What Is a Driveaway Service?
A driveaway service, also known as vehicle relocation, sends a professional driver to drive your vehicle to its destination instead of loading it on a carrier. Cross Country Driver has provided driveaway service since 2013, with vetted drivers, a pickup window and delivery date planned with you, and door-to-door handling in the lower 48 states and Alaska.
✓ 1,000+ trips since 2013 · ✓ Licensed & Insured · ✓ Background-checked drivers · ✓ As seen on CNBC
Quick facts
- Driving customers’ cars since 2013
- 1,000+ trips completed
- Drivers are mostly ex-long-haul truckers and former police officers
- $0.75–$1.25 per mile base price, fuel and tolls at cost
- About 1,000 miles a day
- Door to door in the lower 48 states and Alaska
- Licensed & Insured
Do driveaways still exist?
Yes. The old model, where a stranger drove your car for free in exchange for the trip, has mostly disappeared. What replaced it is the professional version: a screened driver you pay per mile, who photographs the car at pickup and delivery and is accountable for it the whole way. Today it is a paid service with a pickup window and delivery date planned with you, not a favor.
Driveaway for individuals
Relocations, snowbird seasons, students, military moves and out-of-state car purchases are the bulk of our work. One driver picks the car up at your door, drives about 1,000 miles a day and delivers it on the delivery date planned with you. A reasonable amount of personal items can travel in the car. We don’t transport pets.
Driveaway for estates and multi-vehicle moves
We move vehicles for estate administrators and for families with more than one car. Each vehicle gets its own driver; multi-vehicle moves are coordinated through one point of contact. If you need corporate driver services, we occasionally drive company vehicles and quote them like any other trip. Tell us the vehicles, the addresses and the window and we will quote the job.
Driveaway vs. a car carrier
A carrier moves your car with eight others, between terminals, with a one-to-three-week window from pickup to delivery, and carriers usually limit or ban personal items in the car. A driveaway service moves your car alone, from your door, on a delivery date planned with you, with a reasonable amount of personal items inside, and nobody loads or unloads it. Carriers are cheaper on most routes; driveaway is faster and more predictable.
Professional vehicle relocation, door to door
Whatever you call it, the job is the same: one driver, one vehicle, from the address where it is to the address where it needs to be.
What a car relocation driver does
Your driver arrives on the agreed date, inspects and photographs the vehicle with you, and leaves. The driver covers about 1,000 miles a day with proper rest, and does not drive through the night. Our office tracks the trip by GPS and can tell you where the car is at any point in the trip. About eight hours before delivery, the driver calls you, and at the destination the driver walks the car with you, photographs it again and hands over the fuel and toll receipts.
What we move
Cars, SUVs, pickups and vans, and rental trucks up to 26 feet. We do not drive RVs, motorhomes or motorcycles. A reasonable amount of personal items can travel in the car; tell us what you are sending when you request a quote.
Nationwide driveaway service
We cover the lower 48 states and Alaska, with pickup anywhere and delivery to the door. Nothing is loaded, unloaded or transferred between pickup and delivery, so there are no terminals and no drop-off points to travel to. We do not serve Hawaii.
Long distance relocation
This is what the service is built for: hundreds or thousands of miles, one driver the whole way. New York to California takes 3 days or less at about 1,000 miles a day. You can fly to the destination and meet the car there.
Our vehicle relocation drivers
They are mostly ex-long-haul truckers and former police officers, interviewed and approved personally by the owner and checked before the first job. A driver who fails any step does not drive for us.
Scheduling and safety
You set the pickup window and the quote confirms the date; a week or two of notice is comfortable. We have never had an accident. Every trip carries premium AAA roadside coverage, which may cover initial towing if a vehicle breaks down.
What it costs
Driveaway is priced per mile, $0.75 to $1.25 depending on the route. Your base price includes your driver’s travel home, usually a flight, and the per-mile rate falls slightly on longer trips. A deposit is due before pickup. The rest of the base price, plus fuel and tolls at actual cost with receipts, is paid after delivery. Cash or check is fine.
Who drives
Mostly ex-long-haul truckers and former police officers, each one past a criminal, driving-record, drug and reference check before the first job, driving alone with your vehicle and never smoking in it.
Step by step: from booking to delivery
- Request a quote with the pickup and delivery addresses, the vehicle and the dates. It takes about a minute, and the owner prices every trip personally and replies within one business day.
- Approve the base price; we schedule the pickup. A week or two of notice is comfortable.
- Have proof of insurance and registration ready, and sign a short service agreement. You will have your driver’s name before pickup.
- Your driver inspects and photographs the vehicle with you at pickup, then drives about 1,000 miles a day while our office tracks the trip by GPS.
- About eight hours before delivery your driver calls you. At delivery the vehicle is photographed again and you receive the fuel and toll receipts.
Driveaway questions
What does “driveaway” mean?
A driver drives your vehicle to its destination rather than transporting it on a truck.
What is vehicle relocation?
It is another name for a driveaway: a professional driver moves your vehicle from one address to another by driving it. Ours collects it at your door and delivers it to the address you give us, anywhere in the lower 48 states and Alaska.
How far in advance should I book a driveaway?
A week or two of notice is comfortable. Tell us your pickup window in the quote request and the quote confirms the date.
Will I know who my driver is before pickup?
You will have your driver’s name before pickup, and your driver will call you about eight hours before delivery. If your insurer wants to add the driver to your policy, we provide the license details.
Can I fly while my car is driven?
Yes. Many customers fly to the destination and meet the car there, and the car arrives on the delivery date planned with you.
Can you move more than one vehicle?
Yes. Each vehicle gets its own driver and we coordinate the schedule through one contact.
Do you drive rental trucks?
Yes, U-Haul, Penske, Budget and Ryder trucks up to 26 feet, with a car in tow if needed. See driving a U-Haul cross country for how that works.
What don’t you drive?
RVs, motorhomes and motorcycles. We also do not take passengers.