When it comes to transporting vehicles over long distances, you’ve probably heard of the two main options available: open and enclosed trailers. Enclosed trailers garner a lot of the attention due to the increased protection they offer. However, don’t let that overshadow the advantages of open trailers. Many customers are pleasantly surprised to learn how safe and cost-effective open trailer vehicle transport can be.
Weather-Resistance and Planning
While every major vehicle shipping company has a horror story about freak hail storms or tornadoes damaging a vehicle, weather events impacting shipments like this are rare. Under normal circumstances, vehicles shipped using open transport aren’t susceptible to significant damage. Most modern vehicles are designed to resist outdoor conditions, including rain, snow, and sunlight. The risk of road debris for any vehicle shipped with open transport has the same chance of occurrence as if you were driving the vehicle yourself. In addition to that, transport companies routinely and carefully plan their routes to avoid extreme weather events that could potentially harm vehicles in transport. Most drivers are incentivized to deliver your car or truck safely, so it’s in their best interest to do anything they can to accomplish this.
Insurance Coverage
One factor that can bring peace of mind with open trailer transport is the level of insurance coverage provided by logistics companies. It’s a standard industry practice to have cargo insurance that covers any damages that may occur during transit. This means that, in the unlikely event of an accident or damage to your vehicle, you can rest assured that you are financially protected. There are varying levels of insurance coverage for this just like with any car insurance. That’s why it’s always a good idea to ask transport companies about their specific insurance policies, so you are informed of your vehicle’s coverage during transit.
Cost-Effective
One major benefit of using an open trailer is cost-effectiveness. Due to their higher capacity, open trailers can carry more vehicles at once, reducing the cost per vehicle. This makes them significantly more efficient and a great option for short or long hauls. The lower transportation rates never compromise safety, making it an attractive option for many customers.
High Visibility
Lastly, transporting vehicles in an open trailer allows for constant visual checks during the journey. Drivers can quickly and easily perform regular visual inspections of all vehicles in transit, ensuring everything remains secure. This is an obvious, but overlooked, boost to vehicle safety during the transport process.
While it’s true that enclosed transport offers certain advantages such as additional protection from dirt, dust, and road debris, these benefits come at a significantly higher cost. For most people, the added cost is not necessary.
The choice between open and enclosed transport ultimately depends on each customer’s specific needs and budget. However, most vehicles are transported using an open trailer. Many vehicles, like trucks and SUVs, can not even fit under the roof of a covered trailer and therefore must be transported in an open trailer regardless. Autosled offers both open and enclosed transport options for customers and works diligently with over 11,000 transporters nationwide to provide the best experience no matter which transport option you choose.
In this episode of Dealer Talk, Autosled’s VP of Operations, Marlena Jasso, talks with Jen Suzuki about the company’s innovative approach to client care and how they are constantly evolving to meet the needs of their customers.
Whether you’re in the transportation industry or simply interested in learning about the role of customer service in business growth, this episode is a must-listen.
We all live in the same transport ecosystem. Transporters need Dealers. Dealers need Transporters. Autosled is making the entire vehicle transport process easier, more reliable and more fair for everyone.
Watch Autosled’s Dan Sperau speak to the guys on DealerRefresh about the logistics behind new car inventory.
Dealers are experiencing long wait times when receiving their new cars from ports. There are many underlying issues that factor in – supply chain shortages, DOT regulations and asset-based carrier economics to name a few.
Watch to hear the whole conversation!
We all live in the same transport ecosystem. Transporters need Dealers. Dealers need Transporters. Autosled is making the entire vehicle transport process easier, more reliable and more fair for everyone.
In an industry as dynamic as vehicle transport, flexibility and control are highly valued assets. One way that transporters can significantly increase control over their operations is by dispatching their own loads. This approach, also known as self-dispatching, enables drivers and transport owners to put their futures directly into their own hands. The top five benefits of using self-dispatch are:
1. Route Optimization
In the simplest terms, getting the most out of every mile is really what determines whether a logistics company is successful or not. The ability to see nearby loads in real-time, and claim them on the fly, directly reduces the amount of time that drivers spend deadheading. The lower the amount of time deadheading, the higher the efficiency and profit for each transport.
2. Increased Earning Potential
Self-dispatching not only presents the potential for increased earnings through optimization, but by selecting their own loads, truckers can target shipments that offer the best rates. They can also choose to take on higher-paying, expedited loads. Cutting out extra dispatching labor costs also boosts the bottomline.
