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State guide · October 2026
What it costs to ship a car to or from Massachusetts, how Boston pickups work, and the registration and 7-day inspection rules that start the day you become a resident.
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 $1,140 from Boston to Orlando and about $1,020 from Worcester to Miami, with snowbird season under way. Coming north, Miami to Boston runs about $990. Los Angeles to Boston is about $1,570, and Worcester to Los Angeles about $1,715.
Where in Massachusetts the car is decides how fast a truck comes and whether it reaches the door. Tap a city to price a pickup there.
Most Boston deliveries end at a lot off I-93 or the Pike, since Storrow Drive is closed to trucks and Back Bay streets leave no room for a 75-foot rig. Miami to Boston costs about $990 this October and Boston to Orlando about $1,140. Dorchester, Brighton and the South End fill with moving vans around September 1, so book that week early or pick another date.
Harvard and MIT students keep Cambridge busy in late August and again after commencement in late May. Memorial Drive bans trucks and most side streets are resident-permit parking, so the driver usually asks to meet on Route 2 or near the Pike's Allston exit. Give the coordinator a window of a few days during those weeks.
Price a pickup in CambridgeWorcester sits where I-90 meets I-290 and I-395, so trucks crossing the state pass within a few miles of downtown. Worcester to Miami runs about $1,020 in October 2026, Worcester to Los Angeles about $1,715, and Chicago to Worcester about $945. WPI, Holy Cross and Clark fill the late-August calendar, and a wide suburban street can take a carrier at the door.
Springfield is where I-91 crosses the Pike, on the path of trucks running south to Hartford and New York or west to Albany. The Big E fair in West Springfield runs 17 days from mid-September and crowds the roads near the I-91 exits. Downtown addresses and the older streets around Forest Park usually mean meeting at a lot near I-91.
Price a pickup in SpringfieldThe Lowell Connector ties the city to I-495 and US-3, a short run in for a carrier from either highway. UMass Lowell students arrive in late August. The narrow mill-district streets downtown push most pickups to a lot by the Connector, while towns along I-495 such as Chelmsford and Andover see relocation moves all year.
Price a pickup in LowellHyannis is the Steamship Authority's Nantucket terminal and the busiest town on Cape Cod, reached over the Sagamore Bridge and Route 6. Seasonal residents bring cars down around Memorial Day and send them home after Labor Day. Skip a Friday afternoon pickup in summer, when the bridge backup can add an hour to the driver's day.
Price a pickup in HyannisPittsfield is in the Berkshires, about 10 miles north of the Pike's Lee exit on US-7 and US-20, and the detour shows in the price. Pittsfield to Boynton Beach runs about $1,415 this month, against about $1,020 for Worcester to Miami, a slightly longer trip. Western Massachusetts gets more snow than Boston, so winter pickups here slip more often.
UMass Amherst, Amherst College and Hampshire College bring students to town in late August and send them home in May. Amherst is about 8 miles east of I-91 on Route 9, and the big shopping-center lots along Route 9 in Hadley make an easy meet-up. Book around move-in weekend and commencement, when the town's streets are packed.
Price a pickup in AmherstWhat it costs
In Boston, September 1 is moving day. A large share of apartment leases in the city and the inner suburbs turn over on that date, college students arrive the same week, and the curbs in Allston, Brighton, Cambridge and Somerville fill with moving trucks. A car carrier booked for that weekend has nowhere to stop. If you are shipping a car into Boston for a September lease, have it delivered a few days early or a week late, or meet the driver on a wide road outside the city.
The prices on this page come from Massachusetts lanes we priced in October 2026, for a running sedan on an open carrier, and are meant for planning. This month the Florida-bound lanes carry the start of the snowbird season, so Boston to Orlando costs about $147 more than Miami to Boston. The sections below cover who ships cars to and from Massachusetts, which places a 75-foot truck cannot reach, what winter and the Cape bridges do to a pickup date, and the RMV's rules for a car registered somewhere else.
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 · 28 Massachusetts lanes
Approximate prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, from the Massachusetts lanes we priced in October 2026. They are for planning. Florida-bound rows are at their fall high, and westbound rows from Worcester run above the reverse trips. Your exact ZIP pair, vehicle and week go into the calculator for a price 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.
