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.

It goes without saying that Trans-Rak steel framed car racking systems for containerised transport are the starting point for safe, secure and efficient transport. Although the great benefit of using the Trans-Rak system is optimising the payload within shipping containers, this is not the priority when loading vehicles.

Covered car transport services have traditionally been associated with the prestige end of the market. It has long been the favoured method for transporting vehicles such as liveried racing cars, prestige and classic cars, and open top cars. There are several benefits that lend appeal:

Over the years, car transport businesses have come up with a number of car racking systems to increase the safety and capacity of shipping container transport. Why? To increase the economic viability of shipping containers as an alternative to Ro-Ro transport. A 40 foot standard shipping container, with 8 feet of space in both width and height, is the equivalent to about two parking spaces. Therefore, without utilising racking, you will only ever be able to get two cars in a container; a costly proposition if you need to ship multiple vehicles.

You may be sitting right now thinking about how you’re going to ship this new batch of cars from the manufacturer to the dealership. There’s a long journey ahead for the cars and your job is to ensure the cars arrive safely, securely and in pristine condition.

Containerising automobiles for long distance shipping isn't a brand new idea, but the system that we have created makes it more economical and risk free than ever before. While RORO shipping is still the industry standard, our racking system has many advantages for the bulk shipping of cars. In addition to creating many options for flexible shipping routes, shipping cars in containers is far safer than RORO shipping – so long as you use the appropriate racking solution.

Transporting cars with shipping containers offers some major benefits, and today this technology presents a viable option for shipping new vehicles worldwide. For a long time, the racking systems that were available for container based auto logistics were simply not able to compete with Roll On Roll Off (RORO) ships, that are the current industry standard. But now our container based racking systems are changing the way automotive transportation happens worldwide.

Container shipping for cars is an attractive alternative to RoRo because it reduces the amount of handling and transfers needed throughout a journey. Container shipping costs are therefore lower in terms of damaged stock. However, shipping containers come with a serious capacity issue – they can only transport two or maybe three vehicles at a time. This can add up to higher per unit costs compared with RoRo, which is why container shipping isn’t extensively used in automotive logistics.

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.