Automotive Transportation Solutions for Dealerships

Getting your vehicles from the manufacturer to the dealership should be a simple process. However, thousands of miles and countless barriers along the way often contribute to roadblocks.

Using professional automotive transportation solutions, you can get your vehicles quickly, safely, and affordably.

GROUND TRANSPORT

Ground transportation is the most common method of transportation for automobiles. Believe it or not, every vehicle is transported by truck at some point in its journey to the dealership. Ground transportation is often used as the last leg in the transportation process, with an average trip distance of around 250 miles.

Some trucks are specially designed to transport automobiles. Most of these trucks have a double-decker trailer with ramps that can carry up to 12 units simultaneously. While this might seem straightforward, it's more complicated than it looks.

On a truck, vehicles need to be strategically arranged for optimum transport. For instance, vehicles need to be arranged based on size. Additionally, vehicles need to be arranged based on a schedule.

If some vehicles are being delivered before others, they cannot be loaded first. This process takes a considerable amount of time and planning—anywhere from 90 minutes to four hours, depending on the vehicles involved and the driver's skill.

Speaking of the driver, a highly skilled driver is necessary to ensure a smooth loading and unloading process. Professional drivers also help promote the safe transport of all the units on the trailer. It's also important to remember that the best drivers aren't always the fastest.

Instead, you can expect reputable drivers to be able to drive around 500 miles a day.

Things to Consider When Shipping Automobiles by Ground

As you now know, ground shipping is the final and arguably most intricate part of automobile transport. For this reason, you need to consider various factors to ensure a successful final leg carefully.

Here are some things you should keep in mind when shipping automobiles by ground:

SIZES AND TYPES OF AUTOMOBILES

When shipping automobiles by ground, you must consider the sizes and types of the vehicles being shipped. Similar vehicles around the same size and type can be easily transported together as a unit. This means that cars should be shipped with cars, trucks should be shipped with trucks, and SUVs should be shipped with SUVs.

TYPE OF TRANSPORT

Another thing that you need to consider when transporting vehicles is the type of transport you're using. By far the most common method of ground transport involves an open trailer. While this may seem risky or even dangerous for such precious cargo, vehicles are safely and successfully delivered through this type of transport on a regular basis. 

Protective measures can be used to further protect the units, such as plastic wrap or even tarps to shield the vehicles from road hazards. If you're transporting luxury vehicles that need extra protection, consider using an enclosed trailer to ensure the vehicle arrives in perfect condition at the dealership.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Loading a bunch of units onto an open trailer driven on significant roads at high speeds may look risky, but it's quite safe when done correctly. Units should be secured at four different locations for a seamless journey. In fact, vehicles are specifically manufactured with these tie-down points for a simple and safe process. The driver is directly responsible for the security of the units in their possession throughout the ground transportation process.

TIMEFRAME

Due to the relatively short distances of ground transport for automobiles, the time frame can be pretty efficient. For example, most journeys are less than 1,000 miles long, and most drivers can cover around 500 miles daily. So, generally speaking, you can expect the ground transport of your cars to take anywhere from two to five business days. However, some transport companies may offer express shipping options to dealerships to transport units within 24 to 48 hours.

COST

It's hard to determine the cost of ground vehicle transport due to all the different factors involved. Shippers and drivers should consider contributing price factors such as unit size, shipping distance, transport type, time of year, and fuel cost, all impacting the transport cost. For the most accurate pricing information, you should contact automotive transportation services directly for an exact quote based on your unique specifications.

What to Look for in an Automotive Transportation Service

Before you reach out to the first automotive transportation service you find, you must ensure you receive the right fit and the best service. As a result, you need to consider factors like network, efficiency, and reliability when choosing a transportation partner.

NETWORK

A transportation service provider is only as good as its network. For this reason, you need to look for a provider that has an extensive and experienced network of professionals that they use to get your cars from origin to destination.

For instance, RPM is in a network with tens of thousands of monitored and vetted carriers that cover full truckloads, singles, inoperable and specialized vehicles to meet all your needs.

EFFICIENCY

A transportation service provider should understand and uphold your timeline. Time should not be wasted in the processing or loading stages. This is why RPM offers instant on-boarding and quick load matching that contributes to a 98% on-time delivery rate.

RELIABILITY

Finally, a transportation service should be reliable and trustworthy. RPM offers responsive customer support to answer all your questions from beginning to end, and our results speak for themselves. We deliver thousands of shipments a day and move hundreds of thousands of vehicles per year!

Conclusion

While shipping automobiles by ground may not be accessible, there are companies out there that have the experience and networks necessary for a seamless process. So before you deal with another damaged or late shipment, reach out to the transportation professionals at RPM for a specialized quote.

RPM is one of the fastest growing logistics companies in North America and Europe. Sign up to haul with RPM here.