If you know anything about Texas, you know it’s big. It is, in fact, the second-largest state by both total area and total population, behind only Alaska and California, respectively. This typically means that Texas auto transport services are easy to find, on the whole, depending on where you’re shipping from or to.

Texas auto transport services are relatively easy to find, at least to and from major cities. With how big the state is in terms of total area, there are plenty of towns and cities in Texas that aren’t easy to ship to or from. That said, there are also some really, really big cities in Texas that are.

This article is going to focus on the top Texas auto transport destinations. We’ll give you reasons as to why they are the top destinations and what you can expect when shipping your vehicle to or from them. We’ll also discuss how we here at ASQ can help you get your next vehicle shipped.

A brief overview of Texas auto transport services

Typically, moving vehicles in and out of most areas of Texas isn’t too big a deal. The state has numerous cities and metropolitan areas with high populations that attract carriers. Not only that, it’s one of the main thoroughfares along several east-west and north-south highways, including I-10, I-20, and I-35. These are major routes carriers use to get around the southern United States and the Midwest. So carrier availability tends to be high for shipments in and out of the state.

The main issue with Texas auto transport services comes when you’re shipping to or from areas that aren’t near major cities or highways. These attract fewer carriers because they’re off the beaten path, as it were. As carriers see their time as money (and you should too), taking extra time to go to a rural pickup location tends to increase prices on those routes. Not only are prices usually higher on rural routes, but they also tend to take longer to assign to a carrier to begin with.

This article isn’t about those areas, though. Let’s talk about the big cities in Texas and auto transportation services to and from those.

Houston, Texas auto transport

Houston is the largest city in the state of Texas by total population. Home to over 2.3 million residents, it is the largest city in Texas, the 4th-largest in the United States, and the 6th-largest in North America. Because of its size, Houston should not be difficult to ship to and from; if anything, it’s one of the most popular locations in the state!

Houston sits along several major interstates that run in all four directions. It is the center of the Houston Metropolitan Area as well, which is home to over seven million. This many people makes it easy for carriers to find customers shipping out of Houston and, with so many people shipping there, it’s easy for them to find loads to get them to the city as well.

What all this does is it makes your shipment faster and cheaper. Now, this isn’t a universal statement; there are still many other factors that can influence the time it takes to ship a car and its costs. But, on the whole, Houston is one of the cheapest cities in Texas to ship into and out of on a per-mile basis.

What to know about San Antonio auto shipping

San Antonio is the second-largest city in Texas by population, but it doesn’t see the amount of traffic that Houston or Dallas do. But that begs the question – why?

If you look at a map, it becomes pretty clear. While San Antonio is the second-largest city in the state, it’s also located much further south than the rest of them. The problem with that is the fact that Texas borders Mexico to the south, and not another U.S. state. As U.S. car carriers don’t travel across international boundaries, they can only go so far into Texas before they have to turn around.

Houston, Dallas, and even Austin are much easier for them. They don’t have to travel as far to get to them, which means they spend less time on the road when shipping to those cities. San Antonio doesn’t have anything major that’s south of it, so it’s really the most popular southern terminus in the state. Carriers that have to go all the way to San Antonio will charge more because of the extra distance they have to travel.

However, it won’t be that big of a difference. Aside from being further away from other major cities in the state, San Antonio is still a popular shipping location. You shouldn’t have any issues shipping to or from the city.

Learn about Dallas auto transport

Though Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas by total population, it’s widely regarded as the most popular auto shipping location in the state. There are a few reasons for that, the biggest being that the Dallas metro area is the largest in the state. More importantly, though, is the fact that Dallas anchors what is known as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, a massive, densely-populated area that is very popular with carriers.

Fort Worth, it should be noted, is also on this list – it’s the fifth-largest city in the state. And, more importantly, it sits only a few miles away from Dallas. So, when carriers travel to Dallas, they can easily find vehicles both in Dallas and in Fort Worth without having to travel long distances for pickup or delivery. This makes it a lot easier for them to build their loads and figure out where they’re going next.

The size of the Dallas-Forth Worth area also makes it cheaper for carriers to run their routes. Fuel is less expensive in the south, and with the ability to get multiple vehicles in a single area, they’re able to save more still on fuel costs. This makes Dallas one of the cheapest areas to ship a vehicle to or from – though, of course, it also depends on where the vehicle is coming from or going to as well.

All about Austin car transport

Located along I-35, Austin sits three hours south of Dallas and three hours west of Houston. It also sits about an hour or so north of San Antonio.

This central location is a crucial part of what makes Austin auto shipping services cheaper, faster, and easier for customers. As we’ve talked about a few times, carriers run routes through major cities with lots of demand for their services. Austin meets both of those requirements. But carriers also want to run routes that easily take them from one major city to another. Austin allows them to do this as well.

While not all carriers will be traveling through Dallas and then south to Austin or San Antonio, there are still plenty that will. And, carriers can easily go south into Austin before heading east to Houston or west to El Paso and the western U.S. Also, as Austin is the capital of the entire state, there tends to be a bit more popularity for car transport services to and from that area as well.

As a cultural and economic hub that sits in between three other major metropolitan areas, shipping to or from Austin should not be hard.

A bit about Fort Worth

Now we come to the last city on our list, Fort Worth. There’s not much to be said about Fort Worth that hasn’t been said about any of the other major cities in Texas. It’s big – the fifth-largest city in the state. It also sits close to Dallas, which makes it easier for carriers to get to and from. It’s cheap to ship to and from the city, at least in comparison to more rural areas in the state. And it’s Texas; it may be big, but it’s still one of the most popular places to ship a vehicle in the entire United States.

In other words, no matter where you’re shipping from or to, Fort Worth will cost about the same as Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio. In fact, all five cities on this list are so close to one another that the differences in prices are usually less than $100.

It doesn’t really matter when you ship, either. Many areas, especially in the northern U.S., have to deal with winter weather. And while Texas can experience snow and ice, it’s not as common as in the north. Carriers, therefore, have an easier time getting into and out of Texas during the slower winter months. This also helps keep prices lower.

Let ASQ help you ship your car to Texas

If you’re interested in shipping a vehicle to or from the state of Texas, we can help! We have compiled reviews of top-rated auto transport companies that you can work with to ship your vehicle. We have taken our time to make sure that these companies are already top-rated by customers. Not only that, we also make sure they are fully licensed and bonded.

More importantly, we’ve done our due diligence and made sure these companies are actually quality companies. We’ve looked at customer reviews on several websites, including Transport Reviews and the Better Business Bureau. We’ve found companies that are highly regarded in the industry. This way, you know you’ll be in good hands from booking to delivery.

But don’t take our word for it – go ahead and read those reviews yourself. You can see what services they offer, what areas they service, vehicles they ship, and more. Then, you can contact those companies to get your questions answered, get quotes, book your shipment, and more.