3. Schedule Flexibility
When a trucker is in charge of his or her own dispatching, the schedule can be arranged to better suit one’s personal or family life. This could mean planning loads around a child’s school schedule, a spouse’s work hours, or even significant events like birthdays or anniversaries. With self-dispatching, truckers can balance their work-life schedule better, reducing stress and increasing job satisfaction.
4. Building Direct Relationships
Self-dispatching allows truckers the ability to build direct relationships with shippers and brokers. This can lead to more consistent repeat business and potentially increased rates, both of which can significantly improve the bottom line.
5. Skill Development
Lastly, self-dispatching can result in skill development. Managing one’s own dispatching requires learning about market rates, logistics planning and more. These skills are invaluable, not just in the immediate context of dispatching, but also in broader business and career development.
Without a doubt, finding non-driving time to dispatch loads on the road is difficult, but the advantages created by self-dispatching make it well worth the effort. It’s important to remember that successful self-dispatching requires a good understanding of the market, strong planning skills, and a willingness to take on the challenges of running one’s own business.
Autosled is a vehicle transport technology platform that allows car-haulers to grab available loads on the go. Self-dispatching significantly improves the profitability of small and large businesses alike. Autosled is thrilled to continue to offer this capability to its nationwide transporter network of over 11,000 haulers.
Dan Sperau is a 3rd generation automotive enthusiast. His grandfather was an employee of Henry Ford, while his father owned a Ford Dealership in Alabama. Following his college education, Dan swiftly immersed himself into the retail automotive industry. After his time in retail, he spent 12 years financially consulting dealership groups, specifically around incentive and recovery audits. He co-founded Autosled in 2018, along with his brother David. We asked him a few questions about his experiences, and here is what he had to say:
Your automotive background is finance-centric. Did you ever think you would get involved in the transportation and logistics side of the business? How has your background influenced your approach to Autosled’s operations?
“No, I never thought I would get involved in the logistics side of things. However, the concept of Autosled just made too much sense to ignore. Micromanaging vehicle transportation creates so much paperwork behind the scenes for every dealership. Auto groups that deal with hundreds of transporters, 1099’s, and thousands of checks a year have to hire a small team just to handle it. Autosled evolved as a solution to these challenges, offering efficiency that individuals with backgrounds similar to mine can genuinely value.”
What was the deciding factor in your commitment to co-founding Autosled?
“My brother, David – who spent 25 years in retail, was the driving force. The frontline dealers who are actually handling the shipments, run into their own host of problems. All of the dealer and financial pain points are interconnected. The opportunity to create a uniform experience that could handle everything all at once was exciting.”
Starting a new company is a tremendous risk, and there are always doubts. Do you remember a single moment when you realized that it was going to work?
“Yes, it was in December of 2020. We had built the MVP software (minimum viable product) and had been moving cars since July of that year. But that December, the first self-dispatched load occurred. Seeing it go through the system without any prompting or manual intervention was almost surreal. I looked at Dave and said, “Did that just happen?” That was the “ah-ha moment” when we knew it was going to work. Self-dispatching is a force multiplier for us. It allows our small team to be able to handle a large amount of work. Just over two years later, over 85% of our loads are self-dispatched, so that’s been a huge win for us.”
You mentioned the self-dispatching capability. Autosled’s carrier network has over 11,000 transporters. How do you tackle communicating with so many transporters across the country?
“It all starts with our operations team. Autosled’s app evolved to make life easier for transporters, and our team is here to support them. From the start of the onboarding process, we educate our transporters on the capabilities of Autosled’s technology. Things like self-dispatch and 2-day quick pay are huge competitive advantages when used effectively. It helps that our staff speaks six different languages as well. Having a staff that is fluent in the same languages as our transporters removes as many barriers as possible. We’re just trying to make everything smoother and better for them, period.”
What future challenges will the car-hauling and retail vehicle logistics side of the industry face and how can Autosled help address those issues?
“The increase of online sales to meet customer expectations is going to continue. Traditional hub and spoke style models will become more fractured than they already are. While this makes it harder for small transport businesses, it is especially challenging for companies running large fleets. The role that Autosled can play is to provide the tools, such as a self-dispatching load board and digital bills of lading, for these companies to be more flexible in order to navigate the changing markets.”
Autosled went from two brothers with an idea to a company with over 50 employees in a relatively short time. What advice would you give to other Entrepreneurs who may be following a similar path?
“Without risk, there is no reward. Your company is your baby and it’s scary to put it in other people’s hands, because you think you always know best. That is why it is so important to surround yourself with the right people. It’s what they do that brings our vision to life. It’s not just David and I. Trust me, I’ve learned more from my people than they have from me. Our company culture is built like a family; we care about everyone. As a founder, without good people to support you and strong company culture, you’re toast.”
