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State guide · October 2026
What it costs to ship a car to or from Maine, why Portland gets a truck faster than Bangor or Aroostook County, and what the town office asks for when your car arrives.
Written by Adam Scott, Coordinator at Broadway Auto Transport · October 20, 2026 · Prices updated October 20, 2026
Live carrier rates · ~30 seconds
Prefer a human? Call (917) 594-5566. A coordinator answers.
The short answer
In October 2026 a running sedan on an open carrier costs about $1,230 from Portland to Orlando and about $1,335 from Bangor to Miami, at the start of the southbound snowbird season. Coming north is cheaper this month: Miami to Portland runs about $970. Los Angeles to Portland is about $1,805.
A loaded car carrier runs about 75 feet. These are the Maine addresses where it can’t reach the door, and what happens instead. Your coordinator settles it before you book.
What it costs
Maine sits at the far end of I-95, and that shapes every price on this page. A carrier that delivers to Portland or Bangor has nowhere farther to go, so it needs a load headed back south before it can leave. Southern Maine, from Kittery to Portland and up the turnpike to Lewiston and Augusta, gets that turnaround quickly. Bangor waits a little longer, and Aroostook County, two to four hours past Bangor, waits longer still. The same Florida-bound sedan prices differently from Scarborough and from Presque Isle.
The lanes here were priced in October 2026 for a running sedan on an open carrier, and the month matters. October is when Mainers who winter in Florida send their cars south, and this month's southbound prices show it: Portland to Orlando costs about $258 more than Miami to Portland. In April and May the pattern flips. The rest of the page covers who ships cars to and from Maine, which addresses a car hauler can reach, what mud season and winter storms do to a pickup date, and the registration steps that start at your town office.
These are October 2026 figures for the state. Your exact lane, vehicle, and week take about 30 seconds.
See my exact priceLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Approximate prices, October 2026 · open carrier · running sedan · 12 Maine lanes
Approximate prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, from the Maine lanes we priced in October 2026. They are for planning. Southbound rows are high this month because the snowbird season has started; pickups north of Bangor sit above the band. The calculator will price your own ZIP pair, vehicle and week in about 30 seconds.
What moves the number
Approximate October 2026 prices for a running sedan on an open carrier. Larger vehicles, enclosed trailers, and peak weeks cost more; the calculator prices your exact shipment.
Lanes · October 2026
Approximate prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, with the range most trucks on the lane land in. “Truck assigned in” is how long it usually takes to find a carrier. Transit is what one driver covers at 400 to 500 miles a day after that.
$1,230most trucks $935–$1,520
1,402 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–26 hours
I-95 runs nearly the whole 1,402 miles from Portland to Daytona Beach, and I-4 covers the last stretch into Orlando. The lane costs about $1,230 in October, when Maine snowbirds start heading south. Most loads land between $935 and $1,520, so book two to three weeks out.
Price this route$1,335most trucks $1,020–$1,650
1,736 mi4–5 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–5 days
Bangor to Miami covers 1,736 miles, nearly all of it on I-95, which runs from Houlton to Miami. At about $1,335 it is the priciest Florida lane on our Maine board this month. Trucks take four to five days, and fall is the busy direction.
Price this route$970most trucks $655–$1,280
1,606 mi4–5 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–16 hours
Northbound out of Florida in October is the cheap direction, about $970 for 1,606 miles. Carriers that delivered snowbird cars to Florida need loads going north. This lane climbs in April and May, when the same households come home, so a move north in the fall costs less.
Price this route$1,285most trucks $940–$1,630
1,531 mi4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–20 hours
Orlando to Bangor runs about $1,285, more than Miami to Portland even though the trip is shorter, because Bangor sits two hours past Portland. Trucks join I-95 at Daytona Beach and stay on it to Bangor. Returning snowbirds fill this lane in April and May.
Price this route$1,805most trucks $1,415–$2,195
3,084 mi7–8 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1 hour
Los Angeles to Portland is the longest lane into Maine on our board, 3,084 miles, and costs about $1,805. Trucks cross the country on I-40 or I-80 and finish on I-95 through New Hampshire. Count six to eight days after pickup, with most loads between $1,415 and $2,195.
Price this route$1,095most trucks $985–$1,205
1,084 mi3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–23 hours
Portland to Chicago runs about $1,095 for 1,084 miles, west through Massachusetts and across New York State on I-90. Chicago to Bangor costs the same, about $1,095. Count two to three days, and expect lake-effect snow near Buffalo and Erie to slow winter trips.
