We recently finished transporting a 2017 Chevrolet Corvette from Tempe, Arizona, to San Diego, California, and the trip involved 358 miles of travel via a covered trailer, at a price of $867.00, for $2.42 per mile.
The Corvette was operational when picked up, and the client packed personal belongings, not exceeding 100 pounds of weight. This rate per mile is the highest that we have reported recently, but it is important to explain why, and that’s due to the small distance and not anything special about the vehicle.
The route
The 575-mile trip from Tempe to San Diego goes through the Sonoran Desert from the Phoenix metropolitan area all the way down to the Pacific Ocean.
The journey starts at Tempe, taking I-10 west towards Phoenix, and then turning to AZ-85 south from Buckeye to Gila Bend. From there, I-8 west takes care of the job.
I-8 is used for traveling the long desert portion to Yuma and entering California via the Colorado River. The road further travels to El Centro, Imperial Valley, and climbs up In-Ko-Pah Gorge through Laguna Mountains, which is the only piece of terrain encountered on the route, going from sea level up to 4,000 feet and down to East County San Diego.
The 92120 region is located in the Grantville/Del Cerro part of San Diego; thus, the truck arrives right at the door via I-8.
Why a short enclosed run costs this much per mile
That seems high at $2.42 per mile compared to a cross-country trip at 65 cents per mile. Both figures are standard but they are not the same.
The cost for a carrier has two categories: the first one is fixed (includes pickup, loading, securement, coordination and delivery). These expenses do not change according to the mileage; the fuel consumption, driver time and tolls depend on the mileage of the route.
In case of long haul, the fixed part is diluted on several thousand miles and virtually disappears from the per-mile calculation. In case of 358 miles, there is very little distance to divide these expenses and they make up a large part of the cost. $867.00 is the number that really matters for the client.
The enclosed transport increases the costs in addition to that. The enclosed trailers load less cars and constitute less of the total fleet.
Loading a low-clearance car
The Corvette has about a four-and-a-half inch ground clearance. The standard trailer ramp has a slope which exceeds the ground clearance; the splitter hits the ramp before the wheels do and catches up on the break.
Professional carriers of sports cars get around the problem with equipment. A hydraulic liftgate lifts the car to the same height as the deck and eliminates the ramp slope altogether. In cases where a liftgate is not an option, extra or stackable ramps reduce the slope sufficiently to allow clearance.
Wheel strapping is the solution for securing the vehicle in this case. The wheel straps are placed over the tires and not chains on the control arm; there is no load on the suspension system. The loading process in this case was quite simple because the car started and could be driven into position.
Personal items
Personal belongings were transported in the car, and the total weight was below 100 pounds, and it does not incur any additional cost.
It all comes down to some basic regulations. The items should be put into the trunk, beneath the window line. They need to be secured so that there will be no shifting during the trip. No items on the seats and nothing that could obstruct the view of the driver when loading. The space in a Corvette is restricted anyway, so usually, it is the weight that limits the transport capacity.
And the last thing to mention is that personal belongings are not covered by the cargo insurance policy of the carrier. It only covers the vehicle.
Transport summary
- Origin: Tempe, AZ 85280
- Destination: San Diego, CA 92120
- Distance: 358 miles
- Service cost: $867.00
- Cost per mile: $2.42
- Vehicle: 2017 Chevrolet Corvette
- Condition: Operable
- Trailer type: Enclosed
- Personal items: Under 100 pounds, no surcharge
- Route: Tempe, AZ → I-10 west through Phoenix → AZ-85 south at Buckeye → Gila Bend → I-8 west past Yuma, El Centro and the In-Ko-Pah Gorge → San Diego, CA
