Michigan

Michigan is historically very car oriented. Detroit would not be what it is today if it wasn’t for vehicle manufacturing and vehicles in general would not be what they are today if it wasn’t for Michigan’s contributions. Even though the state has fallen on hard times lately, vehicles are still very important here. Detroit in particular has been affected by the recession and is having a tough time rebounding causing a lot of Detroit’s residents to move away or plan to move away. For now, however, the Detroit metro is the 11th largest in the US and 50% of Michigan’s population resides there.

Snow birds are a huge part of Michigan’s but specifically Detroit’s auto transport. Because of the proximity to the Great Lakes a huge amount of snow falls during the winter, something people would prefer to avoid. Between October and December people head south to warmer states like Florida, Arizona, or California. Because so many people are coming down at one time the price goes up drastically. If you ship in the opposite direction the snow birds are going then you will be able to get the lowest price per mile of the year. Between April and May the price goes up the other way when everyone returns home.

During the summer Michigan attracts its own tourists. The coast line and islands are a popular destination on both peninsulas but the majority of these vacationers are people from Michigan or states nearby, places that almost everyone will drive from rather than transport a vehicle to. So the effect on prices won’t be very noticeable but during this time it is much more possible to ship to northern Michigan, an area almost no trucks go to other times of the year.

If you are shipping from Detroit or Grand Rapids you are in good shape, avoid shipping during the snow bird times and you will be able to get a good rate. If you ship north of Flint you will run into truck availability issues. There simply aren’t enough cars being shipped to this area for trucks to regularly go there, so to get a car transported you will have to pay good and be patient, though if you ship during the summer there are more cars being shipped to the area so a truck is more likely to make the trip. Getting to the northern peninsula is a challenge during any time of year. Your best option is to meet the driver further south, otherwise you could be waiting a very long time for the right carrier.