Car shipping to and from San Luis, Arizona

San Luis is the southwesternmost city in Arizona, on the border across from San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora. US 95 connects it to Yuma, about 25 miles north, by way of Gadsden and Somerton. State Route 195 gives trucks a second way in, running from Interstate 8 east of Yuma straight down to the commercial port of entry.

Carriers come to San Luis from Yuma. In practice that means a San Luis pickup is usually paired with a Yuma stop on the same day, and our two offices plan those runs together. If you can offer three or four possible pickup days, scheduling is much easier. Streets in the newer subdivisions are narrow, with cars parked on both sides, so drivers often load along Cesar Chavez Boulevard, on Main Street or in a large store parking lot, and you bring the vehicle to them.

Many of our San Luis customers have never shipped a vehicle before. The process is simpler than people expect, and it helps to know what you'll be asked for.

To get a price we need five things: where the car is, where it's going, the year, make and model, whether it runs, and the first day it can be picked up. You don't need the title to ship a car inside the United States, and the driver won't ask for it. You do need to be the owner or have the owner's permission.

At pickup, the driver fills out an inspection report, sometimes called a bill of lading. It's a diagram of the car with every existing scratch, dent and chip marked on it. Go around the car with the driver, agree on what's marked, sign it, and keep your copy. Take your own photos too, including the odometer. At delivery, you compare the car with that same report before you sign again. If you see new damage, write it down before the driver leaves, because any claim starts from that signature.

Take personal items out of the car, keep the tank around a quarter full, and hand over one key. That's all the preparation most vehicles need.

People often ask whether we can take a vehicle across the border. Our carriers work inside the United States, so the answer is no, but we handle the U.S. part of the trip every week. A car bought in Phoenix, Los Angeles or Texas can be delivered to an address in San Luis, Arizona, and you take it from there.

If the vehicle is leaving the country for good, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has export rules of its own. They include presenting the title and the vehicle at the port ahead of time, and Mexico has separate import requirements on its side. Contact CBP at the San Luis port of entry, or a licensed customs broker, before the car ships, so the paperwork is ready when it arrives. We can time the delivery to fit that appointment.

Coming the other way, a U.S.-titled car that has been kept in Sonora can be picked up once it's back on the Arizona side.

San Luis has a few dealers, and Yuma has more, but the best selection and prices are often in Phoenix, Southern California or Texas, and at online auctions. Shipping lets you buy where the deal is without losing two days to travel. Before you pay a seller you haven't met, get the VIN, check the title status, and ask for current photos. Once the sale is done, send us the seller's address, phone number and hours. One thing is easier here than in the big cities: Yuma County doesn't require emissions testing, so registering a vehicle after it arrives is one step shorter than it would be in Phoenix or Tucson.

Many San Luis families follow agricultural work north in the spring, to the Salinas Valley, the Central Valley, Oregon or Washington, and come home in the fall. When the crew travels by company bus, or several relatives ride together, the family's own car can be shipped ahead to the housing at the other end. Give us the address of the camp or apartment and the name of someone who will be there to receive it. If housing hasn't been assigned yet, book the dates now and add the address as soon as you have it.

Customs and Border Protection is one of the area's largest employers, and officers and agents transfer in and out of San Luis regularly. Moves to and from other border stations are our most common federal relocations: Nogales and Douglas in Arizona, Calexico and San Diego in California, and El Paso, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. If your agency reimburses relocation costs, ask us for an itemized receipt. Reporting dates tend to be firm, so tell us yours when you book and we'll schedule the pickup to match.