$1,140most trucks $925–$1,350
1,299 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–26 hours
The busiest southbound lane in the fall, about 1,300 miles, most of it on I-95. Boston to Orlando runs about $1,140 in October 2026, and snowbird demand keeps it high into December. The car usually reaches central Florida three to four days after loading.
Price this route$1,020most trucks $835–$1,205
1,463 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–3 days
Worcester's spot on the Pike makes it an easy first load for a truck bound for South Florida. This month the lane costs about $1,020, with most trucks between $835 and $1,205. The same trip on an enclosed carrier is about $1,590.
Price this route$990most trucks $830–$1,150
1,503 mi4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1 hour
Trucks heading north in October and November have open slots, so Miami to Boston costs about $990 right now. The lane fills in March and April as the snowbirds go home, and a booking two to three weeks out helps then.
Price this route$1,570most trucks $1,250–$1,885
2,982 mi6–8 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–16 hours
Close to 3,000 miles across I-40 or I-80, with six to eight days in transit after loading. Los Angeles to Boston runs about $1,570 this month, against about $1,715 for Worcester to Los Angeles.
Price this route$1,715most trucks $1,350–$2,080
2,949 mi6–8 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–8 days
At 2,949 miles this is the longest outbound lane in the Massachusetts table. Worcester to Los Angeles costs about $1,715, with a wide band of $1,350 to $2,080, and a pickup window of several days gives the coordinator more trucks to choose from.
Price this route$1,010most trucks $735–$1,280
981 mi2–3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–3 days
I-90 runs the whole 980 miles, from the Pike through Albany, Buffalo and Cleveland. Boston to Chicago costs about $1,010 in October 2026, a little more than Chicago to Worcester at about $945, and takes two to three days on the truck.
Price this route| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore, MD → Boston, MA | 401 | $530 | $445–$620 | 1–17 hours | 1–2 days | 401 mi · 1–2 days · truck in 1–17 hours |
| Federalsburg, MD → Dorchester Center, MA | 423 | $550 | $485–$615 | 1–46 hours | 1–2 days | 423 mi · 1–2 days · truck in 1–46 hours |
| Charlotte, NC → Boston, MA | 854 | $910 | $695–$1,125 | 1–26 hours | 2–3 days | 854 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–26 hours |
| Chicago, IL → Worcester, MA | 947 | $945 | $680–$1,210 | 1–16 hours | 2–3 days | 947 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–16 hours |
| Charleston, SC → Boston, MA | 985 | $1,075 | $930–$1,215 | 1–17 hours | 2–3 days | 985 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–17 hours |
| Savannah, GA → Boston, MA | 1,028 | $1,075 | $930–$1,220 | 1–7 days | 3 days | 1,028 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–7 days |
| Atlanta, GA → Worcester, MA | 1,084 | $1,020 | $755–$1,290 | 1–23 hours | 3 days | 1,084 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–23 hours |
| Orlando, FL → Worcester, MA | 1,254 | $1,060 | $800–$1,315 | 1–13 hours | 3–4 days | 1,254 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–13 hours |
| Tampa, FL → Boston, MA | 1,354 | $1,235 | $980–$1,485 | 1–16 hours | 3–4 days | 1,354 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–16 hours |
| Miami, FL → Boston, MA | 1,503 | $990 | $830–$1,150 | 1 hour | 4 days | 1,503 mi · 4 days · truck in 1 hour |
| Dallas, TX → Boston, MA | 1,787 | $1,045 | $730–$1,360 | 1 hour | 4–5 days | 1,787 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1 hour |
| Avondale, AZ → Brighton, MA | 2,678 | $1,735 | $1,385–$2,080 | 1–6 days | 6–7 days | 2,678 mi · 6–7 days · truck in 1–6 days |
| Los Angeles, CA → Boston, MA | 2,982 | $1,570 | $1,250–$1,885 | 1–16 hours | 6–8 days | 2,982 mi · 6–8 days · truck in 1–16 hours |
| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waltham, MA → Saugerties, NY | 188 | $420 | $340–$505 | 1–3 hours | 1 day | 188 mi · 1 day · truck in 1–3 hours |
