1-3
DAYS TO PICKUP, ST. LOUIS & KANSAS CITY
$500-$1,500
OPEN TRANSPORT, BY DESTINATION
I-70 · I-44 · I-55
PRIMARY CARRIER CORRIDORS
Key Takeaways
Typical cost: Missouri to Illinois runs $500-$700 on an open carrier, Missouri to Texas $500-$800, Missouri to Colorado $550-$800, Missouri to Georgia $550-$800, Missouri to New York $700-$1,000, Missouri to Florida $900-$1,400, and cross country to California $1,100-$1,500. Enclosed transport typically costs 40 to 60 percent more than open.
Transit time: Illinois takes 1-2 days, Texas and Colorado 2-3 days, Georgia 2-4 days, New York and Florida 3-5 days, and California 4-7 days once the vehicle is picked up.
Central routing: I-70, I-44, I-55, and I-64 all cross Missouri, and St. Louis and Kansas City sit at opposite ends of the I-70 spine, so carrier supply is deep in both directions.
Savings tip: Flexible pickup dates cut $75-$150 off a typical Missouri quote. Kansas City straddles the state line, so a Missouri side pickup prices off the same carrier pool as the Kansas side and the two quotes land close together.
Process: You get a dedicated coordinator and a vetted, insured carrier. Nothing is due until a driver is assigned, and your vehicle is tracked by GPS throughout.
Popular Car Shipping Routes from Missouri
Missouri sits at the center of the national carrier map. I-70 runs the width of the state between St. Louis and Kansas City, I-44 heads southwest toward Oklahoma and Texas, and I-55 carries north and south traffic between Chicago and Memphis. Pickup windows across the two big metros run 1-3 days. Open transport prices between $500 and $1,500 depending on destination, with short Midwest hops at the low end and West Coast runs at the top. These are the routes we book most often from Missouri.
- Missouri to Illinois: 300-510 miles, 1-2 days
- Missouri to Texas: 590-680 miles, 2-3 days
- Missouri to Colorado: 600-860 miles, 2-3 days
- Missouri to Georgia: 550-800 miles, 2-4 days
- Missouri to New York: 960-1,200 miles, 3-5 days
- Missouri to Florida: 1,100-1,350 miles, 3-5 days
- Missouri to California: 1,610-1,830 miles, 4-7 days
The St. Louis and Kansas City Carrier Base
St. Louis and Kansas City sit at opposite ends of the I-70 spine, about 250 miles apart, and between them they carry most of the state’s volume. St. Louis draws traffic off I-55, I-64, and I-44 as well, which makes it the easier of the two metros to book on short notice toward Chicago, Memphis, and the Southeast. Kansas City straddles the state line, so a pickup on the Missouri side prices off the same carrier pool that serves the Kansas side of the metro, and quotes from either address usually land within a few dollars of each other.
Springfield and Joplin sit on I-44 toward Oklahoma and Texas, which keeps southwest Missouri well covered on that corridor. Columbia sits on I-70 halfway between the two metros and picks up carriers running the spine. University turnover at Missouri, Saint Louis University, and Missouri State drives predictable demand spikes in mid August and again in May, so book 1-2 weeks ahead in those windows.
Pickup and Delivery Across Missouri
Metro pickups in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia usually dispatch within 1-3 days of booking, with 1-2 extra days for the Ozarks and the rural counties in the north of the state. Winter ice storms are the main weather variable and can hold carriers for a day between December and February, more often on I-44 and I-70 than on the north and south runs. Many residential streets and cul-de-sacs cannot take a 75 foot rig, so drivers commonly arrange to meet at a nearby shopping center or wide arterial road, and your coordinator confirms that spot before pickup day. Non-running vehicles need a winch and typically add $100-$200 to the quote.
Missouri Car Shipping FAQs
Cross country runs of 1,610-1,830 miles typically price at $1,100-$1,500 for open transport and take 4-7 days, matching the band published on our Kansas guide for the same corridor. Kansas City prices a little under St. Louis because it sits roughly 200 miles closer to the westbound lanes. Enclosed transport typically costs 40 to 60 percent more than open.
Most standard sedans and SUVs run $900-$1,400 on an open carrier over the 1,100-1,350 miles to Florida, and transit is 3-5 days once the car is loaded. Snowbird demand lifts southbound prices from October through December and northbound from March through May. Enclosed transport typically costs 40 to 60 percent more than open.
Pickup in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia usually happens within 1-3 days of booking, and the Ozarks and rural northern counties add 1-2 days. Once the car is loaded, count on 1-2 days to Illinois, 2-3 days to Texas and Colorado, 2-4 days to Georgia, 3-5 days to New York and Florida, and 4-7 days to California.
St. Louis to Chicago is the shortest major lane out of Missouri at roughly 300 miles on I-55, and it sits at the low end of the $500-$700 Missouri to Illinois range with 1-2 days in transit. Many cars on this lane arrive the day after pickup.
Effectively yes. Kansas City is one metro across a state line, and carriers treat it as a single market, so a Missouri side address and a Kansas side address price off the same pool and usually quote within a few dollars of each other. The Kansas City to Denver run is the clearest example at $550-$800 over roughly 600 miles.
Often not directly. Many neighborhood streets and cul-de-sacs are too tight for a 75 foot rig, so drivers arrange to meet at a nearby shopping center or wide arterial road. Your coordinator confirms the exact spot before pickup day, and it usually adds only minutes to the process.
Open transport is the right choice for most vehicles and prices at $500-$1,500 from Missouri depending on destination. Enclosed typically costs 40 to 60 percent more than open and makes sense for classics, exotics, and low clearance cars. Some owners also choose it in winter to keep road salt off the paint, which is a real consideration on I-70 and I-44 between December and March.
Most carriers allow up to 100 lbs of personal items in the trunk or below the window line. Anything more can trigger extra charges or a refused pickup, and personal items are not covered by the carrier’s cargo insurance, so keep valuables out of the vehicle.
Yes. Every carrier we assign holds active cargo insurance, with coverage up to $2M available for high value vehicles, and we can send you the certificate of insurance on request before pickup. Nothing is due until a driver is assigned to your shipment.
Missouri Cities We Serve
- Kansas City
- St. Louis
- Springfield
- Columbia
- Independence
- Lee's Summit
- O'Fallon
- St. Joseph
