Vehicles can be transported by truck, railroad car, huge ship, or airplane.
On all of his visits outside of Washington, D.C., the president’s limousines are flown by an Air Force C-5 Galaxy cargo plane, but relatively few personal vehicles are. Exotic collector cars, racecars, or unique concept automobiles set to make an appearance at a significant auto show may be considered exceptions [Source: Havely].
Although most are built to handle between 4,000 and 5,000 vehicles, car-carrying ocean vessels have been created to hold up to 8,000 vehicles. These ships are employed to transport vehicles made abroad into the country [source: Ships and Yacht Information]. For instance, Toyota will bring around 1.1 million vehicles from Japan to the United States in 2008. To serve the American market, Toyota has the ability to contract or charter up to 30 ships. Five ports are used by the automaker, two on the East Coast and three in the West, where the automobiles are unloaded before being delivered by road or rail to the dealer [source: Nelson].
Automakers predict that 65 to 70 percent of all new cars sold in the U.S. will be transported by rail before being delivered to the dealer in a tractor-trailer on an 18-wheeler. The typical truck delivery distance is 250 miles or less from the pickup location. Then, taking the rail, longer distances become more economical. Naturally, rail has its own restrictions regarding the areas that can be reached and the specific equipment needed to load and unload the trucks [Sources: Nelson and Lowe].
We now understand how to transport automobiles from one place to another. We’ll examine the benefits and drawbacks of rail transportation on the following page.
A wealthy Qatari resident reportedly spent around $42,000 to have his Lamborghini LP640 airlifted to London for an oil change, according to a claim in the London-based tabloid The Sun in late July 2008. The 6,500-mile roundtrip weekend journey infuriated environmentalists due to the enormous carbon imprint it left behind. According to reports, the oil change only cost $6,500. [Supply: Syson]
In This Article...
How are automobiles shipped out of the factory?
A delay in vehicle production brought on by COVID-19 has ended. Here is a look at a new car’s journey from the inside.
Let’s look at how new automobiles are moved from the factory to the dealership in immaculate condition, sterilized, and prepared for you to take a spin as auto manufacturing ramps back up.
Most significant U.S. automakers reopened their doors in May to begin production after being forced to halt operations for several months due to the COVID-19 epidemic. While it might take some time to return to pre-pandemic levels, auto manufacture is back, albeit at a slower pace and with a rigorous focus on sanitization and safety.
Let’s look at how new cars are delivered from the factory to the dealership and, increasingly often these days, directly to your home in immaculate shape, sterilized, and ready to drive as auto manufacturing ramps back up.
Fresh off the Assembly Line
There is a good chance that after a car leaves the assembly line at the factory, it will undergo one last inspection before moving on to “vehicle processing,” which is the installation of upgraded features like technology, safety features, and unique additions like splash guards and “underglow lighting. Vehicle processing is normally done at the start of the journey for each vehicle, however it might occasionally be finished on the way to the dealership.
Some automobiles are even coated in protective material known as “wrap guard” to protect them and stop scratches along the road in an effort to prevent future damage. The vehicle is prepared to leave for the dealership once the finishing touches have been applied.
Insider’s Note: Due to new safety measures implemented to assist stop the spread of COVID-19, many auto production factories may appear a little bit different these days. The best efforts are being made by automakers to ensure the safety of their employees, including temperature checks, spreading out individual work areas, requiring face shields and gloves, installing transparent curtains, introducing sanitization stations throughout the workplace, and modifying schedules to ensure workers are socially distant.
Over the Ocean
Production is gradually returning overseas, just like it has in the United States. The car would most likely be transported by ocean liner to a port in the United States if it had been produced at a plant outside of North America. Automakers use these ships to transport their vehicles to ports, typically on the East and West Coasts, and they can hold up to 8,500 vehicles at once. Many of these ships are referred to as “ro-ro ships;” they have ramps that make it simple for automobiles to load and unload onto and off of the ship, and they have multiple decks to accommodate as many cars as possible.
Back on Land at the U.S. Port
Cars are unloaded from cargo ships at U.S. ports and put in storage lots until a car hauler, a trailer or semi-trailer designed to transport passenger cars, comes along to take them up. Typically, they have a nine-car capacity. Depending on how far it needs to go, the vehicle can either be transported directly to the dealership after being put onto a car carrier, or it can be delivered to an auto ramp for a long-distance carry over rail.
At the Railroad Auto Ramp
Your automobile will most likely be sent to an automotive facility run by a railroad if it needs to travel a considerable distance from the U.S. plant where it was made or the port where it was obtained before continuing on to the dealership. The majority of vehicle ramps for railroads are situated close to auto factories and significant distribution hubs in major metro regions. For instance, Union Pacific has more than 40 vehicle distribution hubs operating or accessible through its network.
You might be shocked to hear how frequently new autos are transported by train. The American Association of Railroads, or AAR, estimates that each year, freight rail transports almost 75% of the new cars and light trucks bought in the United States. Additionally, they provide service to the majority of North America’s 70 or so auto manufacturing facilities, including those in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Texas.
Your car will be placed onto an automobile rail car, also known as a “auto rack,” once it has arrived at a railroad’s auto ramp. These cars either have two levels or three levels. Bi-level rail cars are used for bigger vehicles like trucks, minivans, and SUVs and typically contain 8 to 10 units. Up to 15 passenger cars can be accommodated in a single tri-level rail car.
Portable ramps that enable driving onto or off of the rail car are used to load and unload vehicles onto and off of auto racks. Additionally, cars are loaded very slowly to prevent damage while keeping safety in mind.
