Open, enclosed, and expedited auto transport across greater New Orleans, planned around the storms, the parades, and the oaks.
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New Orleans, Louisiana
Car shipping in New Orleans has two calendars to respect: the storm season and the parade season.
Ship Guy is a licensed auto transport broker. We book vetted carriers across New Orleans and the surrounding parishes, and we do not own the trucks.
Interstate 10 runs through the city east to west. Every carrier working the Gulf Coast passes over the Twin Spans or the Bonnet Carré Spillway.
This page covers hurricane evacuation, Mardi Gras, and Jazz Fest. It also covers the streets a truck cannot enter and the Causeway to the Northshore.
Most pickups happen within 1 to 3 days, with Interstate 10 carrying carriers through daily.
Baton Rouge and Mobile are same-day lanes. Houston and Jackson take about a day. Atlanta runs one to two.
From mid-January through Mardi Gras, parade routes close Uptown and downtown streets for hours at a time. Book around the schedule if you live near St. Charles.
Storm Season
No city in the country plans for hurricanes the way New Orleans does. Car shipping follows the same playbook.
Season runs June through November. When a storm enters the Gulf, carriers leave the region days before the state calls for evacuation.
Contraflow turns Interstate 10 and 55 into one-way roads out of town. No carrier operates during that window.
If you want a car out ahead of a storm, call the moment the track firms up. Waiting a few days after landfall usually costs less and runs smoother.
After a storm, demand jumps as people replace flooded cars and move back. We keep you updated and never send a driver into an evacuation.
Parade Season
Parades shut down more streets in New Orleans than weather does.
Carnival season starts in early January and builds to Mardi Gras. Parades roll down St. Charles Avenue and through downtown almost daily in the final two weeks.
A car carrier cannot get near a parade route on a parade day. For Uptown, the Garden District, and downtown, we schedule around the calendar.
Jazz Fest fills Mid-City on two weekends in late April and early May. The Fair Grounds area is tight on those days.
Metairie, Kenner, and the Northshore run normally through all of it. Tell us your neighborhood and dates and we will check the schedule.
Access
New Orleans was laid out for horses and streetcars, not for a seventy-five-foot trailer.
The French Quarter restricts trucks, and its streets are too narrow for a carrier anyway. The Marigny and Bywater are nearly as tight.
Uptown streets are lined with live oaks whose branches hang low over the road. A loaded trailer cannot pass under many of them.
For all of those neighborhoods, the driver meets you at a large lot near an Interstate 10 exit. Elmwood, the Clearview area, and the lots near the Superdome all work.
Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, and Slidell have wide streets where the truck comes to the curb. Send the address and we will tell you which applies.
Lanes & Costs
The corridors out of the Crescent City, with estimated open-transport ranges. Price your exact route above.
| Route | Corridor · distance | Est. transit | Est. open rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | I-10 · ~80 mi | Same day | $160–$260 |
| Mobile, AL | I-10 · ~145 mi | Same day | $220–$340 |
| Jackson, MS | I-55 · ~185 mi | 1 day | $220–$340 |
| Houston, TX | I-10 · ~350 mi | 1 day | $320–$470 |
| Memphis, TN | I-55 · ~395 mi | 1 day | $350–$510 |
| Atlanta, GA | I-10/I-65/I-85 · ~470 mi | 1–2 days | $400–$580 |
| Dallas, TX | I-49/I-20 · ~510 mi | 1–2 days | $430–$620 |
| Orlando, FL | I-10/I-75 · ~640 mi | 2 days | $470–$680 |
| Chicago, IL | I-55 · ~925 mi | 3 days | $650–$900 |
| New York, NY | I-59/I-81 · ~1,300 mi | 3–4 days | $820–$1,150 |
*Estimated 2026 ranges, running sedan, open trailer. Larger vehicles add about 10 to 25 percent, and enclosed adds more. Season, storms, and carrier availability on your dates set the real quote.
Interstate 10 lanes to Texas and Alabama are the busiest and cheapest. Interstate 55 north to Jackson, Memphis, and Chicago is nearly as steady.
Storm season can lift prices for a week or two at a time. The cost guide walks through the other variables.
Across the Lake
The metro spreads across a lake and a river, and carriers cross both.
The Causeway runs twenty-four miles across Lake Pontchartrain to Mandeville and Covington. Trucks use it, and Northshore pickups are routine.
