One sofa or a one-bedroom's worth, shipped by weight on a shared LTL trailer from Chicago to Miami.
Moving from Chicago to Miami with a bed, a dresser and twenty boxes is an awkward size of job: too much for a parcel service, far too little to fill a moving van you would pay for in full. That middle size is what Ship Smart is built for. We move it as LTL freight on a trailer that also carries other customers’ goods, and you are billed for the pounds and cubic feet yours occupy.
Ship Smart has moved small loads since 1999 and is licensed, bonded and insured (MC-381032, DOT 2226241).
By interstate the lane runs about 1,378 miles. A short stretch of I-90 leads to I-65, which runs 434 miles south through Indiana and Kentucky into Tennessee. I-24 covers 128 miles to the state’s southeast corner, I-75 about 491 miles through Georgia into central Florida, and Florida’s Turnpike the last 264 miles before I-95 finishes the trip.
Expect roughly 20 to 26 hours of driving without stops. That is road time, not a delivery estimate: a shared LTL trailer is loaded and unloaded for several customers, so your date is set separately (see step 3).
From December 1 to April 1, Chicago’s Winter Overnight Parking Ban clears 107 miles of arterial streets from 3 AM to 7 AM, snow or no snow. A towed car costs at least $250 for the tow, a $60 ticket and $50 a day in storage (Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation).
If your South Shore courtyard building or Hyde Park walk-up faces one of those arterials, the risk is to your own car. A daytime pickup falls outside the ban hours, but a car or borrowed van loaded the night before and left at the curb does not. Once two inches of snow is down, a second ban can cover another 500 miles of main streets at any hour. If a storm lands on pickup day, we rebook for when it clears, with no fee.
White glove pickup from the first floor is included. Above it, stairs run $100 per flight in most markets (a third-floor Kenwood walk-up adds two), and elevator buildings are a flat $100 above the fourth floor; rates can vary by city.
In the City of Miami, curb space is rented through the Miami Parking Authority: $30 per space per day plus a $50 administrative fee per order, requested and prepaid at least 48 hours ahead. Miami Beach is a separate city, where a moving rental is $35 per space with 3 business days’ notice on metered blocks and 15 on non-metered or residential streets. Fifteen business days is three working weeks, so give us a residential Miami Beach address when you book.
Where an address needs a permit, we provide it and the charge is included in your delivery accessorials. Costs vary by city, the process does not, and some addresses need none. If a trailer cannot reach your door, curbside delivery is not available there, and you would book inside delivery, which brings a crew and a smaller truck.
Our warehouses are climate controlled; the trucks are not. The second half of this run is Georgia and Florida, so wrap wine, candles and framed photographs with heat in mind, and carry anything you could not replace yourself.
Your price comes from the weight and volume we pick up, and with an accurate inventory, quotes land within a couple of percent of the final bill. No deposit is taken; once the contract is complete, canceling costs a $75 minimum. We ship from one piece up to about 2,000 lb, and minimums start at $600 to $700 for a small single item.
None of the top-ranked pages for this lane gives a packed-weight price example under 2,000 lb; your inventory sets the price in exactly that range, and the online estimator or (866) 333-8018 gives your exact price.
Extras are itemized: stairs or elevators at either end, a permit where one applies, and a COI if the building asks. Furniture packing and crating are priced into the shipment; loose items packed on site cost $150 an hour (2-hour minimum) plus materials, or you box them yourself. Assembly is $100 an hour. Expedited service, typically a 20 to 25% upcharge, can guarantee dates, and financing is available through Enhancify.
IRS county migration data counts 739 households (1,086 people) moving from Cook County to Miami-Dade County in 2022 to 2023, and 521 households (725 people) going north. The year before it was 770 south and 423 north, so the return flow grew 23% in a single year and reached about 70% of the outbound count.
If there is a chance you end up heading north again, ship the pieces worth keeping in either city and sell the rest. The bill follows the weight and space you ship, not the size of the apartment you leave.
Customer Drop-off
Our most affordable service
Professional Packing
All furniture and oversized Items are Professionally Packed
Discounted Shipping Rates
Enjoy reduced shipping costs with our nationwide carrier partnerships.
Curbside Delivery
Delivery to the nearest accessible point to the destination
Full Service Pickup
Full Service Pickup at Business or Residence
Professional Packing
All furniture and oversized Items are Professionally Packed
Discounted Shipping Rates
Enjoy reduced shipping costs with our nationwide carrier partnerships.
