A Chevrolet Corvette manufactured in 2019 isn’t shipped the same way as a family car. Route and trailer type are important factors that affect pricing. In this case, the shipment traveled a distance of 1,738 miles from Hartford, Wisconsin to Tempe, Arizona by way of a hard-sided enclosed trailer and cost $2,600. Here are some details about this particular shipment.
The Route
The shipper loaded the Corvette at Hartford, Wisconsin. This town is located northwest of Milwaukee. The path then moved from there south on I-41 until reaching Milwaukee before moving west on I-94 through Wisconsin.
The path then led through Madison and continued along I-90 southwesterly to Rockford, Illinois before turning to I-80. The western part of the path through Iowa and Nebraska is considered one of the most traveled paths for auto carriers. The reason for this is the constant amount of carriers traveling back and forth in this corridor.
After Denver, the interstate took us southwest via I-76. It then took the turn to I-25 going south to Colorado Springs and Pueblo. I-25 took us further down south into New Mexico where we passed by Albuquerque before getting onto I-40 to the west. We finally went through Flagstaff, Arizona, via I-40. It took us further south via I-17 to Phoenix to Tempe.
This is a total of five interstates and 1,738 miles. The lane that we have taken in our journey starts at Wisconsin and ends at Arizona, meaning that most of it is covered in busy freight routes. This is advantageous when booking enclosures because there are many carriers on the lane.
Why the Corvette Required a Hard-Sided Enclosed Trailer
The 2019 Corvette C7 has a ground clearance of about 4.3 inches. This means that it is considered one of those cars that have a low ground clearance. Open ramps will easily scrape its undercarriage while loading. Standard open transport ramps usually have an angle of 14 to 18 degrees in approach. Since this car has clearance of less than 4.5 inches, it faces significant scraping risk when approaching the ramp.
The hard-sided enclosed trailer did not only provide protection during the loading process. Since it had walls made out of metal and aluminum, the Corvette would be completely shielded from any road debris and the weather conditions during the 1,738 mile journey. It even provided UV protection. An open transport trailer, for example, would expose the Corvette to the rocks, dirt, and changing temperatures in the region.
The hard-sided trailers differ from the soft-sided enclosed trailers because soft-sided trailers utilize vinyl curtains on the side. While soft-sided trailers provide more protection than the open trailers, they do not provide the same level of complete protection as a hard-walled trailer because soft-sided trailers do not completely protect the car from the weather. In terms of transporting a Corvette, the hard-sided trailer is what people generally recommend. A small paint chip or other damage to a sports car is going to be more expensive than the cost to transport the car using either method.
Another factor about enclosed sports cars is that many times those who transport sports cars are experienced in loading up smaller cars because of their lower clearance. These trailers often use race ramps or approach ramps which make the incline just 6 to 10 degrees when loading the trailer. The enclosed trailers often only transport two to seven vehicles at a time.
Sports Car vs. Standard Sedan: Why the Corvette Costs More to Ship
Transporting the Corvette in an enclosed trailer at a price of $2,600 translates to about $1.50 per mile, whereas transportation of a standard-sized sedan in an open trailer would cost between $1,000 and $1,400 for the same distance of 1,738 miles. There are a number of reasons why this difference occurs other than the value of the car.
There are a lower number of cars that can be transported in an enclosed trailer than in an open carrier. The maximum number of cars in an open car trailer would be seven to ten, while in an enclosed trailer, this number would be from two to seven cars. It takes more time to transport fewer cars in one journey, hence increased costs.
Sports cars add handling complexity on top of that. Low-clearance loading takes longer and requires experienced drivers who know how to work with approach ramps and soft tie-downs. A standard sedan can be loaded quickly with standard ramps. The Corvette required more care and more time at both pickup and delivery.
Insurance requirements factor in too. Enclosed transport is standard for vehicles with significant market value, and carriers that cover sports cars and performance vehicles carry higher policy limits. That cost is reflected in the quote.
Open transport for a standard sedan runs 45 to 65 percent cheaper than enclosed transport for the same route. For a vehicle like the Corvette, that price gap is the cost of keeping a sports car in the same condition it left Wisconsin in. The alternative is rolling the dice on 1,738 miles of open exposure through some of the most debris-heavy stretches of highway in the country.
Transport Summary
- Vehicle: 2019 Chevrolet Corvette
- Origin: Hartford, WI 53027
- Destination: Tempe, AZ 85288
- Distance: 1,738 miles
- Trailer type: Hard-sided enclosed
- Total cost: $2,600
- Cost per mile: $0.66
- Primary interstates: I-41, I-94, I-90, I-80, I-76, I-25, I-40, I-17
