Instant all-in quotes and licensed, insured carriers for anyone shipping a vehicle out of Cerritos or anywhere in the LA–Orange County line — with a local coordinator on the (562) line.
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Cerritos is home to the Cerritos Auto Square — one of the largest dealer clusters in the country — right at the 91/605 interchange. Carriers delivering new inventory to the Auto Square leave empty daily, which makes Cerritos one of the cheapest and fastest places in Southern California to ship a vehicle out.
Dealer transfers, lease returns and new-car deliveries are a huge part of our Cerritos volume, alongside family moves out of the city's wide, planned neighborhoods — which are about as carrier-friendly as any in LA County. Studebaker Rd, South St and Artesia Blvd handle any size hauler; residential pickups are almost always true door-to-door.
Typical days on the road once loaded. Winter passes and summer heat can add a day; your coordinator will say so up front.
The Cerritos Auto Square is one of the largest dealership clusters in the United States — dozens of franchises on one square of streets at the 91/605 interchange — and it shapes auto transport in Cerritos more than anything else. Carriers deliver new inventory there every day, from the ports and from factories across the country, and they leave with empty spots on the trailer. A resident of Cerritos, Artesia, La Palma, Norwalk, Lakewood, Hawaiian Gardens, Bellflower or Buena Park shipping a car to Phoenix, Seattle, Dallas or New York is, in effect, buying one of those empty spots on a truck that's already leaving — which is why Cerritos is one of the cheapest and fastest places in Southern California to ship a vehicle out.
Golden State Auto Transport's Cerritos office is on Artesia Boulevard, a few blocks from the Auto Square and the 91. When you request a quote on this page, your details go to licensed, insured carriers already working the Auto Square and the 91/605 corridor, and a coordinator on the local (562) number manages your shipment.
A large share of what moves through the Cerritos office is dealer work. Franchises on the Square send trades and sold units to sister stores in other states, receive inventory from factories and ports, and ship vehicles to buyers who purchased online or by phone from across the West. Lease-return companies move off-lease vehicles to auction sites. Brokers and wholesalers buy on the Square and ship to their own lots. The coordinator keeps each dealer's lot addresses, release procedures and preferred carriers on file so every shipment is a single call or email; arranges releases in the driver's name before the pickup window opens; combines units headed to the same destination on one trailer; and tracks the whole group so a fleet manager knows where every unit is. Dealers that ship regularly can ask about a standing rate on their busiest lanes.
Buyers in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Texas and beyond regularly purchase from the Cerritos Auto Square and ship the car home rather than fly in. The sequence: the buyer authorizes the release, the dealer provides a release in the driver's name, the driver inspects and photographs the car on the lot, and the carrier delivers to the buyer's door or a nearby lot. Settle title, payment and any dealer paperwork before the pickup window opens so the carrier isn't caught in the middle. Ask the dealer for photos of the car on the lot and compare the delivered car against those and the carrier's pickup sheet before signing. For a new luxury vehicle, consider a covered trailer; ask about the per-vehicle limit on the carrier's policy. The Cerritos coordinator handles these transactions every week.
Cerritos was planned in the 1960s and '70s with wide, curving residential streets, cul-de-sacs with room to turn, and no hills. For a full-size car carrier it's one of the easiest cities in the county. The neighborhoods around Cerritos Regional Park, Liberty Park, the Cerritos Towne Center area and the tracts off Bloomfield, Carmenita and Studebaker all take a hauler, and door-to-door pickup is the norm. Artesia Boulevard, South Street, 183rd Street, Studebaker Road, Bloomfield Avenue and Carmenita Road all handle a truck. The exceptions are the condo and townhome complexes with gated lots, a few of the tighter cul-de-sacs, and the older, narrower blocks of neighboring Artesia and Hawaiian Gardens — for those, the driver meets you at the Towne Center lots or along Artesia Boulevard, a few minutes away.
Beyond the dealers: families relocating for jobs in Seattle, the Bay Area, Austin and Dallas; parents sending a car to a student at a university in Arizona, Utah, Texas or the Northeast; retirees heading to Arizona and Nevada; residents sending a vehicle to relatives in Houston or Phoenix; and a steady number of buyers bringing a car home from an out-of-state auction. Cerritos has a high share of newer vehicles and EVs, so covered trailers and EV-specific handling are regular requests. Cerritos College adds a smaller student cycle each semester.
