Almost every NCAA Division I school owns its own 18-wheeler, many at a cost of about $200,000. They paint the trailer with the school logo and hit the road.
Arizona wide receiver Kris Hutson, left, gets a high Wildcat hand sign from fellow receiver Chris Hunter after his touchdown catch in the first quarter against BYU, Oct. 11, 2025, at Arizona Stadium.
This week, two members of the UA athletic equipment staff drove the Wildcat 18-wheeler 1,846 miles to Cincinnati, hauling every imaginable piece of football equipment from helmets to shoulder pads. Those trips, requiring three hotel nights, aren’t cheap. The UA’s round-trip trek to Cincinnati required about 500 gallons of diesel fuel, at about $3.75 per gallon. Those big ol’ 18-wheelers average about 7.5 miles per gallon, or close to $2,000 for the round trip to Cincinnati.
It also required about 27 hours of drive time. It gets more grueling next year when the Wildcats are scheduled to play at West Virginia, with a driving distance of close to 2,300 miles.