| Boston, MA → New York, NY | 216 | $480 | $400–$555 | 1–18 hours | 1 day | 216 mi · 1 day · truck in 1–18 hours |
| Boston, MA → Rockville, MD | 445 | $615 | $540–$685 | 1–7 hours | 1–2 days | 445 mi · 1–2 days · truck in 1–7 hours |
| Boston, MA → Raleigh, NC | 729 | $850 | $675–$1,025 | 1–18 hours | 2 days | 729 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–18 hours |
| Boston, MA → Columbia, SC | 933 | $1,085 | $905–$1,265 | 1–9 hours | 2–3 days | 933 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–9 hours |
| Boston, MA → Chicago, IL | 981 | $1,010 | $735–$1,280 | 1–3 days | 2–3 days | 981 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Boston, MA → Atlanta, GA | 1,093 | $1,070 | $895–$1,240 | 1–2 days | 3 days | 1,093 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–2 days |
| Everett, MA → Lady Lake, FL | 1,289 | $975 | $755–$1,195 | 1–3 days | 3–4 days | 1,289 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Boston, MA → Orlando, FL | 1,299 | $1,140 | $925–$1,350 | 1–26 hours | 3–4 days | 1,299 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–26 hours |
| Boston, MA → Tampa, FL | 1,354 | $1,075 | $835–$1,310 | 1–3 days | 3–4 days | 1,354 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Pittsfield, MA → Boynton Beach, FL | 1,406 | $1,415 | $1,135–$1,690 | 1–18 hours | 3–4 days | 1,406 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–18 hours |
| Worcester, MA → Miami, FL | 1,463 | $1,020 | $835–$1,205 | 1–3 days | 3–4 days | 1,463 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Boston, MA → Naples, FL | 1,514 | $1,180 | $980–$1,380 | 1–41 hours | 4 days | 1,514 mi · 4 days · truck in 1–41 hours |
| Worcester, MA → Dallas, TX | 1,753 | $1,320 | $1,075–$1,565 | 1–3 days | 4–5 days | 1,753 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Worcester, MA → Los Angeles, CA | 2,949 | $1,715 | $1,350–$2,080 | 1–8 days | 6–8 days | 2,949 mi · 6–8 days · truck in 1–8 days |
| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester, MA → Miami, FL | 1,463 | $1,590 | $1,275–$1,905 | 1–22 hours | 3–4 days | 1,463 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–22 hours |
| Boston, MA → Naples, FL | 1,514 | $1,760 | $1,465–$2,055 | 1–3 days | 4 days | 1,514 mi · 4 days · truck in 1–3 days |
Your lane is not in the table? Every ZIP pair in Massachusetts prices the same way, in about 30 seconds.
Price my exact laneLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Fall is the busy season for leaving Massachusetts. Retirees and seasonal residents head to Florida from October into December. This month Boston to Orlando runs about $1,140 and Worcester to Miami about $1,020 this month, with most trucks on the Worcester lane between roughly $835 and $1,205. For a car you would rather keep out of the weather, Worcester to Miami on an enclosed carrier is about $1,590. Book two to three weeks ahead and offer a pickup window of a few days rather than one date.
The westbound lanes are long and priced to match. Worcester to Los Angeles is about $1,715 for 2,949 miles, Worcester to Dallas about $1,320, Boston to Atlanta about $1,070 and Boston to Chicago about $1,010. May brings the other outbound wave, when students at Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Northeastern, UMass Amherst and the Worcester colleges leave for the summer or for good.
Coming in is the cheaper direction on most of our lanes. Miami to Boston runs about $990 in October, Orlando to Worcester about $1,060, Atlanta to Worcester about $1,020, Dallas to Boston about $1,045, and Chicago to Worcester about $945. Los Angeles to Boston is about $1,570, roughly $150 less than the trip west. In March and April the Florida lanes flip, as the snowbirds come home and the northbound trucks fill.
New jobs and new students bring many of the other arrivals. Boston's hospitals, universities and biotech firms hire all year, and August is the heaviest month for students. Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford and Joint Base Cape Cod bring a smaller number of military moves, mostly in summer. Dealers bring cars in from the South and Midwest all year, and Manheim New England runs its auction in North Dighton, near Taunton.
