It has been just about a while since we successfully moved a 2022 Mazda CX-30 from Austin, Texas to East Greenwich, Rhode Island. It involved 1,911 miles of driving via an open trailer for a total price of $1,670.00 or $0.87 per mile.
In this case, the CX-30 was functional when we picked it up, and therefore, it was able to drive itself up the ramp. There were personal belongings in the car, but their weight did not exceed 100 pounds. This is a topic that needs separate coverage since customers get it wrong most times.
The route
The 1,911 mile journey from Austin to East Greenwich proceeds in a diagonal across the United States, beginning in central Texas and then moving up through the Mid-South and straight up the East Coast.
The journey starts in north Austin when the driver leaves on I-35 and goes up to Dallas, picks up I-30 and continues northeast to Texarkana and then moves on to Little Rock, Arkansas. At Little Rock, the driver takes I-40 east to Memphis and then turns north via I-81 and I-40 via Nashville, Tennessee.
I-81 takes the driver on up through Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley and then into Pennsylvania where the driver can pick up I-78 east into New Jersey, across to New York via I-95 in Connecticut. The journey ends in Rhode Island at I-95, where East Greenwich is located south of Providence.
What $0.87 per mile covers
Since the distance is 1,911 miles, this is really a long distance and hence the higher rate. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 1,911 or 1 mile, the expenses incurred for pickup and loading are roughly equal. The expenses for securement, coordination and delivery are all similar and therefore splitting them over such a distance reduces the costs.
Traffic along the lane also favors the customer. Texas to New England is a constant flow of traffic and the lanes I-81 and I-95, which constitute the second half of the lane, are some of the busiest lanes in the country. There is traffic along this lane all the time and hence it’s never the capacity problem.
Personal items had no effect on the pricing since the weight was less than 100 pounds and no additional fee was applied.
Open transport
CX-30 was loaded on an open trailer because it is a contemporary crossover model that has its factory paint on it, and thus it does not require those features that are offered by an enclosed trailer to a classic and exotic car.
The cost of transporting an automobile on an open trailer is much lower than the cost of transportation using an enclosed trailer, since an open trailer carries a higher number of automobiles on one trip and operates many times more frequently than an enclosed trailer does.
Ground clearance was not an issue because CX-30 is a crossover and is high enough to avoid using ramps.
Transport summary
- Origin: Austin, TX 78759
- Destination: East Greenwich, RI 02818
- Distance: 1,911 miles
- Service cost: $1,670.00
- Cost per mile: $0.87
- Vehicle: 2022 Mazda CX-30
- Condition: Operable
- Trailer type: Open
- Personal items: Under 100 pounds, no surcharge
- Route: Austin, TX → I-35 north → I-30 northeast through Texarkana and Little Rock → I-40 east through Memphis and Nashville → I-81 north through Virginia and Pennsylvania → I-78 east → I-95 north through Connecticut → East Greenwich, RI
