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Auction Vehicle Transport
Post-sale transport from the auction gate to your lot, run against the auction's own release procedure and the storage clock that starts when the hammer falls.
- $499
- per unit, from
- 2–3 days
- typical free storage
- 24–48h
- expedited pickup window
- $0
- due at booking
The short answer
Auction vehicle transport moves a purchased unit from the auction yard to your lot, on open carriers from $499. Most auctions give buyers only a few business days of free storage before daily fees start, so the booking is coordinated against the gate release, the buyer number, and that clock. Broadway charges $0 until a carrier is dispatched.
Get my locked quoteor call (917) 594-5566
A car you win at auction starts costing you money beyond the invoice the moment the hammer falls. Most wholesale yards publish a free-removal window of roughly two to three business days; after it closes, daily storage accrues, and some lots reserve the right to tow a lingering unit at the buyer's expense. That is the deadline an auction pickup runs against, and it is why auction transport is booked differently from an ordinary shipment: the yard's fee schedule sets the pickup window.
A carrier cannot simply drive into Manheim or ADESA and take a car. The pickup has to line up with the auction's gate release, the buyer or dealer number on the sale, the lot number, and the yard's own hours. Salvage yards like Copart and IAA add their own release steps. Broadway coordinates that paperwork with the carrier before the truck arrives, so the driver clears the gate on the first attempt instead of burning a day of your free window in the parking lot.
What it costs
What auction transport costs
Auction pickups ship on standard open rates; the auction end only changes the coordination. Working figures for a running sedan on a 1,000-mile lane:
Open carrier · per unit · 1,000-mile lane
A planning range, not a quote. The number firms up with ZIPs and the unit, and holds 7 days in writing. Several units off the same sale usually price lower per car than this range, since one carrier can take them together.
What moves the number
- Distance, longer = lower per-mile
- $0.75–1.00/mi
- Units on the same pickup
- lower per car
- Sedan → XL truck or SUV
- up to +40%
- Non-running unit, winch load
- +$150 flat
Storage fees after the free window are the auction's charge, not ours. Book transport the day you buy and they rarely appear. Multi-unit pickups from the same sale usually price lower per car.
Your exact number takes about 30 seconds and no payment details.
See my priceLocked 7 days · $0 until dispatch
The storage clock
How fast does a car need to leave an auction lot?
Faster than most first-time buyers expect. Wholesale yards want sold units gone: free storage typically runs two to three business days from the sale, some locations ask for removal inside 48 hours, and weekends usually count. Once the window closes, published daily storage fees begin, and they range widely by yard, from around $20 a day to as much as $100 at some salvage locations. Add the tow-away clauses some auctions keep for units that overstay, and a slow pickup can quietly cost more than the transport itself.
The way to beat the clock is to book the transport the day you buy, with the sale documents in hand. A booking made sale-day gives the carrier the full free window to work with, which on most lanes is enough for a standard pickup at standard rates. If the window is already half-spent, or the yard is one of the strict ones, expedited pickup puts a committed carrier on it within 24 to 48 hours for a flat $200. That is cheaper than three days of storage at most yards, and much cheaper than a tow.
typical free storage
some yards ask for 48h removal
storage after the window
published per-yard fee schedules
expedited pickup, flat
carrier committed in 24–48h
Gate and release
What does the carrier need to clear the gate?
Every auction runs pickup through its own release procedure, and the truck only clears the gate if the paperwork lines up before it arrives. For the wholesale chains (Manheim, ADESA and the independents) that means the gate pass or release for the specific unit, the buyer or dealer number from the sale, the lot number, the VIN, and the yard's release hours, which are not always the sale-day hours. Salvage auctions like Copart and IAA add their own steps, and some yards will only release to a carrier named in advance.
Broadway collects those details at booking and briefs the carrier before dispatch, which is the whole difference between a pickup that takes twenty minutes and one that takes two visits. If you buy at the same yards regularly, an account keeps your buyer numbers and release preferences on file, so a new purchase is a VIN and a lot number rather than a fresh questionnaire. Several wins from the same sale can also ride out on one truck, which is where the per-unit number improves.
