NEWS BLOG

Wooden racking systems are still a popular means of increasing the capacity of container shipping, despite their limitations. However, thanks to innovations in automotive racking systems, wooden constructs are no longer the only option. Steel racking systems have come to the fore, providing a secure and cost-efficient means to transport vehicles in shipping containers.

There are many ways to transport vehicles from one location to another, but which of them is the best way for your project or route? As most journeys of any length require multiple modes of transport, often it comes down to a choice of cost vs time. Vehicles can be moved by sea, rail, road, and air.

When reviewing your car transport options, consideration must be given to the method (or methods) that minimise handling, reduce risk of damage, and give the most cost-effective route to your good’s destination.

This week, a number of Volvo vehicles were loaded into containers using the R-RAK and DL-RAK. Because of the width of the Volvo XC90, the DL-RAK was used, meaning that no loaders had to open the driverside door or pass alongside the vehicle when in the container. Also, because the Volvo XC90 is such a large vehicle, the efficiency of the R-RAK was highlighted. The Trans-Rak system is the only product available which can fit 3 XC90 into a 40ft High Cube container, making containerisation much more competitive than loading 2 vehicles per container, as has been done previously.

Last month, a number of containers were stuffed with BMW 1-Series and 7-Series in Europe headed for China. The BMW 7-Series LWB (Long Wheel Base) is a wide vehicle and opening doors inside a container makes loading difficult for operators. Because of this, the new DL-RAK was used in conjunction with the R-RAK, allowing for Driverless Loading. The vehicles were successfully unstuffed and has proven the effectiveness of the DL-RAK.

As more and more companies look to Trans-Rak for putting cars in containers because of our product's ability to reduce costs and handling of vehicles, it is natural that the leading logistics publications increase their coverage of this field.

The new DL-RAK has been used to load wide BMW 7-series into a container during December. Using Trans-Rak equipment, the vehicles were loaded without the need for a driver to open a car door or for any loaders to pass along the side of the vehicle during the securing process. This means that the possibility of damaging a vehicle has gone from highly unlikely to zero!

The R-RAK, software development, DL-RAK and the R-RAK Pallet-Wide are all featured in the September 2016 issue of the Journal of the International Cargo Industry.

Working out how many cars you can fit into a standard 40ft HC container is no longer a manual exercise thanks to new software developed by WMG at Warwick University in conjunction with vehicle racking experts Trans-Rak International.

Trans-Rak International, designers and manufacturers of racking systems for automotive logistics, have announced the launch of an innovative new solution for loading wide vehicles into containers.

When Paul Donaldson spots the word ‘innovation’ being applied to a so called revolutionary new method of transporting vehicles, those making the claim must be prepared to present a robust argument to prove the case.