Xclusive Marine & Auto Transport
USDOT 2817526 · Owner-Operated Since 2015

Snowbird Vehicle Transport, South in Fall and Back in Spring

Missouri and the Midwest down to Florida, Arizona and the Texas coast in the fall, then the same run in reverse in the spring. One truck, one driver, both legs. Book the return when you book the trip down and the same person hauls it back.

Xclusive Transport loading a snowbird car on an open carrier for a southbound run
USDOT 2817526MC 939339 Licensed carrier, not a brokerFully insuredBBB A+ rated

Who This Is For

Snowbirds are the most predictable customer we have. The car goes south between October and December and comes back north between March and May. Nobody wants to sit through 1,200 miles twice a year, so the car rides on the truck and a lot of people just fly down and pick it up when it lands.

Snowbird auto transport, snowbird car shipping and car shipping to Florida all describe the same run. Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and the rest of the Midwest heading down to Florida, Arizona or the Gulf coast, then the reverse in spring. Same lane, same car, twice a year.

We run an open car hauler and we do not offer enclosed transport. For a sedan, an SUV or a pickup that already lives outside, open is how nearly every snowbird car moves. If yours has to be enclosed, we are not the right carrier and we will tell you that on the phone instead of taking the booking.

Vehicles loaded on the Xclusive Transport flatbed, chained down before a southbound snowbird run

What Is Included

Every job, not an upsell list.

  • Loaded and strapped by the ownerThe person who quoted your job is the person who loads it, straps it and photographs it before the wheels turn.
  • The return leg held with the same driverBook both legs and the same truck and same driver bring it home in the spring. A broker cannot promise you that.
  • Cargo and liability coverageActive coverage as a licensed motor carrier. Verify USDOT 2817526 and MC-939339 on FMCSA yourself.
  • Door to doorDriveway, condo lot, storage unit or dealership. Pickup and delivery at both real ends of the trip.
  • A firm number, not a rangeWe price the actual lane once we know the two ends and the dates, rather than quoting a guess that moves later.
  • Updates from the driverStatus comes from the person driving the truck. There is no dispatcher in the middle.

How It Works

  1. 1
    Tell us what and wherePickup, delivery, and what is moving. Takes about a minute.
  2. 2
    We confirm the laneWe check routing, permits and the window, then give you a firm answer instead of an estimate that moves.
  3. 3
    We load and secureThe owner loads it, straps it and photographs it before the wheels turn.
  4. 4
    Door to door deliveryUpdates come from the driver directly. No dispatcher in the middle.

What Drives the Price of Your Lane

We do not publish a rate card, because a number pulled from a calculator is not a real quote and it never survives contact with the actual trip. These are the things that genuinely move the price on a seasonal run, so you know what we are asking about.

  • Season and timingThis is the big one. Everyone on your lane wants the same two weeks in November and the same two weeks in April. Booking early is the difference between naming your window and taking what is left.
  • Distance and routeThe two ends of the trip and whether the route runs through anything that forces a longer way around.
  • Round trip or one wayBooking both legs at once is a different conversation from booking one and hoping in March. Tell us up front if you want the return held.
  • Vehicle size and conditionA sedan and a three quarter ton pickup do not take the same space. A car that does not run needs a winch and has to be known before pickup.
  • Access at both endsA driveway in a gated community with low branches and a guard shack is a different job from a parking lot off the highway.
  • Flexibility on datesA firm single day is harder to hold than a two or three day window, especially in the peak weeks.

How to Prepare Your Car for Transport

We handle the loading, strapping and securing. Your side takes about twenty minutes and doing it before pickup day keeps the load on schedule. We send this list again once the lane is confirmed.

  1. Empty the personal itemsTake out anything loose. Personal belongings are not covered by cargo insurance, and weight in the trunk is weight on the deck.
  2. Leave about a quarter tankEnough to drive on and off the truck. A full tank is dead weight for a run this long.
  3. Photograph the carTake your own photos before pickup, all four sides plus the roof. We take ours too, so there is a shared record at both ends.
  4. Fold the mirrors and pull the toll tagMirrors in, antenna down if it comes down, and bag the transponder so you do not collect charges across four states.
  5. Check the battery and tiresThe car has to start and roll at delivery. A battery that is already weak in October will be dead in Florida.
  6. Sort out who is thereIf you are flying and someone else is releasing or receiving the car, give us that name and number when you book.

Where We Run Snowbird Cars

Home base is Eldon, Missouri, minutes from Lake of the Ozarks, so Missouri pickups are quick and the southbound runs start close to home. Florida, Arizona, Texas and the Gulf coast are the regular winter lanes, and we run point to point anywhere in the lower 48.

A Licensed Carrier, Not a Broker

Search snowbird auto transport or snowbird car shipping and nearly every result is a broker. They take your deposit, post the job to a load board, and hand it to whoever accepts it. Ask a broker to promise you the same driver in April and watch what happens. We are the truck.

  • The owner hauls itTen years, one truck, zero crashes in the last twenty four months.
  • You can verify usUSDOT 2817526 and MC-939339, active authority, on the public FMCSA record.
  • No load board rouletteYour boat never gets posted to a board and handed to a stranger.

Guides Worth Reading First

Written by the person who drives the truck. No rate charts, no filler.

See all boat and auto transport guides

Common Questions

When should I book my snowbird car transport?
For a fall southbound run, call in August or September. For the trip back north, book it at the same time you book the trip down. October through December and March through May are the two weeks everyone on your lane wants, and the calendar fills from the early callers backward.
Can you bring my car back north in the spring?
Yes, and that is how most of our snowbird customers do it. You book both legs at once, we hold the return window, and the same truck and same driver come back for it. There is one truck here, so the return is a real commitment rather than a job that gets posted to a load board in April.
How much does snowbird auto transport cost?
Price follows the real lane, not a chart. The two ends of the trip, the size of the vehicle, the dates and how much flexibility you have on the window all move the number. Send us the pickup and delivery points and your rough dates and we will price the actual run.
Do you offer enclosed transport?
No. We run an open car hauler only. That is what nearly every snowbird car ships on, and it is what your car sees in a parking lot anyway. If your vehicle needs to be enclosed, we will say so instead of taking the booking.
Can I fly down and meet the car there?
Plenty of people do exactly that. You give us a name and number for whoever is releasing the car up north and whoever is receiving it down south, and we work directly with them. Just do not book a flight against a single fixed hour until the window is confirmed.
Are you a carrier or a broker?
A carrier. We own the truck and the trailer and the owner drives it. Most results for snowbird car shipping are brokers who take a deposit and hand the job to whoever accepts it off a load board. You can verify us on the FMCSA site under USDOT 2817526 and MC-939339.

Get a Real Number for Your Lane

Send the two ends of the trip and what is moving. The owner replies personally, usually the same day.

USDOT 2817526 · MC-939339 · Eldon, Missouri · Serving all 48 continental states