Price this route| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL → Bangor, ME | 1,220 | $1,095 | $860–$1,330 | 1–18 hours | 3–4 days | 1,220 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–18 hours |
| Atlanta, GA → Bangor, ME | 1,356 | $1,165 | $920–$1,410 | 1–4 days | 3–4 days | 1,356 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–4 days |
| Orlando, FL → Bangor, ME | 1,531 | $1,285 | $940–$1,630 | 1–20 hours | 4 days | 1,531 mi · 4 days · truck in 1–20 hours |
| Miami, FL → Portland, ME | 1,606 | $970 | $655–$1,280 | 1–16 hours | 4–5 days | 1,606 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–16 hours |
| Dallas, TX → Portland, ME | 1,890 | $1,230 | $975–$1,485 | 1–3 hours | 4–5 days | 1,890 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–3 hours |
| Los Angeles, CA → Portland, ME | 3,084 | $1,805 | $1,415–$2,195 | 1 hour | 7–8 days | 3,084 mi · 7–8 days · truck in 1 hour |
| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland, ME → Chicago, IL | 1,084 | $1,095 | $985–$1,205 | 1–23 hours | 3 days | 1,084 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–23 hours |
| Portland, ME → Atlanta, GA | 1,195 | $1,215 | $1,030–$1,400 | 1–26 hours | 3 days | 1,195 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–26 hours |
| Portland, ME → Orlando, FL | 1,402 | $1,230 | $935–$1,520 | 1–26 hours | 3–4 days | 1,402 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–26 hours |
| Bangor, ME → Miami, FL | 1,736 | $1,335 | $1,020–$1,650 | 1–5 days | 4–5 days | 1,736 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–5 days |
| Bangor, ME → Dallas, TX | 2,025 | $1,510 | $1,210–$1,810 | 1–2 days | 5–6 days | 2,025 mi · 5–6 days · truck in 1–2 days |
| Bangor, ME → Los Angeles, CA | 3,219 | $1,760 | $1,525–$2,000 | 1–26 hours | 7–9 days | 3,219 mi · 7–9 days · truck in 1–26 hours |
Your lane is not in the table? Every ZIP pair in Maine prices the same way, in about 30 seconds.
Price my exact laneLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Where in Maine the car is decides how fast a truck comes and whether it reaches the door. Tap a city to price a pickup there.
Portland is on I-295 with the Maine Turnpike a few miles west, the first stop for most carriers entering the state. Portland to Orlando runs about $1,230, Miami to Portland about $970, and Portland to Chicago about $1,095. Munjoy Hill and the West End have steep, tight streets, so drivers often load at a lot off Forest Avenue or near the Maine Mall.
Bangor sits on I-95 where I-395 branches off toward Brewer and the coast, about two hours north of Portland. It is the last big stop before the long run to Aroostook County, and the University of Maine is next door in Orono. Bangor to Miami runs about $1,335 and Orlando to Bangor about $1,285 in October 2026.
Lewiston and Auburn face each other across the Androscoggin River, with Maine Turnpike exits on both sides. Bates College brings students in late August and sends them home in May. Carriers heading north to Augusta and Bangor pass within a few minutes of town, and the shopping-center lots along Lisbon Street and Center Street give room to load.
Price a pickup in LewistonAugusta, the state capital, is where the Maine Turnpike ends and I-95 continues north as a free road. State jobs and the hospital bring relocations through the year. Carriers bound for Bangor pass right by, so an Augusta pickup fits most northbound runs. Downtown along Water Street is tight, so shopping-center lots near the I-95 exits work better.
Price a pickup in AugustaBrunswick sits on I-295 and US-1, where the coast road turns toward the midcoast peninsulas. Bowdoin College moves students in late August and out in May, and the old naval air station is now the Brunswick Landing business park. Carriers can reach most Brunswick streets, while cottages down the Harpswell necks need a meet-up in town.
Price a pickup in BrunswickBar Harbor is on Mount Desert Island, reached by ME-3 from Ellsworth over a short bridge. Acadia National Park fills the island's roads from late June into October, and cruise ships add crowds on port days. Most summer residents meet the carrier in Ellsworth or Trenton and drive the last 20 miles themselves.
Price a pickup in Bar HarborPresque Isle is in Aroostook County on US-1, about 40 miles north of where I-95 ends at Houlton. Potato farms, the University of Maine at Presque Isle and the Canadian border shape the traffic. Few carriers drive this far north without a load waiting, so expect a longer wait or plan to meet the truck in Bangor.
Price a pickup in Presque IsleKittery is the first exit in Maine on I-95, across the Piscataqua River from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard brings sailors and civilian workers on orders. Nearly every carrier entering Maine crosses the I-95 bridge here, so a Kittery address is among the quickest Maine pickups to assign, and the outlet-mall lots on US-1 have room to load.
Price a pickup in KitteryFlorida-bound cars make up the fall rush out of Maine. Retirees and seasonal residents head south between October and early December, and some ship the car rather than drive 1,500 miles down I-95 in November. On this month's lanes, Portland to Orlando is about $1,230 and Bangor to Miami about $1,335, with most trucks on the Bangor lane between roughly $1,020 and $1,650. Those are fall prices. The same lanes cost less from January through March, after the southbound wave has passed.
The other outbound lanes are long hauls by any measure. Portland to Atlanta runs about $1,215, Portland to Chicago about $1,095, Bangor to Dallas about $1,510, and Bangor to Los Angeles about $1,760 for 3,219 miles, the longest run on our board. Students leaving the University of Maine in Orono, Bowdoin in Brunswick, Bates in Lewiston and Colby in Waterville add a May bump.
