NEWS BLOG

Four cars in one container! Have you ever wondered how that works? You’re not alone. One of the first questions that clients often ask is how our iconic R-Rak containerised vehicle solution achieves something that many people once believed was impossible.

Making the case for containerised vehicle solutions is easy! But have you ever wondered what sets one company apart from another? Over the last thirty years, we have seen lots of new companies try to jump on the bandwagon – with varying degrees of success.

Transporting multiple vehicles in containers involves cutting-edge innovation. Therefore, many people have questions about what to look for. With over thirty years of combined automotive and container experience, the team at Trans-Rak International have a few insider’s tips.

Many providers take it for granted that vehicle transportation means Roll On Roll Off (RoRo) ferries. After all, it’s been that way since the 1960’s, so why change it?

Since the first container ship took to the waves in 1956, the global freight industry has been transformed. Often credited as being one of the most important inventions of the twentieth century, the humble corrugated box – or ‘intermodal freight container’ – has become the friendly, reliable, postman for anything relating to cargo. Accessible, efficient, cost-effective, and reliable, container transport now represents 90% of the global goods trade.

If you’re interested in the idea of using container shipping to transport vehicles, you’re possibly wondering how it differs to RORO solutions. Anyone with a history in automotive manufacturing and trade will already know that designing and creating these tarmac-devouring icons is only half the story. Getting them from the workshop to their natural environment of the open road can be something else altogether. Traditional methods tend to use a complex itinerary of ferries, trains, barges, and vehicle transporters, and frequently include multiples of some or all.

There is a reason that we do not drive along the road and pass a car transporter constructed from wood. It is therefore one of life’s great curiosities that wood remains the primary material used for constructing vehicle frames inside containers. Today, we take a look at the mechanical and chemical properties of steel and wood, and explore their use in container vehicle transport.

In the automotive logistics industry, the debate continues to rage. How to transport cars in the safest and most cost effective way? Moving expensive vehicles from A to B is enough to make anyone feel slightly pale, and that’s without the difficulties of factoring in risk assessments, insurance, and timescales. Here’s a quick list of why container shipping may just be the answer.

Whether you are shipping ten cars or one hundred cars, some of the basics of logistics remain the same. The priority must always be that the car arrives safely and undamaged, with timely arrival following close behind as a highly desirable second priority.

Before we discuss ways to improve any service, of any type, we must first agree how quality of service can be measured. In an ideal world, we would benchmark the current service quality, execute a programme of planned improvements and then measure the quality of service afterwards. All of this implies that improvements must be measurable to be of any value.