Recently we completed transportation of a 2026 Cadillac CT5 from Bemidji, MN to Houston, TX. We transported it using an enclosed trailer over a distance of 1,392 miles, and the rate was $1,943.00, making it $1.40 per mile.
The car was operational when picked, so it was loaded by driving it through the ramp. There were two main factors that dictated this particular job. The first one was that the car went enclosed, and the second is that the pickup location was Bemidji, which is far away from any major carrier route.
The route
The 1,392 mile trek starts in Bemidji and travels directly south to Houston through the middle of America.
Bemidji lies in north central Minnesota, far away from any major interstate highway. The truck travels down US-71 from Bemidji, through Wadena and Willmar to get to the Interstate-94. From here, the truck takes I-94 south to the Twin Cities and switches onto I-35 south.
I-35 is the main carrier of the route from here. I-35 goes south through Des Moines, Iowa, and down through Kansas City, Kansas. In Oklahoma, I-35 travels through Oklahoma City before crossing into Texas at the Red River and continuing on to Dallas/Fort Worth.
In Dallas, the truck makes the switch over to I-45, traveling through Corsicana and Huntsville and reaching Houston. 77041 is an address on the west side of the city, therefore Beltway 8 is where the truck ends its journey.
Why the pickup location matters
Bemidji is about a three-hour drive from the Twin Cities, and even farther away from any freight traffic lanes. Most enclosed carriers transport loads between larger metros because that is where most of the volume comes from. It means there are fewer carriers that would pick up your freight on a route like this.
The cost reflects that as well. The carrier will either travel the extra distance up to Bemidji with an empty space, or wait for another load in the area to justify the extra distance traveled. Whatever the case, the deadhead needs to be accounted for somewhere.
The timeline is also different. Metro-to-metro loads can usually be found within two days or so. Loads that have to be picked up from a rural area can take longer, and an enclosed carrier limits the number even more. We inform our customers of that fact beforehand instead of providing an unrealistic time frame.
What $1.40 per mile reflects
Two things contribute to this number.
First, there is the issue of enclosed service. Enclosed trailers transport less volume per trip and cost more to purchase and operate. Moreover, their percentage in the fleet is much smaller. It does not depend on the route taken but affects every enclosed shipment.
Second, the place of origin plays an important role. Deadhead miles, which the pickup from Bemidji entails, add extra cost that would not have been incurred in the case of Minneapolis pickup. For the same enclosed metro-to-metro trip of comparable distance, the price would have been lower.
Distance helps to reduce the price per mile. With the distance being 1,392 miles, there will be many miles between the fixed costs of pickup, loading, securing, and delivering.
Enclosed transport
CT5 is a new vehicle, and this alone should be sufficient grounds to select the enclosed transport option. At this point, there is no paint wear, no rock chips on the hood, nothing that could make an owner indifferent to a brand-new car.
The enclosed trailer eliminates the risk of external damage. The walls shield from road splash, from the salt, gravel thrown up from the road surface by the traffic, not to mention weather effects on the way there, which is definitely important when the trip starts in northern Minnesota.
Securement procedure of the car in an enclosed trailer is standard. Soft straps around the tires rather than chains around the suspension so that nothing stresses the chassis and scratches the wheels. Transport loading was simple as the car had engine power and CT5 sits at typical sedan level.
Transport summary
- Origin: Bemidji, MN 56601
- Destination: Houston, TX 77041
- Distance: 1,392 miles
- Service cost: $1,943.00
- Cost per mile: $1.40
- Vehicle: 2026 Cadillac CT5
- Condition: Operable
- Trailer type: Enclosed
- Route: Bemidji, MN → US-71 south → I-94 southeast → I-35 south through Des Moines, Kansas City and Oklahoma City → Dallas, TX → I-45 south through Huntsville → Houston, TX
