What to budget
Inside a Texas metro, budget around $150 each way, so roughly $300 round trip, for a typical aerial machine. Beyond a radius of about 25 miles from the yard, expect mileage of roughly $4.50 per loaded mile on top, charged both directions.
Larger machines cost more to move because they need a bigger trailer, sometimes a permit, and occasionally an escort. A crane is a different conversation entirely: mobilization is quoted separately each way and scales from a few hundred dollars to five figures.
The surcharge nobody mentions until the invoice
Most national suppliers add a transportation or fuel surcharge indexed to the diesel price and reset monthly. Sunbelt publishes a worked example at 8.5% with an $8.50 minimum. It is legitimate and it is disclosed, but it is not usually in the number quoted over the phone.
We exclude it from our estimates deliberately rather than guessing at it, and say so.
How to reduce it
Give the site address, not just the city. Distance from the yard is the biggest lever, and a supplier ten miles closer can beat a cheaper day rate comfortably on a short hire.
Take more than one machine on the same trip where you can. Extend rather than return and re-rent, because a second delivery costs more than the extra days usually do. And if you can collect it yourself with the right trailer and tie-downs, pickup removes the charge altogether.