Open, enclosed, and expedited car shipping across Washington, planned around the corridor, the passes, and the water.
Fast, secure pricing in 30 seconds.
Washington
Washington auto transport is easy along the Interstate 5 corridor. It takes a mountain pass, a ferry, or a long dry drive to reach everywhere else.
Ship Guy is a licensed auto transport broker. We book vetted carriers across Washington, and we do not own the trucks.
Interstate 5 runs from Vancouver through Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, and Everett to the Canadian border. Interstate 90 crosses Snoqualmie Pass to Ellensburg and Spokane, and Interstate 82 drops through Yakima to the Tri-Cities.
This page covers the corridor, Seattle and the tech relocations, the bases on the Sound, and the passes. It also covers Spokane and the east, the ferries and the peninsula, the ports, and the weather.
Most pickups happen within 1 to 3 days from Olympia to Everett and in Spokane. The Tri-Cities, Yakima, and Bellingham run 2 to 4 days. The peninsula and the islands run 3 to 5.
Portland is a same-day lane from the Sound. Spokane, Boise, and Sacramento take a day. California, the Mountain West, and the rest of the country run two to four.
Washington has no city page yet. This page carries the detail for Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Everett, Olympia, Spokane, the Tri-Cities, and the rest.
The Corridor
Most of Washington lives within thirty miles of Interstate 5, and the carriers run it all day.
The corridor carries Portland-to-Canada traffic through Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, Everett, and Bellingham. It backs up from Tacoma to Everett every rush hour. Carriers plan Sound stops for mid-morning and early afternoon.
Interstate 405 loops the east side through Bellevue and Redmond. The floating bridges carry Seattle to the east side, with a toll on one of them. Interstate 5 and 405 are the roads a trailer uses. The bridge toll is built into every quote.
Vancouver at the south end ships through the Portland carrier pool. Bellingham at the north end ships on the Seattle lane.
Seattle & the East Side
Seattle and Bellevue relocate more engineers than almost any metro in the country. Most of them ship a car.
The software, retail, and aerospace employers in Seattle, Redmond, and Bellevue relocate households constantly. They come from across the country on start dates. Corporate packages usually cover a vehicle, and we handle the paperwork.
Seattle’s hills are steep and its older neighborhoods narrow. The towers downtown and in Bellevue run on garages. The driver meets you on a main road or at a lot near Interstate 5 or 405.
Bothell, Issaquah, Sammamish, and the newer suburbs allow curbside on most streets. Many have gates, so send the community name. The state-to-state page has the interstate side of a relocation.
Lanes & Costs
Common lanes out of the Seattle area, with estimated open-transport ranges. Spokane sits closer to the Mountain West, and Vancouver follows Portland lanes. Price your exact route above.
| Route | Corridor · distance | Est. transit | Est. open rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR | I-5 · ~175 mi | Same day | $220–$340 |
| Spokane, WA | I-90 · ~280 mi | 1 day | $260–$390 |
| Boise, ID | I-90/I-82/I-84 · ~500 mi | 1 day | $430–$620 |
| Sacramento, CA | I-5 · ~750 mi | 2 days | $560–$820 |
| San Francisco, CA | I-5 · ~810 mi | 2 days | $600–$880 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | I-90/I-84 · ~840 mi | 2 days | $600–$880 |
| Los Angeles, CA | I-5 · ~1,135 mi | 3 days | $800–$1,150 |
| Denver, CO | I-90/I-84/I-80 · ~1,320 mi | 3 days | $850–$1,200 |
| Phoenix, AZ | I-5/US-93 · ~1,420 mi | 3–4 days | $900–$1,300 |
| Chicago, IL | I-90 · ~2,060 mi | 4 days | $1,100–$1,550 |
*2026 estimates for a running sedan on an open trailer, priced from the Seattle area. SUVs and pickups add about 10 to 25 percent, with enclosed above that. Pass closures and carrier availability on your dates decide the real quote.
Portland and California are the cheapest lanes. Interstate 5 carries carriers the length of the coast all day. Interstate 90 makes Spokane and the Mountain West steady.
The peninsula, the islands, and the far east cost more per mile because the carrier detours. The cost guide covers everything else that moves the price.
Military
Washington has more military households on the move than any state in the Northwest.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Tacoma deploys and returns whole brigades and airlift wings. Families rotate year round with a summer peak. Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton and Bangor rotates submarine crews across the Sound.
The naval air station on Whidbey Island and the naval station in Everett rotate squadrons and ship crews. Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane flies tankers and rotates airmen on the same summer calendar.
Many families ship a second vehicle through us, because orders often pay for one. Housing at each base is gated, and the driver meets you outside. Kitsap and Whidbey sit across the water, and the handoff happens on the base side of the ferry.
Ship Guy is a private broker, unaffiliated with any branch of the military. Our military page explains how a PCS shipment is timed.
The Passes & the East
Everything east of the Cascades is a different state in climate. One pass decides when it is reachable.
Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90 carries chain controls from November through April. It closes for avalanche control and crashes. Stevens Pass on US 2 and White Pass on US 12 close more often. A loaded carrier waits below the summit during a closure.
Spokane is the second-largest city in the state and the hub for eastern Washington and the Idaho panhandle. The hospitals, the universities, and Fairchild relocate people year round, and pickups schedule in 1 to 3 days.
