To ship a car from Copart, pay the invoice until your balance is $0, copy the gate pass PIN from your Copart account, and book a licensed transporter with the lot number, your buyer number and the PIN. Copart loads the car onto the truck at the yard. Book transport the same day you pay, because Copart's free storage window is short and daily storage starts soon after the sale.
Price depends mainly on distance, vehicle size and whether the car runs. Recent DispatchAuction moves ranged from $125 for a local Houston run to $490 for New York to New Jersey.
How do you ship a car from Copart?
The order matters, because each step unlocks the next one. Here is how it goes for most buyers.
- Get a transport price before you bid. Enter the lot number in a calculator like ours. Knowing the delivered cost lets you set your maximum bid on what the car will really cost you.
- Win the lot and pay Copart in full. Copart releases a car only when your balance is $0. A wire usually clears fastest. Slower payment methods can take days, and storage keeps counting while you wait.
- Book transport right away. You can book with us before the payment clears. We start looking for a driver as soon as you order.
- Send the gate pass PIN. Once your balance is $0, Copart generates a gate pass PIN in your account. Send it to us by email or WhatsApp. Without it the driver is turned away at the gate.
- The driver picks up. Copart staff bring the car out and load it, usually with a forklift. The driver inspects it and notes existing damage.
- Delivery. The car goes to your warehouse, shop or home. Track every status in your dashboard: finding driver, assigned, picked up, delivered.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Copart?
Copart moves range from around a hundred dollars for a local run to over a thousand for coast to coast. There is no flat rate, because the price of a load is set by what carriers will accept on that lane that week. These are recent prices our customers paid:
| From | To | Vehicle | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copart Houston, TX | La Porte, TX | 2021 Toyota Corolla | $125 |
| Copart Savannah, GA | Savannah, GA | 2020 Nissan Versa | $230 |
| Copart Newburgh, NY | Rahway, NJ | 2011 Honda Accord | $490 |
| Copart Newburgh, NY | Rahway, NJ | 2023 Toyota Sienna | $490 |
Recent DispatchAuction orders. Your price depends on your lane and car, so check it with the lot number.
What moves the price:
- Distance and lane. Busy lanes between big cities are cheaper per mile than lanes into or out of rural areas, where a carrier has to drive empty to reach you.
- Vehicle size. A pickup or full-size SUV takes more space and weight on the trailer than a sedan.
- Whether it runs. A car that doesn't drive needs a truck with a winch at delivery. See our guide to shipping a non-running car.
- The yard. Rural yards and off-site lots take more of a driver's day.
- Port delivery. If the car is delivered into an ocean port terminal, the driver needs a TWIC card, and there is an extra $150 fee for that.
Pick Copart, enter the lot number and choose where it's going.
What does a driver need to pick up a car from Copart?
Copart releases a car to a transporter when four things line up:
- The lot number, so the yard can find the car.
- Your Copart buyer (member) number, tying the car to your account.
- The gate pass PIN, which only appears once the invoice is fully paid. Open the car in your won or paid vehicles in your Copart account to find it, and copy the PIN exactly.
- A pickup slot. Many Copart yards ask transporters to book a pickup appointment, and yards have set loading hours. We handle this for you.
Check the keys status on the listing. If Copart lists the car with keys, the keys travel with it. If there are no keys, the car may need extra help to steer and load, so tell us when you book.
How long does Copart car shipping take?
Two clocks matter: how long until a driver collects the car, and how long the drive takes. Collection depends on the yard, the lane and how fast payment clears and the gate pass reaches us. Once the car is on the truck, these are typical drive times:
| Distance | Typical time on the truck |
|---|---|
| Up to 500 miles | 1 to 2 days |
| 501 to 1,000 miles | 2 to 5 days |
| 1,001 to 1,500 miles | 3 to 6 days |
| 1,501 to 2,000 miles | 4 to 7 days |
| 2,001 to 2,500 miles | 5 to 8 days |
| Over 2,500 miles | 6 to 9 days |
Averages once the car is picked up. Weather, yard queues and the carrier's other stops can move them.
How do you avoid Copart storage fees?
Copart gives buyers only a short free period after the sale, then charges storage every day until the car leaves the yard. The rate is set by each yard. Paying the invoice does not stop the clock. Only pickup does.
The fastest way to avoid storage is to pay by wire on the day you win, book transport the same day, and send the gate pass PIN the moment it appears. Our full guide, Copart storage fees explained, covers the rules and what to do if a car is already late.
If we haven't picked up your car within 5 business days, we pay the auction storage charged for every day after that until pickup. The 5 business days start on the latest of three dates: the day you order with us, the day your auction balance reaches $0, and the day you send us the gate pass PIN (where the auction uses one). It doesn't apply to weather events, sublot or off-site cars, auctions that are hard to reach such as rural yards, delays the auction causes, or wrong lot or gate pass details. Send us the auction invoice within 30 days of pickup and we reimburse it. Full wording is in section 7 of our Terms.
Can you ship a non-running car, a sublot car or an off-site car from Copart?
Non-running cars: yes. At the yard, Copart loads non-running cars with a forklift, so the pickup side is straightforward. The delivery side needs a truck with a winch or a forklift at the destination. Tick "The car doesn't run" in the calculator so the price includes it.
Sublots and off-site yards: some Copart cars are held at a separate lot, not the main yard on the listing. The auction usually says so on the lot page or in your release details. These cars can take longer to collect and can add to the price, so tell us when you book.
Shipping a Copart car for export
Most of our customers buy at Copart to export. The usual route is Copart yard to your shipping agent's warehouse near Newark, Houston, Savannah, Baltimore, Los Angeles or Miami, where the car is loaded into a container. Pick the warehouse in the calculator, or choose "Other address" for any other location.
Your shipping agent needs the title and export filing before the car can sail. Our guide to exporting a car from the USA walks through the documents and the 72-hour customs rule.
Should you use Copart's own shipping or an independent broker?
Copart offers its own shipping quotes at checkout, and some buyers use them. You are free to use any licensed transporter instead. Compare on three things: the delivered price, how quickly the car will actually leave the yard, and who handles storage if it doesn't. An independent broker that specializes in auction cars can usually beat a general quote on at least one of those, and you keep the choice of delivery address.
DispatchAuction is a service of Royal Port Logistics, a licensed broker (USDOT 3032619, MC 40242). We don't own trucks. We match your car with licensed, insured carriers and pay them properly so loads get taken quickly, instead of posting cheap and leaving cars in the yard.
Frequently asked questions
How do I ship a car I bought at Copart?
Pay Copart until your balance is $0, then book a transporter with the lot number, your buyer number and the gate pass PIN from your Copart account. Copart loads the car onto the truck at the yard and the driver delivers it to the address you choose.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Copart?
It depends on distance, vehicle size, whether the car runs and the lane. Recent DispatchAuction moves cost $125 from Copart Houston to La Porte, TX and $490 from Copart Newburgh, NY to Rahway, NJ. Enter your lot number in our calculator for your exact price.
Do I need a gate pass to pick up from Copart?
Yes. Copart issues a gate pass PIN in your account once the invoice is fully paid. The driver must give it at the gate, or the car will not be released.
Does Copart load the car onto the truck?
Yes. Copart staff bring the car out and load it, including non-running cars, which they usually lift with a forklift.
Can I book transport before I pay Copart?
Yes. You can book with DispatchAuction before your payment clears and send the gate pass PIN by email or WhatsApp when it appears. The driver can't collect the car until then.
Do you ship from every Copart yard?
We cover every Copart yard in the lower 48 states. We don't currently ship from Alaska or Hawaii.