Step 1 of 7 $0
Total Cost of Transport Calculator

What is your true cost to move vehicles?

Most OEMs focus on the per-unit transport rate. This calculator helps you see the full picture — bay fees, dwell costs, damage exposure, dealer reimbursements, and more. Walk through each cost category with your own numbers and see your total exposure in real time.

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6 Cost Categories
From bay overages to management overhead — every hidden cost, surfaced.
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Your Numbers
Enter your own data. No assumptions, no fabricated projections.
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True Cost Per Unit
See what each vehicle actually costs you — loaded with all ancillary spend.

Powered by Auto Hauler Exchange · All calculations are local — no data is collected or transmitted.

Step 2 of 7

Transport Volume & Rate Mix

Enter your monthly volume and the rates you pay across your carrier mix. These inputs carry through to the rest of the calculator.

$
$
Volume Distribution
Contract carrier 70%
Ad hoc / spot 30%
Total 100%
Step 3 of 7

Bay Allocation & Overage Costs

Every OEM has a contracted number of bays at port or railhead. Units that exceed your allocation trigger overage fees — often charged per bay, per day.

$
Example: $5.25/bay/day based on industry precedent
$
Overage rates are typically higher than your base bay cost
Calculated Costs
Monthly overage cost —
Annual overage cost —
Step 4 of 7

Dwell, Handling & Overflow

Every day a vehicle sits unmoving at port or rail is a day you're paying for it. When those delays overflow into satellite lots — or require extra touches to finally move the vehicle — the costs compound.

Dwell Time
Moving from
AHX average: 4-day delivery
$
Additional Handling
Extra moves required because the vehicle hasn't been picked up yet
$
Overflow Lots
$
$
Calculated Costs
Monthly dwell cost —
Monthly additional handling cost —
Monthly overflow cost —
Combined monthly —
Annual total —
Step 5 of 7 · Optional

Dealer Reimbursement Costs

When vehicles are delivered late, many OEMs pay a reimbursement to their dealers — a per-car cost allocated each month based on delayed units. Enter your actual penalty rate to see your monthly exposure.

$
Per-car reimbursement allocated to the OEM each month for late deliveries
Calculated Costs
Monthly dealer reimbursement cost —
Annual exposure —
Step 6 of 7 · Optional

Management & Claims Overhead

Carriers cover repair costs — but your team still pays in time. Every damage claim means hours spent opening, tracking, and closing it. This step captures both your baseline carrier management overhead and the administrative drag that scales with your damage rate.

Logistics Management
$
50%
Damage Claim Management
%
Filing, follow-up, dispute resolution, and close-out
$
Calculated Costs
Monthly logistics management cost —
Monthly claim management cost —
Combined monthly total —
Annual total —
Auto Hauler Exchange — Total Cost of Transport Calculator
Results

Your True Cost of Transport

Here's your total ancillary cost exposure — on top of your contracted transport rate — broken out by category and time period.

Cost Category Weekly Cost
Bay Overage Fees $0
Dwell, Handling & Overflow $0
Dealer Reimbursement $0
Management & Claims Overhead $0
Total Waste / Ancillary Spend $0
True Cost Per Unit — Weekly
Contract Moves
Base contract rate —
Ancillary cost/unit —
True loaded cost —
Ad Hoc / Spot Moves
Base spot rate —
Ancillary cost/unit —
True loaded cost —

Ancillary cost per unit = total waste for the period ÷ total units moved in that period.

The rate trap
Your per-unit transport rate is only one line item. The costs above represent the hidden expenses most OEMs never see in a single view — and they accrue whether you're using contract or ad hoc carriers.
How AHX helps
Auto Hauler Exchange gives you direct access to 5,500+ vetted carriers, 4-day average delivery, and a single platform to manage it all — reducing the friction and cost at every stage above.
Talk to AHX About Reducing Your Costs →