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State guide · October 2026
Prices for shipping a car into and out of Tennessee, how the trucks use I-40, I-24 and I-65 between Memphis and the Smokies, and what the county clerk needs when you register.
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
A running sedan on an open carrier costs about $1,035 from New York to Nashville in October 2026, $810 from Miami to Nashville and $1,350 from Los Angeles. Shorter runs cost far less: Nashville to Chicago is about $450 and Dallas to Memphis about $495. Registering a car here takes no safety or emissions inspection.
Where in Tennessee the car is decides how fast a truck comes and whether it reaches the door. Tap a city to price a pickup there.
Nashville sits where I-40, I-24 and I-65 meet, and carriers pass through it all day. New York to Nashville runs about $1,035, Miami to Nashville about $810 and Los Angeles to Nashville about $1,350. Outbound, Nashville to Chicago is about $450. Condo towers in the Gulch and downtown load from a nearby lot, and most of Davidson County gets the truck at the curb.
Memphis is where I-40 crosses the Mississippi River and meets I-55. Dallas to Memphis runs about $495 and Chicago to Memphis about $525. Going out, Memphis to Miami is about $895, Memphis to New York about $1,050 and Memphis to Los Angeles about $1,315. Naval Support Activity Mid-South, north of the city at Millington, adds summer PCS moves.
Knoxville is on I-40 and I-75, which share a stretch through the west side of the city, and the University of Tennessee campus sits just west of downtown. August move-in and May move-out are its busy weeks. Owners of Sevier County cabins often meet the carrier in Knoxville or near the Kodak exit on I-40.
Price a pickup in KnoxvilleChattanooga is where I-24 meets I-75, with I-59 joining just over the Georgia line. Carriers reach downtown and the North Shore without trouble. Signal Mountain and Lookout Mountain rise above the city on steep, twisting roads, and those addresses usually meet the truck in the valley below.
Price a pickup in ChattanoogaClarksville sits on I-24 beside Fort Campbell, home of the 101st Airborne, and summer PCS orders make June through August its busiest stretch. Austin Peay State University adds an August wave. Plan to meet the driver at a lot on Fort Campbell Boulevard, US-41A, outside the post.
Price a pickup in ClarksvilleMurfreesboro is about 35 miles southeast of Nashville on I-24 and home to Middle Tennessee State, one of the state's largest campuses. Subdivisions in Murfreesboro and Smyrna usually take a full carrier at the door. Trucks bound for Chattanooga and Atlanta run past on I-24, which keeps this a regular stop.
Price a pickup in MurfreesboroMount Juliet is on I-40 east of Nashville, and Manheim Nashville's auction off Eastgate Boulevard sends dealer cars out on trucks every week. Mount Juliet to Mesa, Arizona priced at about $1,200 this month. Private buyers who win a car there can ship it the same way, from the auction lot.
Franklin sits on I-65 about 20 miles south of Nashville, at the center of Williamson County's newer suburbs. Cool Springs and the subdivisions off Mallory Lane take a full carrier easily. Main Street's historic blocks are tight, so a downtown address meets the truck at a lot on Mack Hatcher Parkway.
Price a pickup in FranklinWhat it costs
Memphis and Nashville are about 200 miles apart on I-40, and both are places car haulers drive through whether or not they have a car to drop. Memphis is where I-40 crosses I-55 at the Mississippi River, on the way from Chicago and St. Louis to New Orleans and from the Carolinas to Dallas. Nashville is where I-40 meets I-65 from Louisville and Birmingham and I-24 from St. Louis and Chattanooga. That traffic is why a Tennessee pickup in either city usually gets a truck quickly, and why the short lanes to the Midwest are the cheapest on this page.
The figures on this page come from twelve lanes we priced in October 2026, six into Memphis or Nashville and six out, for a running sedan on an open carrier. Lanes in each direction price close together on the long hauls: New York to Nashville is about $1,035 and Memphis to New York about $1,050, Los Angeles to Nashville about $1,350 and Memphis to Los Angeles about $1,315. Detroit is the lopsided one. Detroit to Memphis runs about $880, while Nashville to Detroit is about $660.
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 · 16 Tennessee lanes
Approximate October 2026 prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, from the Tennessee lanes we priced this month. They are for planning. Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga sit on the interstates and price near the low end; cabins above Gatlinburg and farms in West Tennessee can price higher and need a meet-up. For your own ZIP pair, the calculator returns a price in about 30 seconds and holds it for 14 days.
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.
$1,035most trucks $870–$1,200
886 mi2–3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–4 days
Trucks leave New York on I-78, ride I-81 down the Shenandoah Valley and join I-40 east of Knoxville for the last 200 miles or so. About $1,035 this month, and about two days on the road once loaded.
Price this route$1,350most trucks $1,155–$1,545
2,006 mi5–6 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–4 days
I-40 runs unbroken from Barstow to Nashville, so a truck on this lane stays on one road for almost 1,900 of its 2,006 miles. About $1,350, close to the $1,315 for Memphis to Los Angeles.
