What is expedited car shipping?
Expedited car shipping with Wave Auto Transport means a pickup window of 1–2 days after booking, against 3–5 days for regular service.
Expedited means a faster carrier is chosen. When a broker has a choice of carriers for a load and the customer wants a faster pickup and a faster delivery, the broker picks the faster carrier. Carriers usually charge a small premium for delivering faster, and we don't state a figure for that premium. Sometimes a carrier runs two drivers who switch off at the wheel, which lets the truck keep moving while one driver rests.
How much does expedited car shipping cost?
Expedited costs more because carriers usually charge a small premium for delivering faster. We don't state a figure for that premium.
Your price is the live quote from the quote form, specific to your car, route and dates. A guaranteed pickup window is a separate paid option. Wave sells it at a premium, and it covers the pickup window only, not the delivery date. For reference ranges by distance that apply to any shipment, see how much it costs to ship a car. For what the term guaranteed pickup means across the industry, see the guaranteed pickup entry.
How does expedited car shipping work, step by step?
An expedited shipment has a pickup window of 1–2 days after booking, and the faster carrier is chosen when the load is assigned.
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How do expedited, regular and flexible service compare?
Expedited has a pickup window of 1–2 days, regular 3–5 days and flexible 6–15 days, and all three share one transit figure per route.
A pickup window is an estimate, not a deadline. The service level sets the pickup window; the trailer type, such as open car shipping, is a separate choice.
| What is compared | Expedited | Regular | Flexible |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickup window, counted from booking | 1–2 days after booking | 3–5 days after booking | 6–15 days after booking |
| Guarantee on the delivery date | Not offered. | Not offered. | Not offered. |
| Transit figure on a route page | One figure per route, shared with the other two service levels. | One figure per route, shared with the other two service levels. | One figure per route, shared with the other two service levels. |
When expedited is not the right choice
Expedited is not the right choice when you need a fixed delivery date, because Wave Auto Transport does not offer a guarantee on the delivery date at any service level.
A closing, a lease return or a flight does not change that: expedited gives a pickup window of 1–2 days, which is an estimate, and a faster carrier is chosen, but no delivery date is promised. If the date that matters is the pickup date, a guaranteed pickup window is the paid option that commits to the window; the guaranteed pickup entry defines the term. How far ahead to book covers how flexible dates fit the regular and flexible windows.
What we do and don't do for an expedited shipment
Wave Auto Transport arranges expedited car shipping as a broker, choosing a carrier for the load, and the carrier, not Wave, runs the truck and its drivers.
Wave does not own trucks or employ drivers, so a second driver on an expedited load belongs to the carrier. Wave checks that a carrier's equipment and registrations are in order before the carrier is dispatched. Wave Auto Transport ships within the continental United States only. See the line between what a broker arranges and what a carrier does on the broker versus carrier comparison.
Expedited car shipping FAQs
- How does expedited car shipping actually work?
Expedited car shipping works by choosing a faster carrier, and it comes with a pickup window of 1–2 days after booking. When a broker has a choice of carriers, the faster one is chosen. Carriers usually charge a small premium for that, and sometimes the carrier runs two drivers who switch off at the wheel. Pickup window and transit time are added together in how long it takes to ship a car.
- How much more does expedited car shipping cost?
We don't state a figure for it. Carriers usually charge a small premium for delivering faster, and the live quote shows the price for your shipment at the expedited service level.
- Is expedited the same as guaranteed pickup?
No. Expedited is a service level with a pickup window of 1–2 days after booking, and that window is an estimate. A guaranteed pickup window is a separate paid option that covers the pickup window only, never the delivery date. The question of whether a guaranteed pickup date can be had is answered on the page about how far ahead to book.
- Does expedited get my car delivered sooner?
Yes, because expedited means a faster carrier is chosen, and faster delivery goes with that choice, including the cases where the carrier runs two drivers. Wave does not guarantee the delivery date, and each route page publishes one transit figure for all three service levels rather than a separate expedited figure.
- Is expedited same-day pickup?
No. Expedited pickup is a window of 1–2 days after booking, not same-day pickup, and the window is an estimate and not a deadline.
- What are team drivers in car shipping?
Team drivers are two drivers who share one truck and switch off at the wheel, and carriers sometimes run them. Federal rule 49 CFR 395.3 allows a driver of a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle a total of 11 hours of driving within the 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty. The limit is written for each driver. Wave does not employ drivers; any team belongs to the carrier.
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