.
The meeting-point arrangement does not change the price. Carriers price the lane rather than the last two miles. The other variables are explained in the cost guide.
The Florida Lane
No lane in the country moves more seasonal cars than New York to South Florida.
From October through December, cars leave the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side, and the suburbs. They head for Boca Raton, Palm Beach, and Miami. They return from April through June.
Most owners ship both ways rather than drive Interstate 95 twice a year. Because the volume is so large, the lane is easy to book even in the peak.
Two to three weeks of notice in season keeps your options open. Our snowbird page has tips for either direction.
Garages
Most Manhattan cars live in a garage, and the garage cannot host a carrier either.
You or the garage staff bring the car out on pickup day. Then you drive it to the meeting point. At delivery, the reverse happens.
Give the garage notice so the car is accessible and not blocked in. If a friend or family member will drive it, tell us who is meeting the driver.
An adult must be present at the meeting point to sign the Bill of Lading. That can be you, a relative, or an authorized driver.
Who Ships Here
Manhattan moves point in every direction, and a few patterns stand out.
Finance and tech households are relocating to Miami, Austin, and Denver. Those are the busiest long-distance lanes out of the city. Corporate packages often cover the car.
Second-home owners ship cars to the Hamptons for the summer and to Florida for the winter. Columbia and NYU add a small student stream in August and May.
If an employer reimburses the shipment, we produce the documentation it needs. The interstate side is covered on the state-to-state page.
Your Options
Open transport is the everyday choice, and most of the Florida lane rides it.
Enclosed transport keeps a car covered against road salt, grit, and attention. Manhattan ships plenty of exotics and collector cars that never ride any other way.
A commuter car travels open without trouble. Our open and enclosed pages set the two side by side.
The Basics
Three steps: settle the price, bring the car to the meeting point, and collect it later.
When you approve the price, we assign a carrier and a meeting point across the river. The driver records the car’s condition on a Bill of Lading and you both sign. That record is what delivery is checked against.
Our how it works and preparation guides cover each step.
Why Ship Guy
We name the meeting point before you ask and fold every toll into the number.
Ship Guy operates under active FMCSA brokerage authority and carries a $75,000 surety bond, both verifiable.
Your shipment gets a single coordinator from quote to delivery. That contact organizes open, enclosed, or expedited transport. Everything we offer is shown on the services page.
Nearby
Carriers that work Manhattan also cover these nearby cities.
Statewide guide: New York auto transport · See all 66 cities we serve →
Visit Us
Our office is on Madison Avenue in Murray Hill. It is a few blocks from Grand Central and the Midtown Tunnel.
Manhattan FAQ
No, and it is not your building. The parkways ban commercial vehicles, and the cross streets are too narrow to stop a trailer. The avenues have nowhere to idle one. The driver meets you across the river or in an outer borough instead. It is usually a short drive through a tunnel or over a bridge. We name the spot before dispatch.
It depends on your neighborhood. The West Side and Midtown use the New Jersey side of the tunnels. Secaucus, Jersey City, and Edgewater are the usual spots. The East Side and Upper Manhattan use Long Island City or the South Bronx. Downtown addresses often use Red Hook or Sunset Park. Tell us where you live and we will choose one.
They are folded into the quote. Carriers pay the bridge and tunnel tolls and whatever congestion charge is in effect on your dates. They price accordingly. There is no separate line.
Miami usually runs eight hundred to eleven hundred fifty dollars for a sedan, and Orlando a little less. The lane runs about thirteen hundred miles down Interstate 95. Volume keeps it competitive even in the peak. Season matters more than distance, and a southbound car in November costs more than in July.
You or the garage staff bring the car out on pickup day. Then you drive it to the meeting point. Give the garage notice so the car is accessible and not blocked in. An adult must be at the meeting point to sign. That can be you, a relative, or an authorized driver.
Plan on four to five days for either. Both routes cross more than seventeen hundred miles on Interstate 81, 40, and 70. Driver hour limits, weather over the mountains, and other stops on the trailer shape the window. You get a window you can plan around, never a clock time we cannot control.
Yes, second-home owners send cars east each spring and bring them back in the fall. The handoff at the Manhattan end happens at a meeting point as usual. Long Island addresses are reached over the Whitestone or the Verrazzano. Book a couple of weeks ahead in May and September.
Yes, finance and tech households relocating to Miami, Austin, and Denver are a big part of our work. We arrange the pickup around your start date. If an employer reimburses the shipment, we produce the documentation it needs. Open, enclosed, and expedited transport are all on offer.
Yes, cars that do not run ship from the New York area all the time. A winch-equipped carrier loads it at the meeting point, and the extra time adds a fee. Confirm if it rolls, steers, and brakes. If it cannot be driven to the meeting point, tell us. We will plan a flatbed to the truck.
The pickup and delivery addresses first, even in Manhattan. The year, make, and model. Whether it runs and rolls. Open or enclosed, and the dates you have in mind. That is everything an accurate Manhattan quote needs. Clear details, clear number.
Get Started
A quote takes about two minutes, garage or not. Then tell us your neighborhood, and we will name the meeting point across the river.