- Gate pass or release confirmation for the unit
- Buyer or dealer number from the sale
- Lot number and VIN
- The yard's release hours, if you know them
- Whether the unit runs, so a winch load is booked from the start
Missing pieces don't block the booking; we chase them with the auction. Having them sale-day is what keeps the pickup inside the free window.
Salvage and non-runners
Copart, IAA, and units that don't run
Copart and IAA sell a high share of non-running units, their yards load with their own equipment on their own schedule, and their free-storage windows are among the shortest; at many locations the clock effectively starts the business day after the sale clears. A non-runner also needs the right truck: a carrier with a winch, booked as a winch load from the start, at a flat $150 over the running rate. Declaring it up front is cheaper than a driver arriving with a standard rig and leaving without the car.
If the unit rolls, brakes and steers, it ships as an ordinary inoperable load and the winch fee is the whole difference. If it does none of those, tell us exactly what state it is in and we will book equipment that matches, because the expensive failure mode at a salvage yard is a mismatch between the car's condition and the truck that shows up. Either way the storage math is the same as at the wholesale yards, only faster, so book salvage wins within hours of the sale.
Is it right for you
The honest version of this decision
Book it when
- You bought at auction and the free-storage window is already running
- The yard is out of driving range, or the unit doesn't run
- You buy at the same auctions regularly and want pickups routine
- Several wins from one sale could ride out on one truck
Don't bother when
- The auction is minutes away and the unit runs, so drive it
- The sale hasn't cleared and no release exists yet to book against
- You're still deciding whether to arbitrate the purchase
- It's a retail purchase from a dealer, not an auction; that's a different page
Bought from a dealer or private seller online rather than at auction? See online car purchase shipping.
How it runs
Sale day to your lot
Questions
Auction Vehicle Transport: common questions
Still stuck? A coordinator answers the phone Mon–Sat, 9am–7pm ET.
How much does auction vehicle transport cost?
The same as standard open transport: from $499, about $875 typical for a 1,000-mile sedan lane, with $0 due until a carrier is dispatched. The auction end only changes the coordination. Expedited pickup adds a flat $200; a winch load for a non-runner adds a flat $150.
How long do I have before storage fees start?
Most wholesale yards publish two to three business days of free storage from the sale, and some ask for removal inside 48 hours; salvage yards are often shorter. After that, daily fees run from roughly $20 to $100 depending on the yard. Book transport sale-day and the question rarely comes up.
Can you pick up from Manheim, ADESA, Copart, or IAA?
Yes. Those are the yards auction transport exists for. Each runs its own gate-release procedure, so we collect the gate pass, buyer number, lot number and VIN at booking and brief the carrier before it arrives. Salvage yards add their own steps, which we handle the same way.
What if the car doesn't run?
Declare it at booking and it ships as a winch load, a flat $150 over the running rate, on a carrier equipped for it. If it rolls, brakes and steers, that fee is the whole difference. What costs real money is not declaring it. A standard rig that can't load the car is a wasted trip inside your free window.
Can several auction wins ship together?
Yes, and they should. Several units off the same sale can ride on one carrier, which prices each below a lone unit and clears the yard in one pickup. Give us the VINs and lot numbers together and we book it as one load where the truck allows.
I'm a dealer buying weekly. Does this get easier?
That's what the dealer account is for: your buyer numbers, release preferences and lanes stay on file, so a new win is a VIN and a lot number, priced and booked in the dealer portal without a phone call. Billing consolidates to the account instead of per car.
Do I need the title to ship an auction car?
No. The title is not required to ship domestically, and auction titles often follow the sale by mail anyway. What the carrier needs is the release: the auction's authorization to hand that unit to that truck. We coordinate that directly with the yard.
Ready to ship? See your auction pickups price now
- Price locked 7 days
- $0 until a carrier is assigned
- One coordinator, direct line
or call (917) 594-5566. A person answers.