Tennessee → Alabama · Interstate 40 / Interstate 65
Punching Birmingham, Alabama, into the GPS for the trip back from Nashville, Tennessee, the dashboard once again shows the 347 km (216 miles) separating the two cities along Interstate 40 / Interstate 65 and estimates 3h 18m to wrap up the return. Nashville, the capital of Tennessee and the country music capital of the world, fades in the rear window while the vehicle picks up the homeward path toward Birmingham, the largest city in Alabama and former steel-industry capital of the Deep South. 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 $28.98 to cover the same 31.5 liters (8.3 gallons) consumed on the way out. The return reimbursement reaches $149.21 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.