Car Shipping from Detroit, MI to Riverside, CA

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Distance
2,364 mi
Transit Time
5-7 days
Estimated Cost
$1175–$1475
High Volume

Shipping from Detroit, MI

Detroit is a unique market in auto transport. It is not as simple as just being a high volume hub, and here is why. The Motor City has enormous carrier activity because of the auto industry itself. Manheim Detroit is in Carleton, south of the city. Manheim Flint is up in Mt. Morris. IAA Detroit handles salvage volume for the metro. I-75 is the spine of the market, running north to Flint and south all the way to Miami. I-94 runs east to Chicago and west toward Port Huron and Canada. I-96 connects Detroit to Grand Rapids. The challenge is timing. When Ford, GM, or Stellantis ship new model year inventory out of Michigan in late summer and early fall, carriers are stacked with OEM loads. Single vehicle transport competes with factory production runs and sometimes loses.

Pickups in Detroit average 2 to 4 days outside of new model year season. In late August and September when the manufacturers are pushing new inventory to dealerships across the country, carriers fill up fast and individual shippers can see that stretch to 5 to 7 days. If you are shipping during that window, book with extra lead time. The rest of the year Detroit is a solid market. I-75 is one of the most traveled carrier routes in the Midwest and carriers moving between Florida and the Great Lakes pass through this metro constantly. The suburbs, Dearborn, Livonia, Troy, Warren, and Royal Oak, are all easy access for carriers.

High Volume

Arriving in Riverside, CA

Riverside and the Inland Empire are the unsung engine of Southern California auto transport. Carriers do not just pass through here. They stage here. I-15 runs through the Inland Empire connecting LA to Las Vegas and the entire Southwest. I-215 connects Riverside to San Bernardino and Temecula. SR-91 and SR-60 tie into Orange County and Los Angeles directly. This convergence of routes means carriers are loading and unloading in the Inland Empire constantly. Manheim Riverside is an active auction location with over 200 vehicles per sale. ADESA Riverside adds more auction volume. Copart and IAA both operate in nearby Fontana, just up I-15. The Inland Empire has massive warehouse and logistics infrastructure and auto transport is part of that ecosystem.

The Inland Empire is one of the best delivery destinations in Southern California. Carriers coming from Las Vegas on I-15, coming across I-40 from Arizona, or coming up from San Diego on I-15 all pass directly through this area. If your car is coming from anywhere east of California, there is a good chance it will move through Riverside before making its final delivery. Drop-offs here are clean and efficient.

Pricing on This Route

Shipping a standard sedan from Detroit to Riverside on open carrier currently estimates between $1175 and $1475. That is based on the 2,364-mile distance and current market conditions.

Detroit runs close to the national average, maybe slightly above on some lanes. Routes south to Florida on I-75 are extremely active and competitively priced because that is a natural back-and-forth carrier loop. Routes west to Chicago are solid. Where pricing goes up is on the cross-country runs to the West Coast or Southwest because those carriers have to come all the way out to Michigan to start their load. The new model year window in late summer is also a time when carrier capacity tightens and prices creep up. Get a quote to see your exact price.

Riverside prices run at or slightly below the national average. The market is competitive because so many carriers work this area regularly. The Las Vegas to Inland Empire lane is one of the busiest short hauls in the West and it is very well priced. Routes to Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles are all active. The Inland Empire also ships a lot of cars to and from the Pacific Northwest on I-15 north. Summer sees high demand as people move from Nevada and Arizona into the region. Get a quote to see your exact price.

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