ed up with airport security checks so lengthy that he missed two flights, Doug Mayer grounded himself. Mr. Mayer, a computer-network engineer, now drives on almost all business trips in a Ford Explorer that he outfitted with mobile file storage, a portable desk, wireless laptop and printer.

"I've got three sets of plane tickets sitting here unused because we just won't fly," said Mr. Mayer, president of MobileNet Inc., a company in West Chester, Ohio, that designs and builds remote-access computer networks. "I'm a true road warrior."

So are many other business travelers who have switched to driving since Sept. 11. They say that the difficulty at airports is not worth it, and some are still uncomfortable flying. Tammy Troilo-Krings, owner of the travel-management company Troilo & Associates in Westerville, Ohio, says that the balance is tipped toward driving on trips that involve a flight of three hours or less.

"If getting to the airport takes 20 minutes, and you have to be there two hours prior to departure, and have to deal with all the security issues, you could have left home and already be at your destination," Mrs. Krings said.

The switch to driving is inspiring travelers to install wireless laptops and portable desks so they can get work done along the way. They are leasing motor homes that come equipped with swivel chairs, desks and even showers. And some are taking new city-to-city limousine services that charge flat, rather than hourly, rates.

Donald Resnick, a real estate developer, has taken a limousine twice in the last six months between Philadelphia and New York, and found the service, operated by Carey International, to his liking.

"I can get a lot done, and they pick me up at my front door," said Mr. Resnick, president of the Acorn Development Corporation in Oaks, Pa. "I did it strictly for convenience, and it's comfortable. Plus, you don't get to New York and have to get a cab."

Some cities see opportunity in the shift to ground transportation. Charleston, S.C., for example, is among the regional hubs that are promoting themselves to businesses within a five-hour drive. And companies are noticing a swing toward regional rather than national conferences to give employees and clients the option of driving.

At least a third of clients of Aspen Productions Inc., an Atlanta meeting-planning concern, are giving up a national event in favor of six or seven regional meetings with the same agenda, said Pete Foley, director of operations.

If recent surveys are any indication, the trend is here to stay. Nearly 60 percent of 800 business travelers polled in January by Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown, a research firm in Orlando, Fla., said they would drive rather than fly whenever they could for future business trips. And nearly 30 percent of 1,000 workers said in February that their companies now required or recommended driving instead of flying on business trips, according to the Travel Industry Association of America. High gasoline prices have not deterred business travelers from driving, corporate-travel specialists say.

Corporate travel managers surveyed by Runzheimer International say the time spent at airports is the main reason business travelers are switching to driving, with fear of flying a close second.

"They were always yanking us aside at the airport," said Mr. Mayer of MobileNet, recalling the frustrations he and his co-workers felt in recent months. "They'd take hours to go through our equipment."

He spent $800 to equip his company's vehicle with office equipment, and, with two employees, drove seven hours in February from their offices outside Cincinnati to St. Louis to visit a client. In January, he and three engineers drove 10 hours to Kansas City, Kan., on business.

One product Mr. Mayer installed is the AutoExec, a mobile office desk with file storage made by GoOffice .com. While most people who buy the desk are salespeople or real estate agents driving daily across a territory, the Grand Rapids, Mich., company is getting more customers who are opting to drive longer distances for business trips, says Kevin Bart, national sales manager.