You refreshed the bid page, saw "Congratulations," and now a salvage Camry — or a clean-title truck, or somebody's former project car — is legally yours. What Copart doesn't put in the congratulations email: the clock is already running. You have three business days to pay, only a few days of free storage, and the yard will not simply hand the car to whoever shows up with a tow strap.
Here is the whole process, step by step: buyer number → payment → gate pass → transporter → pickup day. We move cars out of Copart yards every week, so this is the version with the details that actually trip people up.
What happens right after you win a Copart auction?
The moment the auction ends, Copart issues an invoice to your member account and the payment countdown starts: you have three business days, counting the sale day, to pay in full. Miss it and Copart adds a $50 late-payment fee per vehicle.
Two numbers now run everything, so find them first:
- Your member (buyer) number — identifies you to the yard.
- The lot number — identifies the vehicle. It's on the invoice and the listing page.
Every later step — payment, transporter authorization, the gate pass, the driver checking in at the yard — happens against those two numbers. When you book transport, your carrier or broker will ask for both.
Pay through your Copart account or by wire transfer, and remember the total is the hammer price plus buyer fees, gate fee, and any broker fees — the car is not released until every dollar of it clears.
How long do you have before storage fees start?
Not long: at most Copart yards the free-storage window is only the first few business days after the sale — roughly the same window you have to pay — and then daily storage fees begin, weekends included. The exact daily rate varies by yard, but it stacks up fast enough that a "I'll deal with it next week" plan routinely costs more than the transport itself.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Sale day | Invoice issued. Payment clock and free-storage window start. |
| Business day 3 | Payment due in full. After this: $50 late fee, and storage typically starts accruing daily. |
| Calendar day 8 (if unpaid) | Copart can relist the vehicle and charge a relist fee of 10% of the sale price. |
| After payment | Gate pass can be issued — the car can leave the yard as soon as a carrier is authorized. |
The takeaway is simple: book transport the same day you pay. A dispatched truck usually reaches the yard within one to three business days, which keeps you inside or barely past the free window instead of a week deep into daily fees.
What is a Copart gate pass and how do you get one?
A gate pass is the release authorization tied to your lot number — it's what tells the yard that a specific carrier is allowed to take that specific vehicle off the lot. No gate pass, no car, no exceptions; it's the document the whole pickup hinges on.
Getting one is straightforward once the invoice is paid in full:
- Pay the vehicle off completely — Copart won't release anything with a balance on it.
- Authorize your transporter. You (or your broker) add the carrier to the pickup, so the yard knows who's coming.
- Share your Gate Pass PIN. Copart requires a Gate Pass PIN along with the lot number to schedule the pickup appointment — you'll find yours on the Payments Due page of your member account and in the win email. Hand it to your transporter at booking; when a broker assigns the carrier, Copart also emails the PIN to the transporter directly.
- The driver checks in with the lot number and PIN. Carriers use Copart's transporter app or the gate kiosk, and the gate pass is issued against your paid lot.
If you book through a broker like us, steps 2 and 3 are handled for you — you hand over the lot number and buyer number once, and the dispatch, authorization, and gate paperwork happen behind the scenes.
Can you pick up the car from Copart yourself?
Technically yes, practically usually no. Copart yards are commercial facilities: private buyers can't wander the lot, the staff bring the vehicle to a staging area with their own loaders, and you're expected to show up with equipment that can actually take the car — which for a salvage vehicle that may not run means a proper trailer with a winch, not a dolly behind an SUV.
Most yards also strongly prefer carriers who check in through the transporter app, and some effectively require it. For a licensed hauler this is routine; for a first-time public buyer it's a Saturday-ruining surprise, especially when the car turns out not to roll. If you have a real trailer and experience, self-pickup can make sense on a short local move. For everyone else, a transporter costs less than it appears once you price the rental, the fuel, the day off, and the risk.
How do you choose a transporter for an auction car?
Choose someone who moves auction cars every week, because an auction pickup has failure modes a driveway-to-driveway move doesn't: gate passes, loading-hour cutoffs, storage deadlines, and vehicles that don't start. When you get quotes, have this ready:
- Lot number, buyer number, and Gate Pass PIN — Copart won't let a carrier schedule a pickup appointment without the PIN (it's in your win email and on your Payments Due page), so dispatch can't move without all three.
- The exact yard — "Copart Dallas" and "Copart Dallas South" are different facilities 30 miles apart. Every yard has its own page on our site with address, hours, and phone — for example Copart Dallas, Copart Los Angeles, Copart Atlanta East and Copart Miami Central, plus the full directory of 200+ yards on our Copart car transport page.
- Whether the car runs — be honest here. A non-runner needs a winch (typically $50–$150 extra); a car that won't even roll needs forklift loading onto a flatbed. Telling the driver at the gate instead of at booking is how pickups get abandoned and rescheduled.
- Destination and timing — a home address, your mechanic, or a body shop; and whether you're up against the storage clock.
Price-wise, distance does most of the work, with condition and trailer type layered on top. If you want a real number instead of a range, a free quote with the lot's ZIP code and your destination takes about two minutes.
What happens on pickup day?
Your driver checks in at the gate with the lot number and Gate Pass PIN, Copart staff pull the car to the staging area and load it (their loaders, their yard, their rules), and the driver documents the vehicle's condition and signs the Bill of Lading. From your side, a good pickup is boring — the work happened at booking time.
A few field notes worth knowing:
- Yards run Monday–Friday, roughly 8 AM to 5 PM, and most stop loading before closing time. A truck arriving Friday at 4:40 PM is a truck arriving Monday — while storage accrues over the weekend.
- Keep your phone reachable on pickup day. If the yard flags a paperwork mismatch, five minutes of your availability saves a rescheduled pickup.
- Expect photos. The driver photographs the car at loading; keep them with your records and compare at delivery before you sign off.
After that it's a normal transport: local moves usually deliver in a day or two, coast-to-coast runs about a week, and the driver collects the balance (if any) at delivery per your agreement.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to ship a car from Copart?
Distance sets most of the price: short regional moves often land in the few-hundred-dollar range, while cross-country runs cost more in total but much less per mile. A non-running vehicle adds a winch fee (typically $50–$150), and enclosed trailers cost more than open ones. The fastest way to a real number is a free quote with the yard's ZIP and your destination.
Can someone else pick up my Copart car for me?
Yes — that's exactly how transporters work. Copart releases a vehicle to a carrier that's been authorized for the pickup and holds a gate pass tied to your lot number. You don't need to be present at the yard at any point.
Does my transporter need my Copart login?
No — never share your Copart password with anyone. A transporter or broker only needs your lot number, your buyer number, your Gate Pass PIN, the yard location, and the destination. Authorization happens through Copart's own transporter system, not through your account.
What if the car I won doesn't run?
Non-runners ship from Copart every day — the yard loads the car into the staging area, and the carrier winches it onto the trailer, usually for a $50–$150 premium. The one thing that matters: say it's inoperable when you book, so the right truck is dispatched. A car that won't roll or steer at all needs forklift loading, which is also routine as long as it's known in advance.