Oregon

As far as auto transport is concerned, Oregon is a little better than average.

On paper Oregon can seem normal; in reality it’s anything but. Oregon, and specifically Portland, have a very unique culture, though admittedly they do share a lot of their unique attributes with Washington and Seattle. This culture is creating a massive influx of people moving to Oregon. For every family that leaves, two move in. And this has major auto transport implications. The majority of shipments are going into Oregon. This means it’s a lot cheaper to ship a car out of Oregon than it is to ship in.

While quality of life is certainly a major factor in peoples’ decision to move to the state another, arguably more influential, shift is occurring too. Historically Oregon’s economy has depended on natural resources like timber and fishing, but lately technology is taking over. Parts of Oregon are even being called the Silicon Forest. This is creating attractive jobs and Oregon’s work climate is very favorable. Large companies like Nike, Adidas, and Intel that are based here rank very well for job satisfaction. People are happier at work and at home.

Snowbirds do not play a major role in Oregon’s auto transport. Most of western Oregon has good weather and snow doesn’t fall too often, though it does rain very frequently. Eastern Oregon, which is more mountainous but less populous, sees plenty of snow but there aren’t as many large cities in this part and snowbirds tend to come from more urban environments.

Of course another major factor at work here is the ports. While automobile transport is not huge in Oregon ports, just having a major port still provides plenty of incentive for carriers from all over to make the trip. However, Oregon ports are shipping more cars out than in which drives the price to Oregon up and the price out of Oregon down further.

Overall Oregon is somewhere above middle in terms of auto transport popularity. The population isn’t big enough for it to be quite the powerhouse that California or even Washington is, but being located between these two states is certainly helpful. And Oregon is growing. The rain can get a little annoying for drivers but the people are even mannered which makes a big difference. Remember shipment in is more expensive than shipment out for most routes so plan accordingly.