Northbound is the cheaper direction right now. Miami to Portland runs about $970 in October, Orlando to Bangor about $1,285, Atlanta to Bangor about $1,165, and Chicago to Bangor about $1,095. Dallas to Portland is about $1,230. From the West Coast, Los Angeles to Portland costs about $1,805 and takes six to eight days once the car is loaded. The snowbirds coming home in April and May push the Florida lanes up for a few weeks.
Summer brings a different kind of arrival. Seasonal residents open houses on the coast from Kennebunkport to Camden and Bar Harbor in June, and some ship a car up rather than drive it. Relocations to Portland and the towns around it run all year. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, right at the New Hampshire line, brings a smaller flow of military moves. A delivery into southern Maine is a short hop off I-95; a delivery to a summer cottage down a peninsula road usually means meeting the driver in town.
I-95 carries nearly every car hauler into Maine, as the Maine Turnpike from York to Augusta and then north through Waterville and Bangor to Houlton at the Canadian border. I-295 runs parallel along the coast from Portland through Brunswick, and US 1 follows the shore the rest of the way to Canada. Portland, Lewiston, Augusta, Waterville and Bangor are all on or next to the interstate and get assigned in a day or two. Aroostook County is the outlier: Presque Isle and Caribou sit 40 to 55 miles north of the end of I-95 at Houlton, and a truck heading there has a long drive back to its next load.
Islands are the one kind of Maine address a car carrier cannot reach at all. Those served only by ferry, such as Vinalhaven, North Haven, Islesboro and Peaks Island, need the car delivered to the mainland terminal, where you take it across yourself. Mount Desert Island is connected by bridge, but summer traffic in Bar Harbor makes a meet-up in Ellsworth or Trenton the easier plan. Long peninsula roads on the midcoast, like those down to Boothbay or Pemaquid, are narrow enough that the driver will ask to meet on US 1.
Maine's shipping winter runs from December into March. A nor'easter or a heavy snowfall stops trucks on I-95 for a day, and Aroostook County can stay hard to reach for longer. When that happens the driver waits, your coordinator texts you a new window, and the price you were quoted holds.
Spring brings posted roads. As the frost comes out of the ground, Maine law lets the Department of Transportation and towns post seasonal weight limits on roads that would break up under heavy trucks, and a loaded car carrier is heavy. On a posted road the driver cannot come to your door, so expect to meet on a state highway or in the nearest town. Postings come with the spring thaw, so a March or April pickup on a back road may need to move to a bigger one.
Your coordinator texts the confirmed pickup window the day before, and the driver calls when about a day out.
Leaving Maine costs less on 2 of the 6 pairs priced this month. Carriers price the empty miles home, so the busier direction costs more. Each pair below is the same out-of-state city in both directions, running sedan, open carrier.
Chicago
Atlanta
Orlando
Miami
Dallas
Los Angeles
Calendar
When the same lanes get busy, and what that does to your pickup week.
How busy the Maine lanes get each month, from our coordinators’ calendar. Busier months fill trucks sooner and cost more.
Maine rules
The rules that catch people who bring a car in from another state.
These rules are current as of the review date below. The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles sets them and your town office collects the excise tax; check with both before you register.
Questions
In October 2026, Portland to Orlando runs about $1,230 for a running sedan on an open carrier, with most trucks between roughly $935 and $1,520. Bangor to Miami is about $1,335. October and November are the southbound snowbird weeks, when these lanes cost up to 20% more than in midwinter. Price your own ZIP pair in the calculator; the figure is held for 14 days.
Miami to Portland runs about $970 in October 2026, with most trucks between roughly $655 and $1,280, and Orlando to Bangor about $1,285. Northbound is the cheap direction in the fall. In April and May, when seasonal residents come home, the same lanes tighten. Count three to four days on the road.
Los Angeles to Portland runs about $1,805 on an open carrier in October 2026, with most trucks between roughly $1,415 and $2,195. Bangor to Los Angeles is about $1,760. At just over 3,000 miles, this is a coast-to-coast run, so plan on six to eight days in transit after pickup.
A carrier is usually assigned within a day or two in southern Maine and a little longer around Bangor; Aroostook County takes longer. After pickup, drivers cover about 400 to 500 miles a day: two to three days to Chicago or Atlanta, three to four to Florida, four to five to Dallas, six to eight to California.
Only to the ferry terminal. A car carrier cannot board the ferries to Vinalhaven, North Haven, Islesboro or the Casco Bay islands, so the driver delivers to the mainland and you take the car across. Mount Desert Island is reachable by bridge, though a meet-up in Ellsworth or Trenton is usually easier in summer.
Register within 30 days of becoming a resident. Start at the town office, where you pay the annual excise tax, and bring the title, proof of insurance at Maine's minimums, and proof that sales or use tax is paid or not owed. The car then needs a Maine safety inspection, which every registered car repeats each year.
Maine is the end of I-95, and every mile north of Portland takes a carrier farther from the loads headed back south. Orlando to Bangor runs about $1,285 this month while Miami to Portland, a longer trip, is about $970. Meeting the truck closer to Portland can shorten the wait if your dates are tight.
The data
The numbers are rebuilt from our own pricing each month and published with the page, so the dates above are the real ones.
Other state guides
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