Not long ago, we completed the transportation of a 1953 Chevrolet 3100 pickup from Huntington Beach, CA, to Columbia, TN. The distance covered was 2,000 miles, the truck was shipped in a closed container, and the total cost of the shipment was $2,900.00 ($1.45 per mile).
However, the 3100 was operational upon pickup, and it is seventy-two years old. “1953 Chevrolet 3100” is one of the least informative descriptions our customers can put in their requests. This is why we ask for more information when transporting a vintage truck like that rather than a modern SUV.
The route
The 2,000-mile drive from Huntington Beach to Columbia goes through the desert Southwest and mid-South.
Huntington Beach is located near the coast of Orange County. The driver drives through inland to I-405 and I-15 north and passes through the Cajon Pass to reach Barstow.
From Barstow, the drive takes I-40 east until it reaches Columbia. It passes through the Mojave Desert and into Arizona via Kingman and Flagstaff, then moves into New Mexico through Albuquerque before entering Amarillo, which lies in the panhandle region of Texas.
The drive continues on the same interstate via Oklahoma City and Little Rock to Memphis in Tennessee where it ends up at Nashville. From here, the driver moves onto I-65 southward to Columbia.
Three trucks with the same name
An Advance Design Chevrolet from 1953 can show up for pickup in any of three quite diverse cars, and the order form makes no distinction among them.
The first is an original survivor. Almost as delivered. Which means drum brakes throughout, no brake power assist, six volt electrical system and mechanical everything. Six volts is important for pickup, because the cranking effort is less than what a contemporary driver expects. A marginal battery that starts in the shop may not start on a cold morning, which was discussed in another older vehicle.
The second is a restored original. Correct to period, but a rebuild. Often much more valuable than the survivor, but mechanically the same. The difference is what a scratch costs.
And then there is the restomod. Modern chassis or heavily modified running gear. Disc brakes and twelve volts, possibly a modern V8 engine, maybe even air suspension. This has become a common build and totally alters the handling mission.
Air ride is the one to single out here. A truck with an air suspension can rest against its bumpers because of the bleeding of the system. A truck that once had six inches of clearance while being driven might not have any at all the following morning. And the driver who has never been aware of the air ride system will only learn about it at the wrong time.
The value range can be equally large. The same three words could refer either to some rough survivor or a multi-thousand dollars build. This is why we first have to know how much the truck is really worth before we allocate the driver for it, and this is why it would be better for you to tell us the actual value.
It’s easy once we know everything. It’s hard if we learn about all this from the very beginning.
What $1.45 per mile reflects
Two opposing forces exist.
Enclosed service forces the figure higher. Enclosed trailers transport fewer vehicles per run and are more expensive to operate in addition to being less prevalent in the fleet. This surcharge applies to every enclosed shipment.
Distance drags it lower. With 2,000 miles of travel, the fixed costs of picking up and loading and securing and delivering are divided over a long haul, which is why the figure comes to $1.45 compared to $2.42 for the short haul.
The corridor looks good. I-40 is a major transcontinental route, and southern California to Nashville is a well-run route.
Enclosed transport
The open alternative was not even worth considering. The enclosed standard for a vehicle of this vintage can be seen below, and the driving distance resolves the issue. Two thousand miles of desert and plains conditions do not need to be exposed to seventy-two-year-old paint and chrome.
Chrome is the particular part of interest for an Advance Design truck. The grill bars and bumpers and trim add considerable value to the vehicle, and pitting of the chrome by rocks and other road hazards cannot be polished out.
Securing was accomplished by tying down the tires instead of chaining the frame. The 1953 Advance Design did not have tie-down points designed into it, thus tying down the tires eliminated that question. The truck was started once at pick up and once at delivery and was otherwise left alone.
Transport summary
- Origin: Huntington Beach, CA 92648
- Destination: Columbia, TN 38401
- Distance: 2,000 miles
- Service cost: $2,900.00
- Cost per mile: $1.45
- Vehicle: 1953 Chevrolet 3100 pickup
- Condition: Operable
- Trailer type: Enclosed
- Route: Huntington Beach, CA → I-405 / I-15 north through the Cajon Pass → Barstow → I-40 east through Kingman, Flagstaff, Albuquerque and Amarillo → Oklahoma City, OK → Little Rock, AR → Memphis and Nashville, TN → I-65 south → Columbia, TN
