Our last shipping job involved shipping a 1998 Chevrolet Corvette C5 from Rainbow City, Alabama to Waterford, Michigan. The car traveled 735 miles in an enclosed hard side trailer for $1,189.00, which amounts to an average price of $1.62 per mile.
The car shipped as operable, as in drivable and running well; however, this didn’t stop the carrier from loading the low-slung car with some special attention.
This is a classic example of how low clearance cars get transported in an enclosed trailer, especially when it is a vintage sports car that does not simply drive up onto a conventional loading ramp.
The Route
The journey from Rainbow City to Waterford is from northeastern Alabama all the way up through the heartland of the country to southeastern Michigan. The carriers begin their journey from Gadsden, which is near Interstate 59, and proceed to go north to Tennessee until Chattanooga.
From there, the journey normally continues north through Kentucky through I-75 corridor. After passing through Lexington and Cincinnati, they continue on to Ohio. The last part of the journey is through Dayton and Toledo until they reach Michigan at Waterford, which is a suburb of Detroit near Pontiac.
Since the entire journey takes place along interstates all the way through, the journey usually takes about two to three days. Both the starting point and destination are along busy freight corridors; therefore, there were no extra costs incurred due to remoteness of the locations.
Why the C5’s Low Clearance Changes the Loading Process
The Chevrolet Corvette C5, manufactured between 1997 and 2004, has a very low ground clearance due to the front air dam. The standard angle of a car hauler ramp is 14 to 18 degrees, which is too steep for a car that is designed to be this low.
To deal with the issue of the excessive height of the ramps, carriers of this type of vehicle employ approach ramps. They consist of smaller ramps installed in front of the standard ones to decrease the angle of loading to 6 to 10 degrees, which is enough to avoid contact with the front splitter of the vehicle.
The spotter remains outside the vehicle to help the wheels move and warn about approaching the front of the vehicle to the deck of the truck. It requires additional time to load a vehicle with such ground clearance compared to the standard one.
Why an Operable Vehicle Still Needed Special Handling
Operable status implies that the car should be able to move using its own power and normally results in a faster loading process because the car will drive straight into the trailer. However, while the car in question was operable, its clearance problem prevented it from using the conventional ramp system designed for most operable cars.
This is a common problem associated with vintage sports cars. The car can operate properly, however, the car’s body height causes it to require the same loading approach and assistance that would normally be provided when loading a non-operable car with lower clearance height. The car was then tied using four soft points on the wheels instead of using chains on the frame of the vehicle.
Enclosed Transport Fits This Shipment
The enclosures of the hard side trailers shield the automobiles from road dust, climatic conditions, and general wear-and-tear experienced by the automobiles on a long distance highway travel. In the case of a 1998 vehicle in its original state of painting and trimming, such form of transport becomes even more valuable due to the increasing difficulty of acquiring matching replacement parts.
Open transport is generally cheaper compared to enclosed transport as not as many vehicles can be transported on one trailer. In the case of low clearance vehicle and 735 mile journey, however, the protection offered becomes the key factor why owners opt for such mode of transport.
Transport Summary
- Origin: Rainbow City, AL 35906
- Destination: Waterford, MI 48327
- Distance: 735 miles
- Service cost: $1,189.00
- Cost per mile: $1.62
- Vehicle: 1998 Chevrolet Corvette C5
- Vehicle condition: Operable
- Trailer type: Enclosed, hard side
- Route: I-59 north through Tennessee, I-75 through Kentucky and Ohio, into southeastern Michigan
