Recently, we completed the delivery of a 2015 travel trailer that was being shipped from Hollister, MO to Zephyrhills, FL. The travel trailer is 35 feet in length, 8 feet in width, 12 feet in height, and weighs approximately 9,000 pounds. The trip was 1,082 miles long and costs $2,075.00, equating to $1.92 per mile.
Towing an RV is not a car shipment. This type of shipment is not loaded on to a car carrier and is not among eight cars on a deck. Almost nothing we have mentioned concerning open and enclosed trailers will apply here.
The route
Towing 1,082 miles from Hollister to Zephyrhills will start in the Ozarks and continue through the Deep South before ending in central Florida.
Hollister is located south of Branson in the Missouri Ozarks. The drive will head south on US-65 via Harrison, Arkansas, and through Conway and Little Rock.
Then the trip will switch to I-40 heading east to Memphis, switching to I-22 south to Birmingham, Alabama. From there, I-65 goes south to Montgomery and US-231 takes the tow down to Dothan.
Then the tow crosses the state line onto I-10 east across the Florida Panhandle, switching to I-75 south through Ocala. Zephyrhills is located northeast of Tampa in Pasco County.
This first part deserves some comment. US-65 through the Ozarks is a two-lane road with grades and curves, which makes towing 35 feet and 9,000 pounds through it tougher than the miles of interstates ahead.
Towaway is a different service
This point of separation begins with the very first phone call made, since the following process will depend on it.
The trailer has its own wheels. A driver arrives with a proper tow vehicle and drives it there. There is no load being placed anywhere on anything.
This means that we deal with a one unit move. A car carrier has to distribute its costs among seven or ten cars. A tow-away driver only moves your trailer and nothing more. This fact alone accounts for almost all differences between this price and the car price per mile.
Your trailer must be roadworthy. This is where the owner makes a mistake. Your unit will be moving on the highway for 1,082 miles, so it will need proper tires, wheel bearings, brakes, lights, breakaway system and current registration.
The problem lies with tires. The tire life of the trailer usually ends much sooner than its wear does. The trailer that has stayed parked for one or two seasons may seem to be in good shape, but may have tires that cannot withstand towing. Better check the dates than treads.
The dimensions limit the options. Since this trailer is 8 foot wide and 12 foot high, there is no need to apply for any permits or hire an escort. Otherwise, the answer will become more complicated than giving the quote.
The weight determines the appropriate tow vehicle. With the weight of 9,000 pounds this trailer requires an appropriately rated truck and a tow hitch. Not every pickup can pull the trailer like this.
So provide exact figures at booking time. Provide length, width, height, and weight, either from the plates or documents, but not from memory. The quote based on false dimensions is no quote.
What $1.92 per mile reflects
Two factors are responsible for this price, and the first factor is the complete picture.
It is a solo journey. A single driver, a single tow vehicle, a single unit, for the 1,082 miles journey. There is no deck to share and no other customer sharing this particular journey. Contrast it with the price of $0.58 per mile for a car being shared on an open deck coast to coast. It’s not about distance but the math of one unit versus nine units.
The size cuts the number of possible drivers. A 9,000 pound trailer requires a capable tow vehicle and a driver who can handle the 35 feet behind him/her. Fewer drivers translate into fewer bids.
The distance calculation follows convention. This being a mid-sized journey of 1,082 miles, pickup and delivery costs are significant per mile.
What the trailer is exposed to
No such thing as open or enclosed either. This is outside the whole time since the trailer is being towed, and so it’s to be expected that the weather and road debris will be just part of the task.
Which means there are a few things worth checking before the driver comes. Roof vent covers closed and latched. Awnings tucked up and tied down. Loose stuff on the inside put away, since the trailer will be rolling along at highway speed without anybody looking into it. Propane turned off and tanks sealed.
Hitch and coupler will be checked at pickup time by the driver, along with safety chains and breakaway cable, and it is included in the condition report like anything else.
Transport summary
- Distance: 1,082 miles
- Service cost: $2,075.00
- Cost per mile: $1.92
- Vehicle: 2015 travel trailer
- Length: 35 feet
- Width: 8 feet
- Height: 12 feet
- Weight: approximately 9,000 pounds
- Origin: Hollister, MO 65672
- Destination: Zephyrhills, FL 33541
- Service type: Towaway, on its own wheels
- Route: Hollister, MO → US-65 south through Harrison, AR → Conway and Little Rock → I-40 east to Memphis, TN → I-22 southeast to Birmingham, AL → I-65 south to Montgomery → US-231 south to Dothan → I-10 east across the Florida panhandle → I-75 south through Ocala → Zephyrhills, FL
