Maine Car Shipping

For a running sedan on an open carrier, expect $350 to $550 between Boston and Portland, $550 to $850 between Portland and New York or Washington, $950 to $1,300 between Chicago and Portland, $1,000 to $1,400 between Orlando and Portland, and $1,450 to $1,800 between Los Angeles and Portland. Bangor, Augusta and the rest of Maine work from the same distance bands, measured from where the car loads. Our car shipping cost guide covers the distance bands for trips shorter than the Boston run or longer than the drive from Los Angeles.

After loading, Portland is a day from Boston and 1-2 days from New York or Washington; Chicago takes 2-3 days, Orlando 3-4 and Los Angeles 6-8. Pickup in Portland and the Turnpike towns usually comes a few days after the car is ready, while Downeast and Aroostook County moves add time to set a meet point the truck can reach.

Yes, with plans that fit the geography. Bar Harbor and the midcoast villages ship all season, usually with a meet at the Route 1 junction or the island causeway when a lane is too tight for the rig. Aroostook County rides I-95 to Houlton and US-1 beyond, and those runs are scheduled and priced for the true miles. Nothing in Maine is off the map; some of it is simply planned better.

Yes, by the carrier’s cargo policy, verified along with operating authority before dispatch. Protect the claim you will probably never need: photograph the car at loading, inspect it slowly at delivery, and write anything you see on the bill of lading before signing, in daylight if you can manage it.

Keep it to one soft bag, about 100 pounds, in the trunk, and leave the cabin bare. The carrier’s insurance stops at the vehicle itself, and scale houses on the Turnpike do not make exceptions for duffel bags. The L.L.Bean haul goes with the movers, not the car.

Open is the default and entirely equal to Maine weather. Enclosed, at roughly a third or more extra, is the right call for collector cars headed to summer shows, anything precious crossing winter salt, and low vehicles facing camp roads. The family Subaru ships open and shrugs it off.

Door to door wherever the truck honestly fits. Greater Portland, Lewiston-Auburn, Augusta, and Bangor mostly take driveway service. Camp roads, village lanes under old elms, and island approaches shift the handoff to a firm, wide spot nearby, settled with your coordinator before pickup day so nobody improvises.

Clear the car before pickup: camp gear, boxes for the Florida place, electronics, and documents. The carrier’s cargo policy covers the vehicle and nothing inside it, and loose items bounce around on the long run down I-95. If one soft bag really needs to make the trip, ask your coordinator first and keep it in the trunk.

Wash off the road salt and pine sap, then photograph every panel, the wheels, the glass, the roof, and the odometer in daylight the day before the driver arrives. Maine winters leave chips and rust bloom that can be mistaken for transit damage, so a dated baseline protects everyone at delivery.

The Maine Turnpike reads E-ZPass at highway speed, and the hauler will cross a dozen more gantries heading south, so foil-bag your transponder before the car loads. Check the battery while you are at it; Maine winters retire the weak ones without notice.

Keep the tank at about a quarter: enough to load, unload, and reach a station in Portland, Bangor, or Augusta, without adding weight to a trailer that will cross the Turnpike scales and a dozen gantries heading south. Fill up after delivery instead.

A vehicle that drips oil or coolant can be turned away at pickup, because the fluid lands on the car below on the trailer. Fix leaks first. Maine cold retires weak batteries without warning, so test one before pickup week, and tell your coordinator about a plow mount, oversize tires, a sticky parking brake, or a manual transmission.

Eighty feet of loaded rig has no place on a camp road, a posted spring road, or a village lane built for wagons. Choose a wide, solid meet spot near the Turnpike or Route 1, a park-and-ride or plaza lot is perfect, and the handoff takes minutes.

Someone over eighteen must sign the bill of lading and hand over the keys at pickup, and someone must inspect and sign at delivery. Maine snowbirds usually fly south before the car arrives, so name a neighbor, community manager, or relative at the Florida end when you book, and forward your pickup photos to them.