Price this route$810most trucks $640–$975
917 mi2–3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–40 hours
The route follows I-75 north through Atlanta and swings onto I-24 at Chattanooga, climbing the Monteagle grade before Nashville. About $810 for 917 miles in October. The spring snowbird return fills this lane in March and April.
Price this route$1,050most trucks $910–$1,195
1,106 mi3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–14 hours
The truck crosses all of Tennessee on I-40 before turning north on I-81 through Virginia and Pennsylvania. About $1,050 for 1,106 miles, so allow two to three days on the road after loading.
Price this route$450most trucks $395–$505
471 mi1–2 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–3 days
This is I-65 north through Louisville and Indianapolis, 471 miles in all. At about $450 it is the cheapest lane we priced for Tennessee, and a car loaded in the morning can arrive the next day.
Price this route$650most trucks $515–$785
665 mi2 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–2 days
Carriers take I-40 west through Memphis to Little Rock, then I-30 into Dallas. About $650 for 665 miles. Moves to Texas run all year, with a bump in June and July when school lets out.
Price this route| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX → Memphis, TN | 454 | $495 | $415–$570 | 1–26 hours | 1–2 days | 454 mi · 1–2 days · truck in 1–26 hours |
| Chicago, IL → Memphis, TN | 534 | $525 | $495–$555 | 1–2 days | 2 days | 534 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–2 days |
| Newark, NJ → Rockford, TN | 711 | $880 | $705–$1,050 | 1–2 hours | 2 days | 711 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–2 hours |
| Detroit, MI → Memphis, TN | 744 | $880 | $795–$965 | 1–7 days | 2 days | 744 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–7 days |
| New York, NY → Nashville, TN | 886 | $1,035 | $870–$1,200 | 1–4 days | 2–3 days | 886 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–4 days |
| New Rochelle, NY → Gallatin, TN | 899 | $1,020 | $815–$1,220 | 1–3 days | 2–3 days | 899 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Miami, FL → Nashville, TN | 917 | $810 | $640–$975 | 1–40 hours | 2–3 days | 917 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–40 hours |
| Los Angeles, CA → Nashville, TN | 2,006 | $1,350 | $1,155–$1,545 | 1–4 days | 5–6 days | 2,006 mi · 5–6 days · truck in 1–4 days |
| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville, TN → Pensacola, FL | 442 | $525 | $360–$690 | 1–10 hours | 1–2 days | 442 mi · 1–2 days · truck in 1–10 hours |
| Nashville, TN → Chicago, IL | 471 | $450 | $395–$505 | 1–3 days | 1–2 days | 471 mi · 1–2 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Nashville, TN → Detroit, MI | 538 | $660 | $510–$810 | 1–6 days | 2 days | 538 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–6 days |
| Nashville, TN → Dallas, TX | 665 | $650 | $515–$785 | 1–2 days | 2 days | 665 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–2 days |
| Memphis, TN → Miami, FL | 1,054 | $895 | $660–$1,125 | 1–45 hours | 3 days | 1,054 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–45 hours |
| Memphis, TN → New York, NY | 1,106 | $1,050 | $910–$1,195 | 1–14 hours | 3 days | 1,106 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–14 hours |
| Mount Juliet, TN → Mesa, AZ | 1,638 | $1,200 | $1,070–$1,325 | 1–9 days | 4–5 days | 1,638 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–9 days |
| Memphis, TN → Los Angeles, CA | 1,795 | $1,315 | $1,010–$1,615 | 1–4 hours | 4–5 days | 1,795 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–4 hours |
Your lane is not in the table? Every ZIP pair in Tennessee prices the same way, in about 30 seconds.
Price my exact laneLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Relocations bring most cars into Tennessee, and most of them end up in Middle Tennessee: Nashville itself, the Williamson County suburbs of Franklin and Brentwood, Murfreesboro and Smyrna down I-24, and Mount Juliet and Lebanon out I-40. Knoxville and Chattanooga take a steady share too. Deliveries in the suburbs are easy. Downtown Nashville, East Nashville's older streets and Franklin's historic center are tighter, and a driver may ask to meet at a nearby lot.
Two other groups arrive on fixed dates. Fort Campbell, home of the 101st Airborne, sits on the Kentucky line next to Clarksville on I-24, and its soldiers and families move mostly in summer; Arnold Air Force Base near Tullahoma and Naval Support Activity Mid-South at Millington, north of Memphis, add a few more. Students arrive in August for Vanderbilt and Belmont in Nashville, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro, the University of Memphis, Tennessee Tech in Cookeville and Austin Peay in Clarksville. Most of those campuses sit close to an interstate, which keeps student pickups simple.
Nashville is a busy place to buy a used car and ship it somewhere else. Manheim's Nashville auction is on Eastgate Boulevard in Mount Juliet, right off I-40 east of the city, and dealers from across the region buy there. A Mount Juliet to Mesa, Arizona run is in this month's lane tables. Private sellers and online buyers use the same lanes: Nashville to Chicago is about $450 this month and Nashville to Dallas about $650, both within one to two days of driving.
