The Evolution Of Auto Shipping
Posted 08-11-2009 at 10:28 PM by StayRightPassLeft
It's been awhile since my last post. I wanted to give some thought as to how to organize future postings so it's coherent. I guess the most logical way to accomplish that is to post chronologically. At least that's the initial winner!!
Auto transportation is as old as most of the interstate highways and train tracks that service them. In fact, many vehicle transports started out on railway cars destined for terminals throughout the country. Manufacturers would load up the new vehicles at the rail yard, and ship them to various hubs throughout the country. If you've ever been out in Linden, NJ you've probably seen one of these fenced in storage facilities. Brand new vehicles for miles and miles, all stacked in neat rows. Looks like a scene from the movie "Gung Ho" with Michael Keaton. From these locations, over-the-road auto carriers would transport them to their final locations, most often car dealerships. Again, if you've ever seen one of these yards you can't miss the baby blue trucks tasked with the job of delivering them to their destination. While this is still seen as an efficient way to move most vehicles in mass from the manufacturers, it is an antiquated method for most people who use the services of auto transport in the 21st century.
In today's digital age and global marketplace, everything needs to be faster and more efficient. Why have two to three stops when it can be done in one, fluid step? Why use rail cars who lumber across the country at a snails pace when you can have a team of drivers cover 3000 miles in 50 hours? While the auto transport industry was originally intended to get cars to the showroom floors of local dealers, it has evolved to service a diverse group with many different reasons why auto transport is a necessary aspect of their lives or their businesses.
Whether it's the used car dealer buying at auction, exporters shipping junked vehicles overseas, private parties shipping a classic from one end of the country to the other, or simply seasonal movers too weary to handle another road trip, auto transport means different things to different people. Each demands a different type of service and each contributes to the health of the industry as a whole. Unfortunately, these groups all grew together as one dysfunctional, offspring of what was an otherwise orderly industry.
As seen through the eyes of the carrier, the guy who ships dozens, if not hundreds of cars a year is infinitely more valuable than the guy who may ship a car this year, but probably never again. The guy who ships one or two fully functional cars a year may be a lot less of a headache than the guy who strictly deals with insurance auto auctions and the inoperable crap that comes out of them. (Was my dislike of these places obvious?) My point is, until recently, the carrier was able to ship any car, and if his schedule or needs did not coincide with those of his customer, there were very few people holding him to account.
In the next week I'll try to discuss the various scams and tricks I've seen along the way, and those that are the biggest perpetrators of these scams.
Auto transportation is as old as most of the interstate highways and train tracks that service them. In fact, many vehicle transports started out on railway cars destined for terminals throughout the country. Manufacturers would load up the new vehicles at the rail yard, and ship them to various hubs throughout the country. If you've ever been out in Linden, NJ you've probably seen one of these fenced in storage facilities. Brand new vehicles for miles and miles, all stacked in neat rows. Looks like a scene from the movie "Gung Ho" with Michael Keaton. From these locations, over-the-road auto carriers would transport them to their final locations, most often car dealerships. Again, if you've ever seen one of these yards you can't miss the baby blue trucks tasked with the job of delivering them to their destination. While this is still seen as an efficient way to move most vehicles in mass from the manufacturers, it is an antiquated method for most people who use the services of auto transport in the 21st century.
In today's digital age and global marketplace, everything needs to be faster and more efficient. Why have two to three stops when it can be done in one, fluid step? Why use rail cars who lumber across the country at a snails pace when you can have a team of drivers cover 3000 miles in 50 hours? While the auto transport industry was originally intended to get cars to the showroom floors of local dealers, it has evolved to service a diverse group with many different reasons why auto transport is a necessary aspect of their lives or their businesses.
Whether it's the used car dealer buying at auction, exporters shipping junked vehicles overseas, private parties shipping a classic from one end of the country to the other, or simply seasonal movers too weary to handle another road trip, auto transport means different things to different people. Each demands a different type of service and each contributes to the health of the industry as a whole. Unfortunately, these groups all grew together as one dysfunctional, offspring of what was an otherwise orderly industry.
As seen through the eyes of the carrier, the guy who ships dozens, if not hundreds of cars a year is infinitely more valuable than the guy who may ship a car this year, but probably never again. The guy who ships one or two fully functional cars a year may be a lot less of a headache than the guy who strictly deals with insurance auto auctions and the inoperable crap that comes out of them. (Was my dislike of these places obvious?) My point is, until recently, the carrier was able to ship any car, and if his schedule or needs did not coincide with those of his customer, there were very few people holding him to account.
In the next week I'll try to discuss the various scams and tricks I've seen along the way, and those that are the biggest perpetrators of these scams.
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