Returning to New York after a Florida winter
This page is for vehicles leaving Florida and arriving in New York. Arrange the Florida pickup before you leave, identify who can hand over the keys, and confirm who will accept delivery in New York. Heading south instead? See New York to Florida auto transport.
Prepare your Florida pickup and New York delivery
- Check the car after storage. Tell dispatch whether it starts, steers, brakes and rolls. Report flat tires, a dead battery or restricted garage access before a truck is assigned.
- Explain Florida access. Give gate instructions, building pickup restrictions and the contact who can meet the driver. Ask about a nearby loading point if a carrier cannot enter the property.
- Plan New York arrival. Provide the delivery ZIP and any street, driveway or parking restrictions. Confirm a representative if your flight and the carrier arrival do not line up.
- Keep the handoff documented. Take condition photos and review the inspection record with the driver at pickup and delivery. Keep personal documents and valuables with you.
A pickup window is separate from travel time after loading. Share any firm move-out deadline before booking so dispatch can explain the available options.
Northbound seasonality and carrier availability
- October–March: Carriers go southbound loaded, northbound empty. Snowbirds and weather drive demand south. Northbound runs are cheap because carriers need backhauls. Northbound FL → NY can be $200–$400 below the southbound rate in deep winter.
- April–May (snowbird return): Sudden surge of northbound demand. Carriers can fill loads. Rates spike — sometimes briefly above southbound.
- June–August: Northbound demand from summer travelers, kids to summer homes, college relocations. Steady rates.
- September: College move-in lull on the FL side (students leaving northeast colleges). Lowest northbound pricing of the year.
If your move is flexible: mid-September through early November is the cheapest northbound window of the year.
Major reasons people ship Florida → New York
- Snowbird return (April–May, sometimes earlier) — primary driver.
- Summer house occupancy (May–August) — Northeast residents who keep cars in FL for winter.
- College relocation — kids returning to NY-area colleges (NYU, Columbia, Fordham, Cornell, Syracuse, SUNY).
- Permanent relocation back to NY — less common, but happens.
- Selling a FL car and moving the proceeds north — sometimes faster/cheaper.
- Cars wintered in FL by NY corporate offices / property managers.
FL pickup zones
Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Tampa Bay, Orlando / Central FL, SW FL (Naples, Marco, Bonita, Fort Myers), Jacksonville. These city guides describe the same Florida locations in the southbound direction; use them for local access context, not as a northbound quote — Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Naples. Pickup logistics in FL are the mirror image of delivery logistics in the southbound pages.
NY delivery zones
- Manhattan — meet-point required for most addresses. LIC, Bronx, Westside lots.
- Long Island (Nassau / Suffolk) — driveway delivery typical. Easiest NY delivery zone.
- Brooklyn — mixed. Many blocks need meet-point.
- Queens — easiest NYC borough. Mostly driveway or wide-street delivery.
- Westchester / Hudson Valley — driveway delivery typical.
- Bronx / Staten Island — generally accessible.
- Upstate (Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Ithaca) — add 1 day for Albany/Syracuse, 2 days for Buffalo.
- Hamptons / North Fork — summer surge. Most addresses driveway-accessible.
| Vehicle / service | Off-season Jun–Sep | Shoulder May, Oct–Nov | Peak Dec–Apr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedan, open, running | $700–$950 | $850–$1,200 | $900–$1,400 |
| SUV / midsize truck, open | $800–$1,100 | $1,000–$1,300 | $1,100–$1,550 |
| Full-size pickup, open | $950–$1,250 | $1,150–$1,500 | $1,300–$1,750 |
| Enclosed transport | $1,800–$2,400 | $2,000–$2,600 | $2,200–$2,800 |
Northbound carriers in October are significantly cheaper than southbound. Anyone quoting flat is taking margin instead of passing the discount.
Estimates only. Final price depends on vehicle, season, pickup/delivery accessibility, and current carrier supply on the lane.
Personal items: Most carriers allow up to ~100 lbs of personal items in the trunk at the driver's discretion. Items inside the vehicle are NOT covered by the carrier's cargo insurance — only the vehicle itself is. Don't ship anything you can't replace.