When it comes to transporting vehicles, whether it’s classic cars, luxury automobiles, exotics or anything in between, choosing the right shipping method can feel like a crucial decision. While open trailers may be a more common sight on the roads, enclosed trailers can offer a superior level of protection and security. Today, we will explore the benefits of using an enclosed trailer to ship your valuable vehicles.
Protection from the Elements
One of the most obvious advantages of using an enclosed trailer is the protection it provides against the elements. Extreme weather conditions, such as hail, can potentially damage the exterior paint or even affect the mechanical components of a vehicle. An enclosed trailer shields your valuable asset from these external elements, maintaining its pristine condition from origin to destination.
Enhanced Security
Enclosed trailers offer an added layer of security compared to open trailers. By keeping your vehicle concealed from prying eyes, it minimizes the risk of theft or vandalism during transportation. Enclosed trailers can be equipped with locks, security systems, and surveillance measures, ensuring that your vehicle is well-protected throughout the journey.
Superior Safety
Unlike open trailers, enclosed trailers provide an extra level of safety for your vehicle during transit. By being enclosed within the trailer’s structure, your vehicle is shielded from potential road debris, loose gravel, or other hazards that could cause damage while traveling. Additionally, the structural integrity of an enclosed trailer reduces the risk of accidental collisions that could occur during transportation.
Privacy and Confidentiality
In certain cases, maintaining privacy and confidentiality is important, especially when transporting unique or rare vehicles. Enclosed trailers offer a discreet shipping solution, shielding your vehicle and preventing unnecessary exposure during transportation. This added privacy ensures that your vehicle arrives safely without drawing unwarranted attention.
Driver Experience
Drivers who transport with enclosed trailers are experienced with handling atypical- exotic, antique or rare cars. This provides an added level of confidence for these vehicle dealers and owners. It also comes in handy when shipping older cars with quirks, or vehicles that are extremely low to the ground. These drivers are around expensive vehicles everyday and aren’t nervous about handling them. That specific level of skill and experience can not go overlooked.
When transporting valuable vehicles, the choice of an enclosed trailer over an open trailer can significantly impact the overall safety, security, and condition of your vehicle during transit. If you want to ensure your vehicle arrives at its destination in pristine condition, safeguarded from potential hazards and outside interference, an enclosed trailer is the optimal choice for your vehicle shipping needs.
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.
