Transporting a small group of cars has always been a headache. Whether the purpose is for a sporting event, an auction, or simply to relocate a vehicle collection, roll-on-roll-off (RORO) ferries have never been able to offer an ideal solution. This is one of the reasons that investors are turning towards containerised strategies.
What’s Wrong With RORO?
The vehicle shipping industry is designed for large bulk orders. Ferries have regular routes. These are established by major manufacturers and are limited by port depth. In addition, most ROROs sail when they are filled with their contingent of 5000+ cars, rather than according to pre-determined schedules.
Smaller vehicle collections tend to be time-sensitive, and the end-location is important. The combination of a lack of port choice and unpredictable timetables make ROROs a challenging option for small shipments.
What Are The Other Options?
In some situations, simply driving the vehicle fleet from A to B is plausible. However, this is usually both expensive and time-consuming. The best alternative has, therefore, always been container transport.
Containers are like large, safe envelopes. Just like ordering an item from an online store, the vehicles can be packaged at one end of the journey and opened at their delivery point. And just like online shopping, the sender can select how quickly they want the order to arrive and can designate a precise address. Container shipping lanes are extensive, and this means that there is both variety and choice of departure and destination.
How Does It Work?
Vehicles transported by container are secured with a high-grade steel racking system. These allow every inch of container space to be used. An average of four vehicles can be safely loaded into the box, although this number is flexible. With different container sizes available and different racking configurations possible, there are many options to choose from. For instance, there are racking options such as the SKD-RAK that allow semi-knocked down vehicles to be easily manoeuvred into the container, or the R-RAK Pallet-Wide that is adjustable for any container width.
Can A Small Fleet Of Vehicles Be Shipped Together Safely?
Yes. Whereas RORO ferries dictate what is shipped and when – a strategy that gives little control - containerised shipping is organised differently. Once you have booked your container, it is up to you how you use it. That may mean filling it with up to four cars, or could mean loading two cars and some accessories. ROROs have an extremely high rate of vehicle thefts. These range from thefts of entire cars to the stripping of parts. When containers are used, everything is safely sealed inside a locked box. This means that a small fleet of vehicles can be moved with complete peace of mind.
Find Out More
If you are planning on shipping multiple cars, Trans Rak can help. As one of the most established containerised transportation companies, we have a solution for every need. To learn more, please click here to download our free Containerised Car Transport Guide.
