Do you need your car shipped to or from Tacoma, Washington? If so, we can help! But there are things that you need to know when shipping a vehicle to or from Tacoma. You should also know a bit about the city itself, especially if you’re moving there.

Whether you’re moving to Tacoma or just transporting a vehicle to or from there, knowledge is power. We’ll discuss the city itself, including its size and its history, as well as what to expect when shipping a car to or from Tacoma.

Basic facts about Tacoma

Tacoma is the third-largest city in the state of Washington, home to over 219,000 residents. Located in the Puget Sound region, about half an hour away from Seattle, Tacoma is a major port and transportation hub in the region. Though it pales in size to Seattle, it is still the main business hub for the South Sound region – a region home to over a million people.

The city’s growth was spurred by the development of the railroads. In the late 19th century, Tacoma was chosen as the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. This decision led to immediate growth, as Tacoma would become the crossroads of both rail commerce and overseas commerce.

Developing into a major industrial center of Puget Sound, Tacoma saw its industry begin to wane during the latter half of the 20th century. Today, like many American cities, it has diversified, moving away from industry as a major sector of the economy. Downtown Tacoma has been revitalizing itself since the 1990’s, and today the city is a major destination for students, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and more.

Basics about shipping to or from Tacoma

When you ship a car, it’s (usually) moved on an open ten-car hauler. These are big auto transport trucks that can move up to ten vehicles at a time. These carriers like to stay on major interstate highways as best they can.

The only interstate highway that services Tacoma is Interstate 5. This highway, however, runs from the northern border with Canada clear south to the southern border with Mexico. It services major cities such as Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

I-5 is the main route auto transporters like to take to get up and down the west coast. If they’re coming from the east, they’ll usually take an east-west highway such as I-10 (through the south) or I-90 (through the north). The former intersects with I-5 in Los Angeles while the latter connects with the 5 in Seattle.

This gives auto transporters lots of ways to get to or from Tacoma along major highways, which is great when it comes to prices and transit times.

What to know about auto shipping to Tacoma

As the city sits in the northwest corner of the country, auto shippers are coming from the south or the east. Most transporters that service the Puget Sound area (which includes Tacoma) use it as their western terminus. Many carrier companies are headquartered in Tacoma, Seattle, and other parts of the sound for this reason.

It also helps that Tacoma is the third-largest city in Washington and the second-largest in the Puget Sound area, after Seattle. It’s relatively easy for carriers to get to, and storage is easy to find if you can’t be there for pickup and delivery.

All of this helps to make it easier to find a carrier in a timely manner. Auto shippers want to travel to and from major cities along major interstate highways. With Tacoma located along I-5 and as a popular shipping location for customers, it’s an area where carriers are often traveling to and from.

Finding a carrier to transport a vehicle into or out of Tacoma should not be difficult. However, there are still some things you’ll want to know, particularly when it comes to the prices that you pay to ship to or from the Tacoma area.

How auto transport prices to Tacoma compare

Tacoma is not the cheapest area to ship a vehicle to or from. However, it is also far from the most expensive.

As we mentioned, auto transporters like big cities that sit along major interstates. But there’s something else they like too: smaller cities that sit along major interstates. Tacoma is one of those cities. It sits between Portland, Oregon, and Seattle. This makes it a popular stopover point for carriers not based in the Puget Sound area.

In other words, carriers traveling up and down the east coast can find loads to and from Tacoma with ease. This is also true for carriers servicing the northern United States along I-90.

This helps keep prices lower because Tacoma is already on the way. It’s not much trouble for a carrier to stop along Interstate 5 in California, pick up a car, put it on a truck, and continue north through Oregon. Same goes for cross-country trips.

Carriers want freight to and from big cities along major interstate highways, or smaller cities in between major cities on that interstate highway. Because Tacoma satisifes this, prices tend to be on par with most routes in terms of a per-mile price. And since auto transport prices are already competitive, it just means you shouldn’t have a hard time finding a carrier to move your vehicle at a decent rate.

Tips on auto transport to or from Tacoma

Between its proximity to Seattle, its status as a major port on the west coast, and its location along two major interstate highways, finding auto transport to or from Tacoma shouldn’t be hard. That said, there are still things you can do to make your shipment easier in the long run.

Be prepared to meet your carrier. Tacoma is a major city, the third-largest in Washington State. As such, it has a pretty crowded downtown, and its suburbs are older, and hard to access for major carriers.

By being prepared to meet your carrier somewhere they can access, such as a large parking lot at a Walmart or something, you save time and hassle on pickup or delivery.

Also make sure to follow the shipping checklist. Be sure to only have a quarter of a tank of fuel in your vehicle, and make sure it is clear of personal items. This will also make things easier at pickup.

If you’re shipping from a small town, think about moving it to a bigger city nearby. Or, at the very least, be willing to meet your carrier along a major interstate. Not all carriers go to Tacoma; many stop in Seattle before heading back east. Meeting along an interstate outside of Tacoma can save you time and money.

Ship a car to Tacoma Today with American Auto Shipping

If you’re shipping a vehicle to or from Washington, we can help! Here at American Auto Shipping, we have spent over 20 years helping our customers move their vehicles, and we can help you too.

We can ship a vehicle to or from anywhere in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. We know all the ins and outs to get your vehicle moved at a great rate when you need it moved.

Feel free to fill out our online quote request form, or give us a call at 800-930-7417. Either way, you can get a free quote to ship your vehicle. If you talk to a representative on the phone, they can answer your questions, give you a quote, book your shipment, and much more.

So no matter what you’re shipping, or where it’s coming from or going to, let us here at American Auto Shipping help you get it moved.


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Local References

Tacoma Zip Codes Include:

98401, 98402, 98403, 98404, 98405, 98406, 98407, 98408, 98409, 98411, 98412, 98413, 98415, 98416, 98417, 98418, 98419, 98421, 98422, 98424, 98431, 98433, 98443, 98444, 98445, 98446, 98447, 98448, 98464, 98465, 98466, 98471, 98481, 98490, 98493

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