A recent shipment included the transportation of a 2018 Chevy Corvette from La Grange, Kentucky, to Henderson, Nevada. The distance travelled was 1,886 miles using an enclosed trailer for a total charge of $1,941.00, equaling $1.03/mile.
The Corvette was road-worthy at pick-up time. However, it was shipped with more precaution than a standard vehicle due to the lowered ground clearance required to load a vehicle onto a deck. That is what is important to understand about this reservation.
The route
This 1,886 mile journey from La Grange to Henderson stretches across the country from the Ohio Valley to the Mojave’s edge.
Since La Grange is northeast of Louisville, the vehicle will have to travel south along the I-71 freeway and then pick up I-64 westwards. This I-64 freeway stretches all the way to St. Louis, where the vehicle joins I-44 southwest, going through Springfield, Missouri, and into Oklahoma City.
From Oklahoma City, the vehicle takes I-40 west. This is the interstate freeway that makes up most of the journey. It stretches across Amarillo, through New Mexico and over Albuquerque, then through Arizona via Flagstaff.
At Kingman, the journey switches to US-93 northwest, which climbs up the Colorado River via the Hoover Dam bypass, descending into the Las Vegas valley. Henderson is located at the southeast of the valley, so the vehicle travels to the destination on I-11 and I-215.
Loading a low-clearance car
The Corvette rides about four and a half inches from the ground. A standard trailer ramp is steeper than that clearance allows. It could mean the vehicle would catch the front splitter or damage the underside by driving it up the ramp like a regular sedan.
Carriers that transport sports cars use technology instead of techniques to avoid any potential problems. A liftgate will raise the vehicle at the level of the deck, completely eliminating the ramp angle. In case there is no liftgate available, extended ramps or race ramps can be used to make the approach flat.
The driver will position the low-riding car correctly. The upper deck of the enclosed trailer will always have a shallow approach compared to the lower deck. Thus, Corvettes are always loaded on the upper deck. The wheel straps are placed over the wheels, not the chains under the control arms.
Nothing here is out of the ordinary. It is routine for people who have been moving sports cars before. That is precisely why we always ask our customers about ground clearance in case of a performance car, not just assume it will fit.
What $1.03 per mile says about this run
A little above a dollar a mile is a good bid for an enclosed load, and distance is the reason.
Loading and pickup costs would be about the same for the carrier no matter what. Securing and coordination and delivery would all go down similar lines. In case of an enclosed haul that has to be done on a short route, the fixed costs fall on a few miles and increase the rate significantly. But the 1,886 mile distance means that the rate per mile decreases even though there is an extra charge for the type of trailer.
Lane also helps. Interstate-40 is one of the primary east-west routes, and there are regular enclosed trailer deliveries to Las Vegas. The limiting factor was not capacity.
Enclosed transport
Sports cars offer one of the clearest cases where enclosed transport is required. The Corvette sports car includes a front splitter and wide low profile tires along with paint that the owner sees every scratch on. All of those would be exposed to road debris and the weather over the entire 1,886 miles.
These walls shield them instead. The car arrives spotless because the alternative would be 1,886 miles of highway dust and any road debris that could be thrown up by vehicles ahead.
Enclosure solves the problem raised earlier of having a liftgate. Enclosed transporters specializing in sports cars are the most likely ones to have a liftgate.
Transport summary
- Origin: La Grange, KY 40031
- Destination: Henderson, NV 89012
- Distance: 1,886 miles
- Service cost: $1,941.00
- Cost per mile: $1.03
- Vehicle: 2018 Chevrolet Corvette
- Condition: Operable
- Trailer type: Enclosed
- Route: La Grange, KY → I-71 south → I-64 west to St. Louis → I-44 southwest through Springfield to Oklahoma City → I-40 west through Amarillo, Albuquerque and Flagstaff → US-93 northwest at Kingman → I-11 / I-215 → Henderson, NV