Auto ramp technicians fasten each wheel to the rail car using specialized straps or chocks to keep it firmly in place during transit once a vehicle is put onto a rail car. These experts also don masks as a safety precaution due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Getting to the Dealership
The new car is then discharged from the train car and stored in a designated berth at a storage facility upon reaching an auto ramp close to its ultimate destination. The automobile will then typically be picked up by another car mover along with other vehicles going to the same auto dealer. Given the possibility of a fast spin or two at the plant, as well as movement of the vehicle up and down loading ramps and in and out of bays at storage facilities, the car’s current mileage is most likely only 25 miles or less.
At your neighborhood dealership, the automobile is checked one more time to make sure there are no dings, scratches, or dents once it has arrived safely and been unloaded. The car is prepared to sell once it has been fully cleaned and detailed and has been determined to be damage-free. Inside Information The COVID-19 pandemic is having a big effect on how auto dealerships operate right now. When a vehicle is declared ready to be sold, it will likely be posted on the dealer’s website where potential customers can browse images, examine and compare vehicle features, and schedule a test drive (in many cases, the vehicle is delivered right to the customer’s home). To complete the transaction, many vehicle dealerships now provide additional touchless interactions including live video conversations and electronic signatures. When vehicles are received by many dealerships, they may also be sanitized once more before being delivered to the buyer. A vehicle that has been handled or test-driven may also be thoroughly cleaned afterward, giving the eventual owner a clean vehicle.
The Secrets to Staying Damage Free
Maintaining a brand-new vehicle in immaculate condition at every stage of its trip (or “chain of custody”) is essential due to the numerous changes in possession that occur. Every time there is a change of ownership, the vehicle is inspected for damage, and it is ultimately the party in charge of reporting any damage and organizing repairs with the manufacturer.
Fortunately, the AAR provides a reliable source of established norms, loading diagrams, and tools for safe securement in transit for shippers who use rail. AAR and the automobile industry collaborate closely to design, create, and keep improving the shipping of vehicles.
Prior to shipping any goods, it is crucial to always check with the railroad to make sure it is properly loaded, secured, and complies with AAR standards.
How are cars moved around?
Many individuals don’t consider where auto dealers actually source their vehicles from. It’s simpler to imagine that they will suddenly materialize on the lot. The technique is actually considerably more intricate than that.
How It Used to Be Done
Cars haven’t been around that long, in comparison, but they’ve come a long way since the first one was patented in 1886. Since the car was originally from Europe, it had to be transported across the ocean. To carry cars to car dealers across the nation, however, transport companies began using rail as the popularity of cars increased and domestic manufacture got underway.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of rail infrastructure, transportation by rail was an expensive and drawn-out operation. Alexander Winton created the first auto carrier as a result of this in 1898. This vehicle carrier resembled a cart in design, having two wheels at the back and a flatbed on top. It wasn’t a very good solution either, as this transporter could only move one automobile at a time.
Therefore, rail transportation remained the main mode of moving vehicles throughout the US, albeit various developments improved it. The two-level rail car for hauling vehicles was created in the 1950s. A tri-level truck hauling rail carriages existed by the 1960s.
At the same time, techniques for moving cars over roads were being developed. Auto carriers that resemble those we see today first appeared in the 1960s. With careful planning and attention, these carriers were able to transport up to eight cars at once.
How It’s Done Today
Even if there are some parallels, things are done a little differently now. Since 48% of all automobiles sold in the United States in 2017 were imported, let’s presume that a car was produced abroad.
It is not possible to simply drive a truck over to the factory with an imported vehicle. Instead, it must explain a multi-step process involving various forms of conveyance.
The autos will be loaded onto a cargo ship and transported to the US. Although most ships handle between 4,000 and 5,000 automobiles, there are cargo ships that are intended to hold up to 8,000 vehicles at a time with various decks to enhance capacity. Cars can easily be wheeled onto and off of these cargo ships because to their design.
Following that, these ships sailed towards ports in America, specifically those in Los Angeles (CA), Long Beach (CA), New York (NY), Savannah (GA), Seattle (WA), Houston (TX), Charleston (SC), Miami (FL), and Norfolk (VA).
The automobiles are rolled off the cargo ship once they have reached the United States and are then put in a storage area until they can be picked up for further transportation. The automobiles will be delivered to the dealership either by truck or train, depending on their distance from their starting point. Trucks are used to move cars over shorter distances, and trains are used to move them over larger ones.
Though you’ve probably seen trucks transporting cars before, rail transportation is much more widespread than you might realize. In actuality, during some portion of their journey to the dealership, 75% of the automobiles and trucks that Americans buy are delivered by rail. Even though a vehicle is being transported by rail, a skilled driver will still pick it up and transport it to a railroad auto ramp.
The cars will be put onto auto racks at the railroad auto ramp, which can securely store cars on two or three floors. The trucks can be driven onto and off of the train using these racks’ ramps. For larger vehicles like trucks, huge SUVs, and minivans, a double-deck trailer is employed. Smaller vehicles like sedans and compact cars employ tri-level racks.
The cars are unloaded from the train when it arrives at its destination and kept in a storage area until another auto-transport business comes along to pick them up again. The automobile is driven to the dealership after being loaded onto a trailer and secured by the driver of the auto transport service.
As soon as the vehicle reaches the dealership, it is examined for any damage sustained during transportation and then washed and meticulously detailed to prepare it for sale.
How are brand-new automobiles moved aboard ships?
New cars may occasionally be trucked to a loading dock at the train yard. Cars can be driven onto the decks using ramps. The vehicles are then parked on the decks and fastened in place. Up to 20 vehicles can be transported on specially designed rail cars with two or three decks called “auto racks.”