We recently completed shipping of a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek from San Diego, CA to Jacksonville, FL. We traveled a distance of 2,347 miles using an open trailer for $2,050.00 which translates to $0.87 per mile.
The vehicle could be started and operated during pick up. In light of a journey like this involving a fully functional vehicle, the question that comes up is the question we get asked. Why not just drive it?
The route
The 2,347 miles-long drive from San Diego to Jacksonville cuts across the southern part of the United States mostly on one interstate.
The journey starts in downtown San Diego and continues eastwards along Interstate 8, passing through In-Ko-Pah Gorge and descending into the Imperial Valley towards El Centro and Yuma. I-8 joins I-10 close to Casa Grande, Arizona.
I-10 then takes care of the rest of the drive. This road passes through Tucson and bypasses Las Cruces before moving into Texas through El Paso to Fort Stockton and San Antonio and Houston.
The interstate then enters Louisiana through Baton Rouge and along the Gulf Coast, bypassing Mobile. The interstate enters Florida through Tallahassee. Jacksonville is at the eastern end of I-10 where it meets I-95.
Ship it or drive it
And here’s the truth, including the part that doesn’t look good for us.
Driving in cash terms is less expensive. In this case, a Crosstrek with 28 miles per gallon will need about 84 gallons of gasoline. In monetary terms, that makes it something between $290 and $360 in fuel. Throw in three nights at hotels and four days at restaurants, and people generally end up spending close to $900, which is under $2,050.
There are additional costs involved beyond just the cash cost, however. Driving involves 2,347 extra miles driven. On a car that you expect to keep or sell, these miles have value, and even at a modest valuation of 20 cents per mile in terms of wear and depreciation, that adds another $470 to the cost.
Then there’s the time you’ve spent. Four days driving one way, and back again if you don’t plan to stay. If you can work remotely from a hotel, it is acceptable. Otherwise, four days of vacation days are not inexpensive.
And the risk. Two thousand miles of interstate driving has a non-zero risk of a stone chip, a mechanical breakdown, or even worse. In shipping, the risk is transferred to the commercial carrier and cargo insurance.
Driving shines when the distance is shorter, an inexpensive car that does not matter, the trip is something you would have done in any case, or the schedule does not matter.
Shipping shines when the distance is longer, like this distance, cars where mileage is important, a tight schedule, everyone who flies to the destination, and everyone who has multiple vehicles to move.
Honest evaluation. With 2,347 miles you trade $1,100 for four days, 2,347 miles of wear, and the risk. The value of this tradeoff entirely depends on how much those four days cost to you.
What $0.87 per mile reflects
Two things lie behind this number.
Distance is one of them. Loading, pickup, securement and coordination, and delivery all cost the carrier roughly the same on any given task, and they do not change as a function of the distance. Spread across 2,347 miles, the cost per mile is quite low.
The open trailer is another thing. The open trailers haul more cars on each run and are much more common than the enclosed ones.
This is a good corridor. The I-10 across the south rim of the US is one of the busiest freight corridors in the nation, and both San Diego and Jacksonville are actual markets, military and commercial traffic on each end of the route.
Open transport
The Crosstrek traveled using an open trailer, as is typical of the vast majority of cars transported in the U.S.
This is a production crossover with a factory clear coat, and the purpose of an enclosure is only relevant to those cars where a rock chip has real monetary value. At more than 2,347 miles, even the extra cost of the enclosure would make this much too expensive for the ship-or-drive debate to remain close.
Ground clearance is not an issue here. The Crosstrek has more ground clearance than most cars at its size, thus the ramp angle was not important. Straps were used over the tires instead of chains around the suspension.
Transport summary
- Origin: San Diego, CA 92101
- Destination: Jacksonville, FL 32216
- Distance: 2,347 miles
- Service cost: $2,050.00
- Cost per mile: $0.87
- Vehicle: 2018 Subaru Crosstrek
- Condition: Operable
- Trailer type: Open
- Route: San Diego, CA → I-8 east through El Centro and Yuma → I-10 east at Casa Grande, AZ → Tucson → Las Cruces, NM → El Paso, Fort Stockton, San Antonio and Houston, TX → Baton Rouge, LA → Mobile, AL → Tallahassee, FL → Jacksonville, FL
