BC to Alberta Shipping Information

The main trucking terminal in British Columbia is located in Richmond, BC. Your vehicle will be transported on an open car carrier from the terminal in Richmond to the terminals in Calgary or Edmonton.

If your vehicle is being picked up from another city outside of the Lower Mainland/Vancouver area, it may be picked up by a truck and taken to the Richmond terminal to wait for the second truck to take it to Alberta. This will add a few days to the Wait/Transit Times.

If your vehicle is going to another location in Alberta other than Calgary/Edmonton/Red Deer, it will be taken to the nearest terminal and will wait for another truck to take it to its final destination.

For example, if you’re shipping from Nanaimo to Fort McMurray your vehicle will be shipped like this:

Nanaimo, BC → Richmond, BC → Edmonton, AB → Fort McMurray, AB

The wait times and transit times are approximates, and not guaranteed for the standard method of shipping. Pickup and deliveries in remote locations can take longer.

How long does it take to ship my car?

The information above shows the approximate wait times and transit times for shipping a car from British Columbia to Alberta. Departures are usually not on fixed days as they can depend on volume of vehicles already booked and ones already at the terminals assigned to a load. It is recommended to book at least 1-2 weeks in advance. Booking in advance can help decrease transit times but normally your vehicle will be placed in queue to ship once it is at the terminal.  If you are shipping by enclosed transport trailer these transit times may not apply.

What is “Wait Time” and “Transit Time”?

• The wait time is how long your vehicle will wait before it is picked up or how long it will wait to depart on the truck/train once it is dropped off at a terminal.
• The transit time is how long your vehicle will take to arrive to the next terminal once it has departed.

Will my car be shipped by multiple trucks?

For shorter moves it won’t be, but for longer shipments it will be on multiple trucks/trains before it’s delivered. Canada is the second largest country in the world and to ship a car directly in one shipment across the entire country would be very expensive. It is the most economical/inexpensive way to ship your vehicle when it’s transferred between multiple trucks/trains between major cities.