The Tri-Cities ship on the national laboratory and the Hanford cleanup, with engineers relocating on program schedules. Yakima and Wenatchee ship on agriculture, and Pullman sends university cars in each August and home each May.
Walla Walla, the Palouse, and the far east run 2 to 4 days. Wind on the Columbia slows a high-profile trailer.
Ferries, the Peninsula, and the Ports
A lot of Washington is reached by ferry, and a car carrier does not board one.
Bainbridge, Vashon, Whidbey, and the San Juan Islands take a ferry from the mainland terminals. Carriers deliver to the terminal, and you or a local driver take the car across. Ferry reservations fill weeks ahead in summer.
The Olympic Peninsula sits at the end of US 101, a winding two-lane loop around the mountains. Port Angeles, Sequim, and the peninsula towns run 3 to 5 days. The driver meets you on 101 or in town.
The ports of Seattle and Tacoma receive imported cars, and we ship them domestically once customs releases them. The ocean leg is separate.
Retirees in Sequim and the islands, and second-home owners on the Sound, ship on their own seasonal calendar.
Weather
Washington weather is rain on the Sound and snow on the passes. The east gets dry heat and smoke.
The Sound gets rain from October through May, and it changes only the loading hour. A rare lowland snow shuts Seattle’s hills for a day or two, and carriers wait for the melt.
The passes get real snow, and the east gets subzero nights from December through February. A car arriving from a warm state needs winter oil and a strong battery east of the mountains.
Fire season from July through October fills the east with smoke. It closes highways a few times a summer. Carriers reroute around a closure, and we let you know the moment the forecast changes the plan.
Your Options
Open transport is the everyday choice, and the coast lanes run on it.
Enclosed transport keeps a car covered against rain, road grit, and pass salt. Medina, Mercer Island, and the Sound estates keep enclosed carriers busy with collector cars.
A commuter car rides open up the corridor with no problem. Our open and enclosed pages describe the two trailers.
The Basics
A price, a loading on the Sound, and a delivery. The pass or the ferry decides the last leg.
Once the price is approved, a carrier on Interstate 5 or 90 takes the booking. The driver records the car’s condition on a Bill of Lading, and you sign it when it loads. That record is what you compare the car against on arrival.
Our how it works and preparation guides cover each step.
Why Ship Guy
We know which pass is closed, which ferry the truck cannot board, and which hour the corridor moves.
Ship Guy holds active FMCSA brokerage authority and a $75,000 surety bond, both on file federally.
One coordinator handles the shipment from quote to delivery and can book open, enclosed, or expedited service. The services page shows each service in detail.
Washington FAQ
Sacramento to Seattle usually runs five hundred sixty to eight hundred twenty dollars for a sedan. It is about seven hundred fifty miles up Interstate 5. Los Angeles runs eight hundred to eleven hundred fifty. The lane runs full with tech relocations, which keeps it competitive. Larger vehicles add 10 to 25 percent to those numbers.
Yes, Washington moves more military households than any state in the Northwest. Each installation is a steady lane for us. Many families ship a second vehicle through us, because orders often pay for one. Housing is gated, so the meeting spot is just outside the gate. Kitsap and Whidbey handoffs happen on the base side of the ferry. Ship Guy is a private broker with no ties to any base or shipyard.
Rarely on the hills or downtown. Seattle's streets are steep and narrow, and the towers run on garages. The driver meets you on a main road or at a lot near Interstate 5 or 405. Bothell, Issaquah, and the newer suburbs often allow curbside.
We deliver to the ferry terminal on the mainland, and the island leg goes by ferry. Ferry reservations for a car fill weeks ahead in summer, so reserve that first. Once the car is on the island, you or a local driver take it home from the dock.
Chain controls apply on Interstate 90 from November through April. The pass closes for avalanche control and crashes a few times each winter. A loaded carrier waits below a closure rather than chain up. Stevens and White passes close more often. We let you know any time a pass is in play.
Yes, Spokane is the second-largest market in the state for us. The hospitals, the universities, and Fairchild relocate people year round. Pickups schedule in 1 to 3 days, and Boise and the Mountain West are the natural lanes. The Tri-Cities, Yakima, and Walla Walla run 2 to 4 days.
Yes, the software, retail, and aerospace employers relocate households from across the country on start dates. Most ship a car. We plan the pickup around your first day at the new office. If your employer reimburses the shipment, we prepare whatever it asks for. Many east-side subdivisions have gates, so send the community name.
The ocean leg is an international process we do not arrange. Once customs releases the car, we ship it domestically like any other vehicle. Send us the release date and the terminal name. A high-value import can ride enclosed from the port.
Yes, non-running cars ship from every part of Washington. A winch-equipped carrier loads it, and the extra time goes on the quote. Say whether the car can roll, steer, and brake on its own.
Both addresses, with the town for an island, peninsula, or eastern pickup. The year, make, and model. Whether it runs and rolls. Open or enclosed, and the spread of dates you can offer. That is a complete Washington quote request.
Get Started
A quote takes about two minutes, Sound or Spokane. Then send us the town and your dates. We will plan around the corridor, the pass, or the ferry.