Personal moves out of the state run to Florida in the fall, the Midwest and Texas all year, and the coasts with job changes. Memphis to Miami is about $895 and Memphis to Los Angeles about $1,315. If the car leaves from West Tennessee farm country or from the Cumberland Plateau between the cities, the driver will usually want to load at a lot near Jackson, Cookeville or Crossville on I-40. Students heading home in May can ship from campus; book before finals week, when the campus lanes fill.
A loaded car carrier runs about 75 feet. These are the Tennessee addresses where it can’t reach the door, and what happens instead. Your coordinator settles it before you book.
I-40 carries most of it, from the Hernando de Soto Bridge in Memphis through Jackson, Nashville, Cookeville and Knoxville to the North Carolina line. I-24 cuts southeast from Clarksville through Nashville and Murfreesboro to Chattanooga and climbs Monteagle Mountain on the way, a long, steep grade with runaway-truck ramps. I-75 links Chattanooga and Knoxville, I-81 and I-26 serve the Tri-Cities of Bristol, Kingsport and Johnson City, and I-55 runs out of Memphis toward Mississippi.
The Smokies are the part of Tennessee that a 75-foot carrier avoids. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville are crowded tourist towns on two-lane roads, and the rental cabins above them sit on switchbacks that a car hauler cannot climb. Expect to meet the driver in a big lot along the main parkway in Sevierville or near the Kodak exit on I-40. East of there, I-40 runs through the Pigeon River Gorge into North Carolina, a stretch of tight curves with a 55 mph limit and a history of rockslides that have closed the road.
Tennessee's spring storm season runs from March into May, with tornado warnings across West and Middle Tennessee, and a second, smaller round of severe weather often arrives in November and December. Drivers do not load under a warning. Most holds last hours, sometimes a day; your coordinator texts a new window if the pickup moves, and the booked price does not.
Winter is gentler at the ends of the state than in the middle. The Cumberland Plateau between Nashville and Knoxville sits higher than the cities on either side, and freezing rain on I-40 around Crossville or snow on the Monteagle grade can stop trucks for a day while the valleys get only rain. Plan for that between December and February if your car is crossing the plateau, and give the pickup a window of a few days.
A text from your coordinator the day before confirms the pickup window.
Leaving Tennessee costs less on 3 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.
Dallas
Chicago
Detroit
New York
Miami
Los Angeles
Calendar
When the same lanes get busy, and what that does to your pickup week.
How busy the Tennessee lanes get each month, from our coordinators’ calendar. Busier months fill trucks sooner and cost more.
Tennessee rules
The rules that catch people who bring a car in from another state.
Rules as of the review date below. The Tennessee Department of Revenue, which runs title and registration, is the source; your county clerk's office handles the paperwork and can tell you its local fees.
Questions
New York to Nashville runs about $1,035 for a running sedan on an open carrier in October 2026, with most trucks between roughly $870 and $1,200. It is 886 miles, about two days once loaded. Memphis to New York, the other direction, is about $1,050. The calculator prices your exact ZIP pair in about 30 seconds and holds that figure for 14 days.
Los Angeles to Nashville is about $1,350 on an open carrier in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $1,155 and $1,545, for 2,006 miles and four to five days on the road. Heading west, Memphis to Los Angeles is about $1,315. Enclosed transport adds roughly 30 to 50% on either lane.
No. Tennessee has no safety inspection, and the last county emissions programs, Davidson's among them, ended in early 2022. You have 30 days after moving to register through your county clerk, with your out-of-state registration or title, ID and proof of residency, and the car needs at least 25/50/25 liability insurance.
Usually not to the door. The rental and private cabins above Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge sit on steep switchbacks, and a 75-foot car hauler cannot climb them or turn around. The driver meets you at a large lot in Sevierville or near the Kodak exit on I-40 instead. Your coordinator sets the spot before you book, and the meet-up does not change the price.
Miami to Nashville is about $810 on an open carrier in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $640 and $975, for 917 miles and about two days in transit. Southbound costs a little more this month: Memphis to Miami is about $895. The fall and spring snowbird weeks are the busiest on these lanes.
Yes. Clarksville sits on I-24 between Nashville and the Kentucky line, a regular route for car haulers. Most PCS moves at Fort Campbell happen in summer, so book two to three weeks ahead if your report date falls between June and August, and plan to meet the driver at a lot outside the gate. Nothing is due until a carrier is dispatched.
The driver will not load a car while a warning is up. Most holds last a few hours; a bad storm day can push pickup to the next day. Your coordinator texts the new window, and the quoted price stays the same. In winter the same applies to ice on I-40 across the Cumberland Plateau.
Nashville to Chicago is about $450 on an open carrier in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $395 and $505, and Nashville to Detroit is about $660. Coming south costs more: Chicago to Memphis is about $525 and Detroit to Memphis about $880. Each of those runs takes one to two days once the car is loaded.
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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