Curbside Delivery
Delivery to the nearest accessible point to the destination
Full Service Pickup
Full Service Pickup at Business or Residence
Professional Packing
All furniture and oversized Items are Professionally Packed
Discounted Shipping Rates
Enjoy reduced shipping costs with our nationwide carrier partnerships.
White Glove Delivery
Full service white glove delivery inside the home or business
Three things are on you: a complete inventory, a delivery appointment on Miami time, and any freight elevator or dock slot your building requires. Loading, the long haul and delivery are on us.
Use the online estimator or call (866) 333-8018 with your inventory. The more accurate the list, the closer the final bill lands to the quote.
Pickup is scheduled 2 to 10 business days after booking. The crew wraps your furniture and loads it from the first floor.
Standard service runs 2 to 4 weeks within the US, and transit times vary by lane. Tracking is available, and a weekday delivery window between 9 and 3 Eastern costs nothing extra.
Anything from one piece up to about 2,000 lb fits the way we price. A few examples:
Condo Furniture
a sofa, a queen bed and a dining set headed up a tower's freight elevator
Framed Prints and Mirrors
framed prints and wall mirrors, with full replacement coverage priced per $1,000 of value
Home Office
a desk, a chair, monitors and file boxes for a job that moved south with you
Grand Pianos
grand and baby grand pianos, which we carry along with the rest of the load
Packed Boxes
books, kitchenware and winter coats you may not need for a while, in cartons you packed
Since 1999 we have handled shipments between parcel size and a van line minimum, and every quote is built from the weight and space you ship.
You pay for the space your goods take on a shared LTL trailer, so a 600 lb load is not billed like a full house.
When a Miami or Miami Beach address needs a permit, we provide it and the charge appears in your delivery accessorials. Some addresses need none.
Snow in Chicago or a storm in South Florida can push a date. We reschedule once it clears and charge nothing for the wait.
Basic coverage of $0.10 per lb is included. Full replacement runs $25 to $35 per $1,000 of value, set by a $100, $250 or $500 deductible.
1. How much does it cost to ship a small load from Chicago to Miami?
Weight and volume set the price, plus accessorials such as stairs, a Miami curb permit or a building COI. Minimums start at $600 to $700 for a small single item, and an accurate inventory keeps the quote within a couple of percent of the bill. The online estimator or (866) 333-8018 gives your exact price.
2. How long does it take to get my things from Chicago to Miami?
Standard service runs 2 to 4 weeks within the US, and transit times vary by lane. The roughly 20 to 26 hours of driving is a road figure, not a delivery time. Expedited service, typically a 20 to 25% upcharge, can guarantee dates or shorten transit.
3. How many miles is it from Chicago to Miami?
About 1,378 miles by interstate, mostly on I-65, I-24, I-75 and Florida’s Turnpike, with I-95 at the very end. The drive takes roughly 20 to 26 hours without stops.
4. Does Chicago's winter parking ban affect a South Side pickup?
Mostly it affects your own car. The overnight ban runs 3 AM to 7 AM on 107 miles of arterials from December 1 to April 1, so a daytime pickup falls outside its hours. Once two inches of snow is down, a separate ban can cover another 500 miles of main streets at any hour. If snow holds the pickup up, we reschedule without a fee.
5. Do I need a parking permit for delivery in Miami or Miami Beach?
Possibly. The City of Miami rents curb space through the Miami Parking Authority with 48 hours’ notice, and Miami Beach needs up to 15 business days on residential streets. When a permit is needed, we provide it and include the charge in your delivery accessorials.
6. Can you deliver to a Miami condo tower?
Yes. If the association asks for a certificate of insurance, ours is $100 per building for a $1 million policy. You reserve the freight elevator or dock, and with a few days’ notice we can meet that slot most of the time; a missed slot is rescheduled with priority. Above the fourth floor, elevator delivery is a flat $100.
7. What if my Miami lease starts after the shipment arrives?
Storage charges begin after 2 days for curbside deliveries, or after up to a week for inside deliveries, and then run $25 per pallet per week in a climate-controlled warehouse. Holding the shipment at the Chicago end before it leaves is possible in most cases.
8. Can you ship my car to Miami too?
A vehicle can be added to your shipment through a third-party carrier, and so can a kayak. Grand and baby grand pianos travel with us directly.
9. Do you deliver outside Miami, in Broward or Palm Beach County?
Yes, within about 100 miles of Miami, with the distance factored into your estimate. For gated communities we register with the gatehouse, and an extra stop in the same metro is priced by distance.
