Trade Show Freight · Las Vegas
SEMA Show Shipping & Exhibit Freight
Upcoming dates to be announced. SEMA Show last ran Nov 3–6, 2026. We update this page as soon as the next dates are published.
- Dates
- Nov 3–6, 2026 To be announced (last held Nov 3–6, 2026)
- Venue
- Las Vegas Convention Center
- Address
- 3150 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
- Industry
- Automotive Aftermarket
- Attendees
- 160,000+ approx.
- Exhibitors
- 2,500+ approx.
Confirm dates, deadlines, and your general service contractor in the official exhibitor manual. Official SEMA Show site
SEMA Show 2026 freight timeline
Worked backward from the Nov 3, 2026 opening. These are typical and estimated dates for planning; your exhibitor manual has the actual warehouse window, target times and move-out deadlines.
| Step | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Book your carrier | Sep 8–22, 2026 Typical | 6–8 weeks before the show opens. Earlier still for oversize freight or anything moving over the holidays. |
| Advance warehouse opens | Oct 1, 2026 Estimated | Advance warehouses typically start receiving about 30 days before move-in. |
| Freight arrives at the advance warehouse | Oct 17–24, 2026 Typical | 1–2 weeks before move-in: inside the receiving window and clear of the late-arrival deadline. |
| Move-in | Oct 31–Nov 2, 2026 Estimated | Freight goes from the warehouse to your booth. Direct-to-show trucks check in at the marshalling yard for their target window. |
| Show open | Nov 3–6, 2026 Show dates | SEMA Show on the show floor. |
| Show close and outbound freight | Nov 6–8, 2026 Estimated | Outbound carrier and paperwork set before close, so nothing becomes forced freight. |
The timeline will be worked out again from the next show dates once they're announced. As a rule of thumb: book your carrier 6–8 weeks out, expect the advance warehouse to open about 30 days before move-in, and aim to have freight there 1–2 weeks before move-in.
What SEMA Show freight looks like
SEMA freight is vehicles and the parts that go on them: custom builds, lifted trucks and off-road rigs, along with wheels, tires, exhaust systems, suspension and lighting. Show vehicles, many of them one-off builds worth far more than their sticker price, belong in enclosed auto transport, not on an open carrier. Parts displays are dense and heavy for their size, so certified weight tickets matter more than usual when material handling is billed by weight.
What's different about SEMA Show logistics
SEMA week is two shows at once: AAPEX runs at Venetian Expo at the same time, so the city's docks, marshalling yards and local trucks are stretched across two large automotive shows. Displayed vehicles have their own move-in process with assigned times, and the manual's rules on fuel levels and batteries for vehicles on the floor need to be followed before the vehicle reaches the hall. SEMA also falls in the fourth-quarter retail peak, when truck capacity tightens nationwide, so book linehaul earlier than you would for a spring show.
How B&P helps
B&P Logistics is based in Las Vegas. We handle the trucking to and from SEMA Show: booking the carrier early, scheduling the linehaul backward from your advance warehouse or show-site target dates, and coordinating with the show's general service contractor (GSC) on paperwork, check-in and outbound freight. Between shows, we can store your booth at our Las Vegas warehouse so it's ready for the next one.
We don't perform drayage. The GSC does, and nobody can change its rate. What we control is how your freight arrives: on target, crated, consolidated into fewer shipments and on a truck that unloads cleanly. That's what keeps drayage at the base rate. Read how trade show drayage is billed →
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Shipping to SEMA Show?
Tell us your booth, freight and target dates. We respond within the hour.