A loaded car carrier runs about 75 feet. These are the Massachusetts addresses where it can’t reach the door, and what happens instead. Your coordinator settles it before you book.
The Mass Pike, I-90, crosses the state from the New York line through Springfield and Worcester to Boston. I-95 and Route 128 ring Boston about 10 miles out, and I-495 makes a wider ring through Lowell, Marlborough and Mansfield. I-93 runs north to New Hampshire, I-91 runs up the Connecticut River valley through Springfield and Northampton, and I-84 brings trucks in from Hartford at Sturbridge. Worcester sits where the Pike meets I-290 and I-395, and a pickup there is on the way for nearly every truck crossing the state.
Inside Route 128 most addresses need a meet-up. Storrow Drive and Memorial Drive ban trucks and have low overpasses, Back Bay and Beacon Hill streets are too narrow for a carrier, and the triple-decker blocks of Somerville, Dorchester and Brighton have parked cars on both curbs. The driver will ask to meet at a lot off I-93, I-90 or Route 128. Cape Cod is reached over the Bourne and Sagamore bridges, which back up on summer weekends. Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket are served only by ferry, so the carrier delivers to Woods Hole or Hyannis and you take the car across with a ferry reservation.
Massachusetts winters bring several nor'easters a year, and a big one shuts down the roads around Boston for a day and sometimes longer. Snow-emergency parking bans in Boston and other cities clear the main streets, which removes the curb space a meet-up needs. The Berkshires, on the western end of the Pike, get more snow and stay icy longer. When a storm hits, the truck waits it out and your coordinator texts a new window. Your price stays as quoted.
Summer has its own slowdowns. Friday afternoons heading to the Cape and Sunday afternoons coming back can turn the bridges into an hour's wait. Hurricane season reaches New England from August through October, and a tropical storm can hold a pickup for a day or two.
The day before pickup your coordinator texts the window; the driver rings about 24 hours out to set a time.
Leaving Massachusetts costs less on 1 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
Tampa
Miami
Dallas
Calendar
When the same lanes get busy, and what that does to your pickup week.
How busy the Massachusetts lanes get each month, from our coordinators’ calendar. Busier months fill trucks sooner and cost more.
Massachusetts rules
The rules that catch people who bring a car in from another state.
Valid as of the review date below. The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles is the source; the 7-day inspection clock starts on the registration date.
Questions
In October 2026, Boston to Orlando runs about $1,140 for a running sedan on an open carrier, with most trucks between roughly $925 and $1,350, and Worcester to Miami about $1,020. Enclosed, Worcester to Miami is about $1,590. October and November are the snowbird weeks, when these lanes cost up to 20% more. An exact quote for your ZIP pair takes about 30 seconds in the calculator, and it holds 14 days.
Miami to Boston runs about $990 in October 2026, with most trucks between roughly $830 and $1,150, and Orlando to Worcester about $1,060. The northbound lanes are the cheap direction in the fall and tighten in March and April, when seasonal residents come home. Once loaded, the car is three to four days on the road.
Los Angeles to Boston runs about $1,570 on an open carrier in October 2026, with most trucks between roughly $1,250 and $1,885. Worcester to Los Angeles is about $1,715. At close to 3,000 miles, either direction takes six to eight days on the road once the car is loaded.
Around Worcester and along I-90, I-95 and I-495, a carrier is usually assigned within a day or two; the Berkshires and the Cape can take 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 or Dallas, six to eight to California.
Rarely at the door inside Route 128. Storrow Drive and Memorial Drive ban trucks, Back Bay and Beacon Hill streets are too narrow, and triple-decker blocks have cars on both curbs. The driver meets you at a lot off I-93, I-90 or Route 128 instead. Your coordinator confirms the spot before you book, and the price is the same.
Register as soon as you become a resident, since the law gives no grace period. A Massachusetts insurance agent stamps your Registration and Title Application, you file form MVU-29 for sales tax, and you take the title to the RMV. Within 7 days of registering, the car needs a Massachusetts safety and emissions inspection.
To the ferry, yes. A car carrier cannot board the Steamship Authority boats, so the driver delivers to Woods Hole or Hyannis and you drive the car on with your own reservation. Summer crossings book up early, so reserve the ferry before you book the shipment.
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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