An example of a coast-to-coast car transport of 2023 Mercedes S-Class vehicles from Huntington Beach, California, to Hull, Massachusetts. This one demonstrates the risks and elements associated with the “guaranteed pickup” service within a short time frame, such as 48 hours, during the busiest time of the year, which is the last week of December. The open transport service, instead of the enclosed transport, saved almost $1,000 while still allowing the transport of the luxury vehicle within the short time frame of nine days over 3,015 miles.
The Guaranteed Pickup Nobody Saw Coming
Most people don’t know what “guaranteed pickup” means. This isn’t some fancy jargon we use for marketing.
We are talking about standard transport here. If you book standard transport, we will find a carrier if one is available. It could take three days. It could take one week. The driver collects your car when he passes by your area.
Guaranteed pickup is different. Guaranteed pickup is when we guarantee a certain date. The carrier is committed to guaranteed pickup, regardless of circumstance. Missing it means you won’t be billed.
This customer placed their booking on the 6th for pick-up on the 8th. This is close. So close it hurts. To find a carrier who has room on their trailer, who is already scheduled on a cross-country run, and whom they can reach within 48 hours, at Huntington Beach? This is work. However, the price for guaranteed service is higher for a reason. We were tasked with making it happen. A carrier was assigned on the 8th of December, and it was picked up on the same day.
Why Open Transport Made Sense Here
Here’s what car dealerships don’t want you to know. Enclosed transportation is excellent, but not always required.
The 2023 S-Class starts at about $115,000. Most car enthusiasts hear that price tag and immediately lock their minds onto the idea of an enclosed trailer. It just sounds safer, you know? Weather protection. Privacy. All the high-end amenities.
Yet how about the process of getting there? The car is shipped on a trailer. It travels across the country on the highways. That’s all.
Open trailers will expose your vehicle to the same elements that you would experience driving through. Rain, dust, maybe some snow. Nothing that your car wasn’t designed to deal with.
This carrier in particular operated a 9-car hauler. A professional outfit that operates cross-country routes every week. They loaded the Mercedes onto the top deck. This is important because road debris kicks up from underneath, so it is better if it is on top. The customer was saving approximately $900 to $1,000 more with the open than the enclosed option. The S-Class was delivered in pristine condition. Not all practical decisions are wise choices.
Three Thousand Miles in December
Huntington Beach is literally right on the Pacific in Orange County. Hull is an intrusion into Boston Harbor, just south of the city of Boston. You can’t possibly get more coast-to-coast than these.
The route likely continued I-15 North into Nevada, then I-70 or I-80 East, depending on the weather. It’s hard to predict in December. Colorado can sneak up on you unexpectedly. Wyoming has blizzard conditions that can close whole interstates for days.
Little Rock usually proceeds more quickly. Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana follow. Holes in traffic are big enough to enable good time to be made unless a high-volume route comes through. Averages may run 300 to 350 per day in good weather on the long hauls.
Then you get to the eastern states. Ohio, Pennsylvania, and then New York. By the time you get to Massachusetts, you’re running on empty and coffee from truck stops. It took this carrier nine days. Pickup date is December 8th. Delivery date is December 17th. Now, this is not bad at all, given that it is winter.
The Part About Risk Nobody Wants to Discuss
Shipping a brand-new S-Class on an open trailer makes some people nervous. The car costs more than most people’s annual salary.
The risk of damage doesn’t change all that much between open and enclosed transport. What does change is the exposure to weather and road conditions.
If the carrier knows what they are doing, then it doesn’t matter what kind of trailer it is; they secure the car properly. Soft straps. Proper weight distribution. Soft loading and unloading.
The biggest risk on open trailers is road salt in winter. Northeastern states dump tons of it on highways during December. If you leave it sitting there, it eats paint and metal. The S-Class came back clean. No damage. No issues. The customer saved a thousand bucks and got the same result that they would’ve gotten with enclosed.
What This Customer Got Right
It’s that guaranteed pickup which has enabled this whole thing to have happened. Without the commitment, there would have been just no way of finding a carrier in December within 48 hours.
Most customers should book a week or two in advance. That gives the carriers time to route and load accordingly. A guaranteed option does exist for situations like this where timing means everything.
It helped that he was flexible on the type of trailer. A lot of owners of expensive cars default to enclosed without considering it. He actually assessed the risks and knew an open transport would be good. Communication sealed the deal. The customer stayed available during the booking process. When everyone stays in touch, problems get solved before they become actual problems.
Transport Summary
Vehicle: 2023 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Route: Huntington Beach, CA 90254 to Hull, MA 02045
Distance: 3,015 miles (coast-to-coast)
Primary Routes: I-15 N through Nevada, I-80 E through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, to Massachusetts
Service: Open-air multi-car carrier (9-car hauler, top deck)
Cost: $1620 ($0.53 per mile)
Transit Time: 9 days (December 8 pickup – December 17 delivery)
Season: Winter