Here's the thing people in Cerritos don't always realize: the brand-new car they just bought on the Square arrived on an open two-deck trailer, because that's how every dealership in the country receives inventory. So open transport is perfectly normal for a daily driver, an SUV or a student's car, and it's the cheapest and quickest option. The case for a covered trailer is specific — a new Porsche or Lexus whose owner wants it under a roof, an EV, a classic, a car with fresh paint. Covered means fewer cars on the truck, a liftgate instead of ramps, and a higher price. For a plug-in, ship at a partial charge with transport mode on and the cameras off, and expect it on the bottom deck. Both numbers show up in the quote.
Think of a Cerritos quote as the empty-spot price on a truck that's already leaving the Square, adjusted for where it's going and what it's carrying. Phoenix and Las Vegas are cheap because the trucks go there constantly. San Jose is efficient on the 5. Seattle costs more per mile because a driver wants the trailer full before a long northern run. Dallas and Houston are long but so heavily traveled that the per-mile rate is good. New York is the longest and the cheapest per mile. A large SUV or a heavy EV takes more of the trailer; a non-runner needs a winch; a covered trailer costs more. Flexibility is the Cerritos advantage — with trucks leaving the Square every day, a window of three to five days almost always finds one — and the price reflects it. Everything's included in the number on this page.
Model-year changeover in late summer and fall is the Auto Square's peak and puts the most carriers on the road. June and July are family relocation season. Late August is student week; mid-May the return. October and November for retirees heading to the desert. The two weeks after Christmas are quiet for residents but busy for dealers clearing year-end inventory. Inside a peak, book two to three weeks ahead if your dates are fixed.
The driver calls the day before; you agree on a weekday mid-morning when the cul-de-sac is quiet. The car's been washed. The truck pulls up, you walk the car together while the sheet is filled in, you read it and keep your copy, and you hand over a spare key. Glovebox and trunk empty, toll tag in your pocket, a quarter tank or a half charge, mirrors in, alarm explained. A non-runner has a winch waiting because you said so at the quote. Twenty minutes, and the car is on its way to the 91.
On the trailer, the car is under the carrier's cargo policy — confirmed current before dispatch. The sheet from your driveway says how it left; the delivery sheet says how it arrived; the carrier answers for the difference. For a new Lexus or a Model Y, ask the coordinator what the per-vehicle limit on that policy is before you book. Photograph at both ends, write anything new on the delivery sheet before signing, and the coordinator runs the claim.
Inbound through this office: inventory for the Square from factories and ports, a family's cars arriving from Seattle, a student's car home from Arizona, a buyer's find from a Texas auction. The coordinator follows the truck, calls with a delivery window, and — Cerritos being Cerritos — the car usually ends up in the driveway.
A common Cerritos request: the lease is up, the car has to go back to a dealer in another state, and driving it there makes no sense. The process is a standard shipment with two details. The receiving dealer has to know the car is coming and be able to inspect and sign for it — give the coordinator the dealer's name, address and a contact who handles returns, and confirm the return appointment with the dealer separately. And the lease company's wear-and-tear inspection is separate from the carrier's condition sheet; photograph the car thoroughly at pickup so any pre-existing wear is on the record before the return inspection happens. Book two to three weeks before the lease-end date to leave room for transit.
From late summer into fall, the Auto Square turns over its inventory, and that's the busiest stretch of the year for carriers on the 91/605 corridor. For a resident, it cuts both ways: more trucks are leaving the Square with empty spots, so standard-service pickups are quick and well-priced, but covered trailers are in heavy demand for new luxury deliveries and may need two to three weeks' notice. If you're shipping a daily driver in September, flexibility gets you a very good price; if you're shipping a new Porsche, book early.
An office next to the Auto Square knows the release procedures, knows that trucks leave the Square with empty spots every day, knows which Cerritos streets take a hauler, and knows how to ship an EV. Golden State Auto Transport pairs you with licensed, insured carriers checked for operating authority, safety history and current cargo coverage, and the coordinator stays with the car until it's signed for. Use the instant quote above or call the Cerritos office at the number at the top of the page.
New to shipping a car? Read how it works, what goes into the cost, and the pickup checklist.
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