Our delivery of a 2017 Jeep Wrangler from Pullman, WA to Urbana, IL was recently completed. It was transported on an open trailer for 1,876 miles at a cost of $1,749.00, or $0.93 per mile.
This model is roadworthy and was driven onto the trailer using its own wheels. There is something about the Wrangler that no other car has, and it definitely needs to be addressed since customers do not usually bring it up themselves.
The route
The route that covers 1,876 miles from Pullman to Urbana runs through northern Rockies and the prairies to central Illinois.
Pullman is in the Palouse region of southeastern Washington, quite far from any interstate. From Pullman drivers head on US-195 north to Colfax and there switch to Interstate 90 (I-90).
I-90 covers the entire middle part of the distance. It goes east through Coeur d’Alene in Idaho and Montana through Missoula, Butte, and Billings. It also passes through Sheridan, Wyoming, and Rapid City and Sioux Falls in South Dakota.
From Albert Lea, Minnesota, the cargo truck heads south on I-35 to Des Moines and then east on I-80 to the Quad Cities. I-74 finishes the journey east through Galesburg and Peoria to Champaign–Urbana.
Soft tops and open-air vehicles
A Wrangler is among the only cars that will arrive at the truck without a hard top in place, and this means the pre-deck inspection is different from that for other types of vehicles.
Wind will be drawn into a soft top moving at highway speeds. An open top vehicle will be placed high on a deck and subject to continuous wind for 1,876 miles. This will be fine if the top is all latched up. If there is a corner that is loose, a rail not attached or if the header is partly engaged, it will not.
The windows should be pulled in and all the fasteners latched up. Side and rear windows of a soft top use zippers and channels to lock them in. With any of these partially engaged, wind will draw them out, and this is the one problem we encounter regularly. All you need is two minutes.
The panels should remain tight. Side windows and rear panels that have been detached are stored inside the car.
Without the doors means an open interior. A Wrangler delivered without doors will be sent with an interior that is completely exposed to the elements. If there are no doors, then we record the fact that the doors are inside the vehicle.
The hardtop is just simpler. If the Jeep has the ability to have a hardtop and the customer does not mind, then deliver it with the hardtop installed. This is true for any convertible because a completely latched top is what you want on an open deck.
Also let us know how it will be configured at booking. Will it be a soft top, hardtop? Do the doors go on or off? It has no impact whatsoever on the price but everything on the pre-departure inspection by the driver.
What $0.93 per mile reflects
These are the three things that drive this price point.
Distance drags it down. Since Urbana is 1,876 miles away, the fixed costs associated with pickup, loading, securing and delivery get dispersed over enough ground to bring this close to ninety cents rather than above a dollar.
The Pick-Up at Pullman raises it. Southeastern Washington is far from the lane that the carrier drives through. Pullman is approximately ninety minutes out of Spokane and even farther from any big freight market, so either the truck drives the additional distance or it is waiting for an excuse to be in the area.
Vehicle profile doesn’t matter much. The Wrangler has considerable height and boxiness for the wheelbase and track width it possesses, which affects where it sits on a two level deck more than a sedan would.
Urbana by itself works just fine. It lies on I-74 with access to the Chicago and St. Louis markets, so the delivery side wasn’t limiting.
Open transport
This is because the Wrangler traveled using an open trailer, and this is ideal for such a vehicle.
A Wrangler is one of those vehicles that will definitely not fit in as a garage kept collector car. With the roof and doors secured, it is fine for the trailer to be an open deck as compared to the alternative, especially when traveling such a distance.
Ground clearance was never an issue since the Wrangler is quite high off the ground. Therefore, there was no need for a ramp at any point, and this made it easy to load at both ends. Securing the vehicle involved the use of straps over the wheels rather than chains on the suspension system.
Transport summary
- Origin: Pullman, WA 99163
- Destination: Urbana, IL 61801
- Distance: 1,876 miles
- Service cost: $1,749.00
- Cost per mile: $0.93
- Vehicle: 2017 Jeep Wrangler
- Condition: Operable
- Trailer type: Open
- Route: Pullman, WA → US-195 north through Colfax to Spokane → I-90 east through Coeur d’Alene, Missoula, Butte and Billings → Sheridan, WY → Rapid City and Sioux Falls, SD → Albert Lea, MN → I-35 south to Des Moines, IA → I-80 east to the Quad Cities → I-74 east through Peoria → Urbana, IL
