2,600-2,800
MILES, DEPENDING ON ENDPOINTS
7-10
DAYS IN TRANSIT, TYPICAL
$1,300-$1,700
OPEN TRANSPORT, BY SEASON
Key Takeaways
Typical cost: $1,300-$1,700 for open transport on a standard running sedan, either direction. Enclosed typically adds 40-60 percent, about $520-$1,020 more. Oversized SUVs and pickups price toward the top of the range.
Transit time: 7 to 10 days door to door across 2,600-2,800 miles. Los Angeles to Richmond at 2,630 miles is the shortest common pairing; Bay Area origins add about a day.
Two approaches, not one: no single interstate connects these states. Carriers run I-40 east and then either turn north on I-81 up the Shenandoah Valley for Roanoke, Harrisonburg, and Northern Virginia, or continue east on I-64 through Charlottesville for Richmond and Hampton Roads. The choice depends on the rest of the load.
Seasonal driver: May through August is PCS season, and Hampton Roads holds the largest naval concentration in the country. Add summer relocation into Northern Virginia and August university moves to Charlottesville and Blacksburg, and prices move $150-$300 while pickup windows stretch a day or two.
Savings tip: Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads are the three highest-volume drop zones and price lowest per mile. Endpoints in the far southwest of the state or on the Eastern Shore add a day and often $100-$150.
Process: A dedicated coordinator assigns a vetted, insured carrier and you pay nothing until a driver is assigned. Metro pickup usually lands within 1-3 days, cargo coverage runs up to $2M, GPS tracking covers the whole run, and the first 3-5 storage days are free if your delivery window shifts.
Two Ways Into Virginia: I-81 and I-64
There is no single interstate from California to Virginia. Every carrier on this lane makes a decision somewhere around Nashville or Knoxville, and which one they make changes your delivery date more than anything else on the route.
The I-81 approach comes up the Shenandoah Valley and serves Roanoke, Harrisonburg, Winchester, and the Northern Virginia suburbs. It is the faster option for anything north of Charlottesville. The I-64 approach cuts east across the state through Charlottesville into Richmond, then continues to Williamsburg, Newport News, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach. Drivers pick based on what else is on the trailer, which is why two cars leaving Los Angeles on the same day can arrive in Virginia two days apart. If your delivery date is tight, ask your coordinator which approach the assigned carrier is running.
Both directions of this lane carry the same price band. What differs is who is moving, and when.
Shipping East: California to Virginia
Eastbound volume comes from three groups. Federal agency and contractor hires move into the Northern Virginia corridor around Arlington, Alexandria, Reston, and Tysons, usually on a start-date deadline. Navy and Marine Corps personnel report to Norfolk, Oceana, and Quantico. University of Virginia and Virginia Tech families move in August. Expect the top of the $1,300-$1,700 band from May through August and book 2 to 3 weeks ahead. From September through April the same move typically settles at $1,300-$1,500.
Northern Virginia delivery is the one logistics detail worth planning around. A 75 foot carrier cannot turn into most NoVA townhouse developments, and the streets around Arlington and Old Town Alexandria will not take one at all. Your driver arranges a nearby shopping center, park-and-ride, or wide commercial lot, usually a few minutes from the address, and your coordinator confirms that spot before pickup day rather than leaving it to the driver to sort out on arrival.
Shipping West: Virginia to California
Westbound prices the same and dispatches faster than most East Coast origins. Virginia sits on the I-95 spine, and carriers repositioning west pick up loads through Richmond and Northern Virginia constantly, so pickup in NoVA, Richmond, and Hampton Roads usually lands within 1 to 2 days of a carrier being assigned.
The heaviest westbound months mirror the eastbound peak: May through August, with Norfolk sailors and Quantico Marines moving to Camp Pendleton, Miramar, Lemoore, and Travis. Outside that window, late September through February is the cheapest stretch of the year in this direction. Retirees and second-home owners heading to the Southern California desert make up a steady share of that winter volume, and because they rarely have a hard arrival date they get the best pricing on the lane.
Popular City Pairs on This Lane
- Los Angeles to Richmond - 2,630 miles, 7-9 days
- San Diego to Norfolk - 2,660 miles, 7-10 days
- Los Angeles to Arlington - 2,670 miles, 7-9 days
- Los Angeles to Virginia Beach - 2,700 miles, 7-10 days
- San Francisco to Arlington - 2,800 miles, 8-10 days
