Recently, we completed the relocation of 2019 Honda HR-V from Glendale, CA to Greenwood Village, CO. This move involved covering 1,024 miles using an open trailer and cost $1,200.00, averaging out to $1.17 per mile.
This HR-V was a driveable vehicle at time of pickup. Being a small crossover on a moderately long haul through a big city, there’s no particular reason for the per-mile rate to be relatively high except that the latter 250 miles are traversed over the Rockies.
The route
This journey from Glendale to Greenwood Village spans 1,024 miles and covers areas in the Mojave Desert, the Utah canyon country, and the Colorado Rockies.
Glendale is located just north of the Los Angeles city center. Starting out, one would head northbound on I-15 via Cajon Pass to Barstow, crossing through the desert until reaching Las Vegas and then the Virgin River Gorge in St. George, Utah.
Eastbound via I-70 just past Cove Fort, the road goes through Richfield to the San Rafael Swell, then past Green River into Colorado in Grand Junction.
From here, the interstate takes you over Vail Pass in Glenwood Canyon through the Eisenhower Tunnel at an elevation of more than 11,000 feet, before going down to Denver. Greenwood Village is in the Denver Tech Center area, south of Denver, so that means ending on I-25 south.
Crossing the Rockies on a car carrier
It is more than a slower part of the drive with a fully loaded car carrier. It alters the trip itself.
Gradients take time. Fully loaded carriers go up Vail Pass and the approach to the Eisenhower Tunnel below the speed limit and down in low gear to prevent brake problems. The mileage remains the same. The number of hours spent driving does not.
Chain requirements are another factor in Colorado. Commercial vehicles on the mountain portion of I-70 must use chains in the period between September and May, as required by circumstances. It is time spent stopped at the side of the road, and it affects all carriers that travel in the winter season.
Closures are common. I-70 closures due to weather or falling rocks in Glenwood Canyon, or to traffic accidents on the passes, occur frequently. No other route through the Rocky Mountains offers an easy bypass.
Winter gains days not hours. As we talked about when moving from Minnesota to California, which went through Wyoming, a day could be added to our delivery estimates if the mountain pass is having bad weather conditions. This is considered in the schedule, but no date is promised as this would never be honored by the mountains.
But this consideration of difficulty is included in the pricing process. The slower speed and additional fuel needed for the climb mean money loss to the carrier, plus brake usage while coming down the pass and possibly a closure. Pass routes will generally be priced a bit higher than flat routes of equal distance.
What $1.17 per mile reflects
There are two factors that contribute to this price.
Distance is the first one, since at 1,024 miles, this is a middle-distance transport where fixed costs of picking up, loading, securing, and delivering have to be covered. The cost of coast-to-coast movement covers those fixed costs over almost three times more distance.
Terrain is another factor, for the same reasons mentioned above. The same distance on a flat route turned out to be cheaper, because the Vancouver-Laguna Beach delivery on I-5 was quoted at $1.04.
It’s not about end locations either. Both Los Angeles and Denver metropolitan areas are large markets and I-15/I-70 corridors are known freight routes.
Open transport
The HR-V was delivered via an open trailer, which is how the vast majority of vehicles get transported here.
It is a subcompact crossover model with clearcoat from the manufacturer, and an enclosure is designed for cars for whom a chip in their paint is a significant monetary issue. Having said that, an alpine delivery in the wintertime is one of those situations in which road grit and anti-icing compounds affect an open deck more than usual. It’s good to be aware of this if your shipment is of value in the cold season.
Ground clearance wasn’t an issue. The securement was soft straps over the wheels and not chains over the suspension, and prior to rather than post-climbs.
Transport summary
- Origin: Glendale, CA 91205
- Destination: Greenwood Village, CO 80111
- Distance: 1,024 miles
- Service cost: $1,200.00
- Cost per mile: $1.17
- Vehicle: 2019 Honda HR-V
- Condition: Operable
- Trailer type: Open
- Route: Glendale, CA → I-15 north over the Cajon Pass → Barstow → Las Vegas, NV → St. George, UT → I-70 east near Cove Fort → Richfield and Green River → Grand Junction, CO → Glenwood Canyon → Vail Pass → Eisenhower Tunnel → Denver → I-25 south → Greenwood Village, CO
