Open, enclosed, and expedited auto transport across Tampa Bay, planned around PCS season, the bridges, and the storms.
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Tampa, Florida
Car shipping in Tampa has a military rhythm most Florida cities do not.
Ship Guy is a licensed auto transport broker. We book vetted carriers across Tampa and Hillsborough County, and we do not own the trucks.
MacDill Air Force Base anchors the south end of the peninsula. Orders move families in and out all year, with a hard summer peak.
Add the Interstate 4 corridor, the bay bridges, and a coastline that evacuates for storms. This page covers all of it.
Most pickups happen within 1 to 3 days, and carriers cross the bay bridges without trouble.
Orlando is a same-day lane. Atlanta and Miami take about a day. New York takes three to four days.
Know your evacuation zone. If a storm is forecast and you are in Zone A or B, call early. We will move the car before the roads fill.
Military
MacDill is one of the most important bases in the country, and it moves a lot of cars.
The base sits at the southern tip of the Tampa peninsula, reached along Dale Mabry Highway. Orders bring families in and out year round.
Summer is the peak, and carrier schedules fill quickly from May through August. Booking two to three weeks ahead is wise in that window.
Orders often cover one vehicle, so the second one ships privately. Base housing is gated, so the handoff happens just outside the gate.
Ship Guy is a private broker with no connection to the military. More PCS planning detail is on our military car shipping page.
The Routes
Three highways and three bridges carry every car in and out of Tampa.
Interstate 4 runs east to Orlando and is the busiest road in the state. Interstate 75 runs north to Atlanta and south toward Naples.
Interstate 275 threads through the city and over the Howard Frankland Bridge to Pinellas County. The Gandy and Courtney Campbell bridges carry the rest.
Carriers use all three bridges without restriction. A pickup in Tampa and a delivery in Clearwater are the same trip.
South Tampa streets near Bayshore Boulevard are older and narrow. Davis Islands is reached by a short bridge, and the driver usually meets you near the entrance.
Lanes & Costs
Common lanes out of the bay area, with estimated open-transport ranges. Price your exact route above.
| Route | Corridor · distance | Est. transit | Est. open rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando, FL | I-4 · ~85 mi | Same day | $170–$280 |
| Jacksonville, FL | I-75/I-10 · ~200 mi | Same day | $220–$340 |
| Miami, FL | I-75 · ~280 mi | 1 day | $250–$380 |
| Atlanta, GA | I-75 · ~460 mi | 1 day | $400–$580 |
| Charlotte, NC | I-75/I-26 · ~580 mi | 1–2 days | $450–$650 |
| Nashville, TN | I-75/I-24 · ~700 mi | 2 days | $520–$750 |
| Dallas, TX | I-10/I-20 · ~1,120 mi | 3 days | $780–$1,100 |
| New York, NY | I-95 · ~1,140 mi | 3–4 days | $780–$1,100 |
| Chicago, IL | I-75/I-65 · ~1,170 mi | 3 days | $800–$1,150 |
| Boston, MA | I-95 · ~1,350 mi | 4 days | $880–$1,250 |
*2026 estimates for an operable sedan, open trailer. SUVs and trucks add roughly 10 to 25 percent, and enclosed adds more. Season and carrier availability on your dates decide the actual quote.
Interstate 75 north is the workhorse lane. Atlanta, Nashville, and Chicago all ride it, and the snowbird corridor keeps it busy.
Northeast lanes swing with the season, costing more southbound in fall and northbound in spring. Other variables are explained in the cost guide.
Storm Season
Tampa Bay is one of the most surge-exposed places on the Gulf, and the county plans around it.
Every address has an evacuation zone from A through E. Coastal and low-lying areas clear out first when a storm is forecast.
Carriers leave the region days ahead of landfall. Pickups pause until the storm passes and the bridges reopen.
If your car is in Zone A or B, call the moment a forecast firms up. Moving it early beats waiting on a crowded evacuation route.
After a storm, demand jumps as people replace flooded vehicles and move cars back. We keep you updated the whole way and never send a driver into a storm zone.
Who Ships Here
Beyond the base, Tampa moves follow the season and the school year.