The Crescent City Connection carries carriers over the Mississippi. Gretna, Terrytown, and the rest of the West Bank sit on the other side. Belle Chasse sits at the south end.
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans is in Belle Chasse. Reserve and active personnel move on orders year round, and the handoff happens outside the gate.
Ship Guy is a private broker and not part of the military. See our military page for move planning.
Who Ships Here
Beyond the calendars, New Orleans moves look like those of any river city.
Tulane, Loyola, and the University of New Orleans send cars in each August and home each May. Xavier and Dillard add to that traffic.
Hotels, restaurants, and the convention industry relocate managers year round. Those moves follow hiring dates, not the calendar.
The Port of New Orleans handles cargo and cruise ships, not domestic car shipping. Your vehicle rides a carrier on Interstate 10 like any other.
Your Options
Open transport is the everyday choice, and the humid climate does not change that.
Enclosed transport keeps a car covered against afternoon downpours, salt air, and grit. Uptown and the Northshore keep enclosed carriers busy with collector cars.
A daily driver is fine on an open trailer. Our open and enclosed pages describe each option.
The Basics
Every job has the same shape: a quote, then a pickup, then a delivery.
Approve the price and a carrier gets assigned. The driver writes the car’s condition on a Bill of Lading, and you sign it at pickup. That sheet is what you inspect against at delivery.
Our how it works and preparation guides cover each step.
Why Ship Guy
We watch the storm track and the parade schedule so you do not have to.
Ship Guy works under active FMCSA brokerage authority and carries a $75,000 surety bond. Both are on the public record.
A single coordinator handles your move from quote to delivery. That contact handles open, enclosed, and expedited transport alike. The services page lists everything.
Nearby
Carriers that work New Orleans also cover these nearby cities.
Statewide guide: Louisiana auto transport · See all 66 cities we serve →
Visit Us
Our office is on Poydras Street in the CBD, a few blocks from the Superdome and Interstate 10.
New Orleans FAQ
Carriers leave the region days before the state calls for evacuation, so pickups pause. Contraflow turns the interstates one way and no carrier operates during it. If you want the car out ahead of the storm, call the moment the track firms up. After landfall, demand jumps for a week or two. Waiting a few days usually costs less. We never send a driver into an evacuation.
Around the parades, yes, but not on a parade day near the route. Carnival builds from early January and parades roll almost daily in the final two weeks. St. Charles Avenue and downtown close for hours at a time. We check your dates against the schedule and plan a morning or an off day. Metairie and the Northshore are unaffected.
No, and it is not personal. The Quarter restricts trucks and its streets are too narrow anyway. Uptown oaks hang low over the road and a loaded trailer cannot pass. The driver meets you at a large lot near an Interstate 10 exit instead. Elmwood and the lots near the Superdome work well. It is a quick drive from home.
Usually three hundred twenty to four hundred seventy dollars for a sedan. Interstate 10 runs the whole way, about three hundred fifty miles, and carriers use it daily. Dallas costs a little more. SUVs and pickups cost 10 to 25 percent more. A quote turns that into a firm number for your dates.
Yes, both. Carriers cross the Causeway to Mandeville and Covington without trouble. The Crescent City Connection carries them to Gretna, Terrytown, and Marrero. Slidell and Laplace are covered as well. Prices and timing are the same as the rest of the metro.
Yes, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans is on the West Bank. Housing is gated, and the handoff happens just outside. We plan the pickup around your report date. Ship Guy is a private broker and not part of the military.
Yes, student cars are a fixture of August and May here. Both campuses are Uptown. The handoff happens at a lot near an interstate exit rather than at the dorm. An adult must be there for the signature. August and May fill fast, so get in early.
Not domestically. The port handles cargo and cruise ships. Your vehicle rides a carrier on Interstate 10 or 55 like any other domestic shipment. An international move is a separate process with an ocean carrier and customs. Ask us and we will point you in the right direction.
Yes, we ship cars that will not start out of New Orleans often. The carrier uses a winch, and the slower loading adds a fee. We will ask if it rolls, steers, and brakes. The carrier follows from those answers.
Begin with the pickup and delivery addresses. Then supply the year, make, and model. Mention if it runs and rolls. Choose open or enclosed and pass along your dates. That produces an accurate New Orleans quote. Specifics keep the estimate tight.
Get Started
A quote takes two minutes or so. Then tell us your neighborhood and dates, and we will plan around parade season and the storm forecast.