NEWS BLOG

Compared with older methods, containerised car racking systems offer significant efficiency improvements for international vehicle transportation. Containers are versatile, allowing a greater range of port options. And with an effective racking system, up to six cars can be held in a 40ft container. But which type of racking system is best?

Have you ever wondered why you are forced to use Roll-on-Roll-off ferries for car transportation when the rest of the world uses containers? You’re not alone. More myths abound regarding the containerised transport of vehicles than any other form of freight transport.

For international logistics and automotive shipping companies, transportation options have for a long time been limited. Containerisation is the dominant means of international freight generally, but it has been harder to implement for vehicles, whether for new products or end of life transit. However, the introduction of the R-RAK reusable automotive racking system has allowed efficient and cost-effective transport of vehicles for both the consumer market and scrappage.

At Trans-Rak, we are the global market leaders for car racking systems, produced in association with our Chinese manufacturing partner Singamas. Our goal as a business is to make international car transport quicker, safer and more affordable. In this article we would like to get back to basics and describe what we mean by a car racking system, what the alternatives are and how our products differ from other car racking solutions.

Container shipping costs have risen significantly since 2019. In particular, a number of interlinked disruptions caused by the pandemic provoked a peak in prices in 2021. Even before the virus took hold, the global eCommerce market was expanding, placing a strain on the availability of shipping containers. This shortage intensified further as Covid-related restrictions tightened - by 44% from 2019 to 2020. Combined with supply chain and labour capacity disruptions, a shortage of trucks and containers, as well as port congestion, conditions were ripe for a surge in prices during 2021.

Running an automotive logistics business means shipping vehicles from various locations, often from multiple locations over the world. However, shipping vehicles by RoRo – still the industry standard – can be a risky business with the possibility of numerous people moving your car at different times during the trip. In addition, to arrive at the required destination there may be several modes of transport utilised during the long journey to reach you. These factors significantly increase your risk of damage or theft, as well as the potential for delay.

Sustainability is at the forefront of everyone’s minds, especially in key industries such as vehicle logistics. Consumers and providers want to know that every effort is being made to make environmental considerations, but what’s the truth about sustainability? Porsche recently asked the team at Trans-Rak to find out – here are the results!

Non-Operating Reefers have specially designed metal floors with a "T-section" shape to control airflow when the refrigeration unit is in use. However, due to the delicate floor and reduced internal dimensions, they are often returned to source empty or only partially used. Until now, it has been very difficult to load vehicles into a NOR due to the reduced internal width making opening vehicle doors an impossibility. As the DL-RAK allows for loading vehicles without opening doors, cars could now be loaded utilising NORs, meaning that they would no longer be shipping thin air. This is not only beneficial for shippers as more containers can be used, but better for the environment as energy isn't wasted moving empty containers around the world.

Shipping is a major global contributor to climate change. As with other sectors, there is an increasing realisation that urgent action is required to lower greenhouse gas emissions from ocean-going vessels and the logistics infrastructure that supports the sector. Accordingly, in 2018 the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) announced its aim to significantly reduce carbon emissions from shipping.

RoRo, using specialist ocean going vehicle carriers, is the cheapest method for sending cars long trans-global distances when available. It is perfect when time is not a critical factor and when it suits the sender to unload the cargo in one of the specialist port facilities that handle these vessels.