Car shipping from Rochester to Florida
We run Upstate New York to Florida every week, both ways, in our own trucks - and our Ontario yard is the closest one to Rochester, straight out Route 104. Drop the car there instead of a door pickup and it takes $50 off.
Two ways to hand us the car
At your door
Any weekday, Monday to Friday
We come to you anywhere around Rochester and bring the car onto that week's southbound run. Easiest option, and the price is the price.
At the Ontario yard
Monday to Thursday - no Fridays
930 NY 104, Ontario, NY 14519. Twenty-odd minutes east of the city on 104. Leave it with us and $50 comes off the price.
If Ontario is awkward, our other yard is 7230 Schuyler Rd, East Syracuse, NY 13057, and the same $50 applies there.
When the truck actually moves
Whichever way you hand it over, the car goes south on the same weekly run.
| Direction | We collect | It usually arrives |
|---|---|---|
| Down to Florida | Thursday and Friday out of the Northeast | The following Tuesday, sometimes Monday to Wednesday |
| Back to Rochester | Tuesday and Wednesday in Florida | That Friday, or the Monday after |
Three to five days on the road is the normal run. Florida pickups stay on those Tuesday and Wednesday days - that is simply when the truck is down there.
Winter, and why a date can move
Half the reason anyone reading this is going south in the first place is the weather coming off the lake. That same weather is the main thing that moves a pickup day, and we would rather say so now than surprise you in January.
A bad lake-effect week can push a collection by a day. When it does, you hear it from us - a phone call, not silence. The dates above are how the run normally goes, not a promise, and nothing about a delayed day costs you anything.
Book early for the seasonal rush. Southbound fills through the autumn and northbound through the spring. Those are the weeks worth planning ahead on.
What it costs
There is no flat rate worth quoting, because an honest one does not exist - it depends on the car and the week. You get a firm price up front, usually the same day you ask, and it does not move afterwards.
- Where in Florida. Jacksonville is a shorter run than Naples or Miami
- How big the vehicle is. A three-row SUV takes more deck than a sedan
- Whether it runs. A non-runner is winched on and needs the right spot
- Time of year. The seasonal weeks are busier in both directions
- Door or yard. Ontario or East Syracuse takes $50 off
What we carry
- Cars, trucks and SUVs on open carriers, up to nine at a time
- Vehicles that do not start. Say so when you ask and we will put you where the winch can reach
- Two cars on one booking - couples heading down together do this most weeks
- Dealer and auction vehicles, dealer to dealer
Before we collect
- Quarter tank of fuel or less. It keeps the load legal at the weigh stations
- E-ZPass off the windshield. It will scan on the road and bill you
- Nothing loose or aftermarket - tire covers, spoilers, roof boxes. Those can shift at speed and are not covered
- Empty it if you can. By law we carry vehicles, not freight. If a few things stay: nothing in the front seats or under them, back seat below the window line, no plants, nothing time-sensitive like medication
Questions we get from Rochester
Is the drive out to Ontario worth $50?
For most people, yes - it is a straight run east on 104 and you are back in under an hour. If you are on the west side, out toward Greece or Chili, the door pickup usually makes more sense. Ask us and we will tell you honestly which one we would pick.
Which towns do you collect from?
Anywhere around the city - Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Irondequoit, Greece, Victor and the rest. A car carrier is around eighty feet long, so if your street is tight we may ask to meet a few minutes away at a plaza. We will tell you that when you book, not on the day.
What if it snows the week I am booked?
We move the day and call you. No fee, no argument. Trucks run through Upstate winters every year, but we will not put your car on the road in something genuinely bad just to hold a date.
I am flying down - can the car get there before me?
Usually, and it is worth planning that way. Tell us your flight date when you ask for the quote and we will work backwards from it. If nobody is there to receive the car, someone you trust can sign for it, and paying online ahead of time keeps the handover simple.
Can you take both our cars?
Yes, and on one booking. Two cars going to the same address is the most common thing we load in the autumn.
Do you bring it back in the spring?
Yes. It is a separate booking rather than a round trip, so you are not tied to a return date in October, and the northbound run is the same crew and the same schedule in reverse.
Ready when you are
Tell us where the car is, where it needs to be, and what it is. A firm price comes back, usually the same day.
Empire Auto Transportation Group INC · 3546 Walters Rd, Syracuse, NY 13209 ·
(315) 488-2523 ·
dispatch@empirets.com
Dates on this page are how the run normally goes, not a guarantee - weather and road
rules move things by a day now and then. The full terms are on the
terms page.