Sun City Center, Apollo Beach, and the south county draw winter residents from the Midwest and Northeast. Cars arrive in fall and head home in spring.
March brings spring training, and the Yankees play at Steinbrenner Field across from the airport. Some fans ship a car down for the month.
The University of South Florida on the north side sends cars in each August and out each May. Tampa International makes fly-and-ship easy for everyone.
Saint Petersburg and Clearwater have their own page. Our snowbird page has more seasonal planning tips.
Your Options
Open transport is the everyday choice, and most seasonal cars ride it.
An enclosed trailer shields the car from salt air, afternoon storms, and grit. Collector cars and high-value SUVs usually go that route.
An everyday car has no trouble on an open trailer. Both are described on our open and enclosed pages.
The Basics
Every shipment has the same three beats: quote, pickup, delivery.
You sign off on the price and a carrier is assigned. The driver logs the car’s condition on a Bill of Lading before it goes on the trailer. That log is what you compare against at delivery.
Our how it works and preparation guides cover each step.
Why Ship Guy
We plan around PCS season, the bridges, and the evacuation map.
Ship Guy holds active FMCSA brokerage authority, and a $75,000 surety bond stands behind it. Both records are public.
One coordinator sees the shipment through from quote to delivery. Open, enclosed, and expedited transport are all available from that contact. Every option is listed on the services page.
Nearby
Carriers that work Tampa also cover these nearby cities.
Statewide guide: Florida auto transport · See all 66 cities we serve →
Visit Us
Our office is in the Westshore district, minutes from Tampa International and the Interstate 275 bridge.
Tampa FAQ
Yes, second-vehicle shipments are the most common military request we get in Tampa. The move usually pays for one car, and families ship the other themselves. We plan pickup around your report date. Summer is the busy season, so give us two to three weeks. Base housing is behind a gate, so the driver meets you just outside it. Ship Guy is an independent broker, not part of the military.
Carriers leave the region days before landfall, so pickups pause. Once the storm passes and the bridges reopen, shipping resumes. If your car is in Zone A or B, call the moment the forecast firms up. Moving it early beats a crowded evacuation route. Demand rises after a storm, so a little patience can save money. We never send a driver into a storm zone.
Usually seven hundred eighty to eleven hundred dollars for a sedan on an open trailer. The route runs about eleven hundred forty miles up Interstate 95. Season plays in, and a northbound car costs more in spring. Bigger vehicles add 10 to 25 percent. Enclosed adds more. Request a quote and we will pin down the number for your dates.
Yes, Interstate 4 makes it about eighty-five miles door to door. Traffic on the corridor can add an hour. The car still usually arrives the same day it is picked up. Many families ship a car between the two cities rather than drive it twice. Pricing is at the low end of the table. Flexible dates make it even easier.
Davis Islands is reached by a short bridge, and the driver usually meets you near the entrance. South Tampa streets near Bayshore are older and narrow. A nearby lot often works better than the curb. Westshore, Carrollwood, and the suburbs are wide and simple. Send the address and we will confirm which case applies.
Two to three weeks ahead during the busy windows. Southbound demand builds from October through December for Sun City Center and the south county. Return trips peak from March through May. Reserve early and you get more carriers to pick from at a steadier rate. Flexible dates help even more.
Yes, August and May are student months for us. The campus is on the north side of the city and easy to reach. Drop-off can be at student housing or a street close by. An adult must be on hand for the handoff. Both months are busy, so book a couple of weeks ahead.
Yes, some fans ship a car down for March rather than rent one. Steinbrenner Field sits across from the airport, and the surrounding area is easy for a carrier. Book a few weeks ahead, since March overlaps with snowbird return traffic. Delivery can go to a rental or a hotel with an accessible lot.
Yes, we arrange transport for cars that will not run. A carrier with a winch handles loading, which takes longer and carries a fee. Tell us if it can roll, steer, and brake. We assign the carrier from those answers.
Pickup address and delivery address first. Then year, make, and model. Then whether it runs and rolls. Then open or enclosed, plus your dates. That is the whole list for an accurate Tampa quote. Better detail, tighter number.
Get Started
A quote takes a couple of minutes at most. Then tell us your zone and your dates, and we will plan around the bridges and the season.