Ohio → North Carolina · Interstate 71 / Interstate 75
Punching Charlotte, North Carolina, into the GPS for the trip back from Cincinnati, Ohio, the dashboard once again shows the 637 km (396 miles) separating the two cities along Interstate 71 / Interstate 75 and estimates 6h 4m to wrap up the return. Cincinnati, the Ohio River metropolis and historic Queen City of the Midwest, fades in the rear window while the vehicle picks up the homeward path toward Charlotte, the Queen City of the Carolinas and the second-largest US banking center. Unlike the outbound leg, it pays to walk around the truck before pulling out — fuel level, tire pressure, dashboard alerts and load straps all deserve a fresh look, because there is less slack to absorb a surprise once fatigue has settled in. Topping off the tank costs roughly $53.27 to cover the same 57.9 liters (15.3 gallons) consumed on the way out. The return reimbursement reaches $273.91 at the $0.43/km benchmark. Before pulling into the driveway, close out the Clara receipt with the final odometer reading: corporate finance accepts the digital file with no wet-ink signature required.