How Long Does it Take to Ship Car from Toronto to Vancouver?

Nov 24, 2021

Shipping a car from Toronto to Vancouver is very popular. Since there are a lot of vehicles that move between these two cities, the transit times can be quite accurate. The most popular mode of transportation from Toronto to Vancouver is rail and the majority of the vehicles that are moved are new vehicles being shipped to dealerships in BC. There are also a lot of privately owned cars that are shipped from Toronto to Vancouver for people who are relocating for work and school.

The length of time that it takes to ship car from Toronto to Vancouver depends on a few different factors:

The first factor is the shipping mode. The modes of transport are rail, open trailer trucking, and enclosed trailer trucking.
Another factor that can impact how long it takes to ship is the “wait time”. This is the length of time that it will take from when your car is ready to ship until it is loaded on a train or truck. Vehicles are shipped on a first come first serve basis and if demand for shipping from Toronto to Vancouver is high, your vehicle will have to wait until a railcar or a truck is available with an open spot for your car.
- For example, if you’re shipping by rail, once your vehicle is at the rail terminal, it could take on average 6 days wait time before there’s another railcar that is leaving for Vancouver. If you’re shipping by open or enclosed trucking, it could take up to 2-3 weeks before there’s availability.
Another factor that can affect the transit times is how many vehicles you wish to ship. If you’re shipping 10 vehicles by rail, the wait time may be lower than 6 days. This can also apply to the trucking mode. If you have 8 vehicles that you want to move by truck, there may be more options available in getting your vehicles moved as quickly as possible.

When a vehicle is loaded in Toronto and on route to Vancouver, how long will it take to arrive?

Rail

The railcar holding 10 vehicles makes its way across Canada and is only unloaded when it arrives at the destination in Vancouver. It takes on average 10 days for the train to make this trip.

Enclosed Autorak railcar designed for transporting vehicles.

Open Trailer Trucking

The truck that holds 7-10 cars leaves Toronto and will slowly make its way across the country. While the final destination is Vancouver, the truck may have other pickups and deliveries in other major cities. Vehicles could also get dropped off at a terminal in another city like Calgary, and get loaded onto a second trailer that will take them to Vancouver. It could take about 14 days to arrive in Vancouver.

Open Truck with car carrier trailer capable of holding 7-10 vehicles.

Enclosed Trailer Trucking

The enclosed truck that holds 5-6 automobiles leaves Toronto and will make its way to Vancouver. There can be other pickups and deliveries along the route, so the transit time can be about 7 days.

Enclosed Trailer designed for high-value and antique vehicles.

Estimated length of time to ship a car from Toronto to Vancouver (for 1 vehicle being shipped at a time)

Here’s a table of the approximate transit times to ship a car from Toronto to Vancouver, for each transport mode (2021).

	Wait Time	Transit Time	Overall
Rail/Train	6 days	10 days	16 days
Open Truck	7-21 days	14 days	21-35 days
Enclosed Truck	14-21 days	7 days	21-28 days

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