Palm Desert, CA Car Shipping

Preparing your vehicle for transport from Palm Desert, CA is simple. Follow these key steps:

Clean your vehicle: Wash the exterior so you can document any existing damage with photos.

Remove personal items: Take out all belongings, toll tags, and loose items. These aren’t covered by carrier insurance.

Check fluids and battery: Ensure your car is in good running condition with no leaks. The battery should be charged.

Maintain fuel level: Keep your gas tank between 1/4 and 1/2 full. This reduces weight while allowing the driver to load and unload your vehicle.

Disable alarms: Turn off any car alarms to prevent issues during transport.

Remove or secure accessories: Take off custom parts, antennas, spoilers, or bike racks that could get damaged.

Provide a key: Have a working key ready for the driver.

For complete details, visit our Vehicle Shipping Tips page. These simple steps help ensure a smooth pickup and delivery for your Palm Desert car shipment.

Yes, your vehicle is fully insured when transporting from Palm Desert, CA. All Sherpa Auto Transport carriers must carry a minimum of $1,000,000 in liability insurance and $100,000 in cargo insurance.

Before your shipment, we verify that your assigned carrier’s insurance is valid and current. We also require all carriers to add Sherpa as a Certificate Holder on their policy for added protection.

This means your vehicle is covered from pickup in Palm Desert through delivery to your destination. You can ship with confidence knowing professional insurance protects your car throughout the entire journey.

We recommend scheduling your car shipping from Palm Desert, CA at least 1-2 weeks in advance. However, booking earlier gives you the best results.

Here’s why early booking helps:

• Better pricing: Carriers can plan efficient routes and bundle multiple vehicles
• More options: You’ll have access to more available carriers and pickup dates
• Flexibility: You can choose pickup times that work best for your schedule

If you need faster service, we offer expedited shipping with pickups in as little as 24-48 hours. This costs more but works well for urgent moves.

Palm Desert’s location in the Coachella Valley means regular carrier traffic, especially during peak season (October-April). Booking early ensures you secure a spot during busy times.

No payment is due at the time of booking. We do require a payment method on file so that it is available to charge once a carrier is secured. We accept all major debit and credit cards, including Mastercard, Visa, Discover and American Express. The most convenient option is to pay for your shipment in full by credit card at the time a carrier is secured.

We also allow you to pay for your Initial Payment via credit or debit card and then pay the outstanding balance on delivery day via cash or a certified check made out to the carrier.

Your Sherpa shipment includes up to 100 lbs of personal items or household goods stored in the trunk area or secured below the window line. If you are shipping to or from a port or your shipment includes ocean transit, your vehicle must be emptied of all items. Sherpa and your assigned carrier cannot be responsible for personal items left inside the vehicle. See our Vehicle Shipping Tips for more details.

Yes. It is important that you, or another adult that you trust, is there for pickup and delivery of your vehicle. This designated person plays an important role in the shipping process including documenting the state of the vehicle and signing the Bill of Lading, which acts as a receipt of the vehicle’s condition.

Open auto transport uses open-air trailers that carry multiple vehicles at once. Your car is exposed to weather and road debris during transit. This is the most popular and affordable option—about 90% of vehicles shipped in and out of Palm Desert use open transport.

Enclosed auto transport uses fully covered trailers that protect your vehicle from the elements. It costs 50-60% more than open transport, but provides maximum protection for high-value, classic, luxury, or custom vehicles.

For most standard vehicles, open transport is perfectly safe and cost-effective. Choose enclosed transport if you’re shipping a classic car, exotic vehicle, or any car with a custom paint job that needs extra protection from dust and debris. Learn more in our open vs enclosed auto transport guide.

Yes, we offer door-to-door auto transport service for Palm Desert residents. This means we’ll pick up your vehicle from your home or business and deliver it directly to your destination address.

Here’s how it works:

At Pickup: The carrier will come to your specified address in Palm Desert to load your vehicle onto the transport truck.

At Delivery: Your car will be delivered right to your door at the destination address you provide.

In most cases, our carriers can access residential streets and driveways throughout Palm Desert. However, if your location has narrow streets, low-hanging trees, or tight turns that a large carrier truck cannot safely navigate, we’ll work with you to find a convenient nearby meeting spot. This might be a shopping center parking lot, gas station, or other accessible location close to your address.

Door-to-door service saves you time and hassle. You won’t need to drive to a terminal or drop-off location. We handle the logistics so you can focus on your move.

Many Auto Transport companies try to tease customers with lower rates, only to surprise you with “hidden costs” later. At Sherpa Auto Transport, we do things differently. We provide one locked-in price upfront and stick to it. If unexpected costs arise, we pay them out of our own pocket.

While we may not always be the cheapest option at first glance, our commitment to transparency and reliability offers exceptional value. As a premium service, we ensure an stress-free experience from start to finish.

We transport sedans, SUVs, pickup trucks, vans and motorcycles across the nation, including service to Alaska and Hawaii. At this time, we do not service boats, golf carts, ATVs, or RVs. We can ship both operable and inoperable vehicles so long as the vehicle can roll, brake, and steer, and that you can provide the carrier with a key to the vehicle. We can also ship electric vehicles.

Visit Sherpa’s FAQ page to learn more about car shipping!