If you have a fleet of vehicles ready for shipping, then it may be a bit of a challenge to sort out how you want to transport them. This is understandable, really – it’s a big task, and it can be stressful to figure out the transportation aspect of it. Thankfully, there are options available for these sorts of situations.
We’ll be covering all of that today, if you want to learn more about fleet shipping and the entire process. While it’s not overly complicated, it is worth keeping in mind that there are a few different options to consider – and that there are a ton of companies to choose from.
What is Fleet Shipping?
Naturally, our first order of business is to consider what fleet shipping is. For our purposes, we’ll define it as the process of shipping multiple vehicles (usually a large quantity of them) by transporting them from one location to another one. It’s pretty simple, really.
Reasons for Fleet Shipping
Now that we’ve covered the basic definition, you may be wondering what some of the motivations behind fleet shipping are. There are plenty of them, of course, so let’s touch on a few of those!
Sale of or Trade-in of Vehicles: One example of it is this – a dealership or other type of private party may need to transport multiple vehicles to a new location for sale, trade-in, or auction.
Company Relocation: Let’s say you’re a business who leases out company cars, or you make a lot of deliveries – if you’re relocating, you may find yourself needing to ship them to the new location.
Disaster Recovery: Admittedly, this is somewhat more niche than our previous entries, but it’s still worth mentioning. In the aftermath of a natural disaster such as a hurricane, tornado, or earthquake, vehicle fleet shipping can be used to relocate any cars that have been damaged or are no longer usable.
Expedited Deliveries: Again, this isn’t going to be overly common reasoning, but when a company has several customers waiting on important orders, then they may end up utilizing fleet shipping to expedite them – especially when time is of the essence.
Types of Fleet Shipping
Another question that tends to come up is, of course, what are the different types of fleet shipping available? This is important, seeing as these different types are likely what will determine pricing models for us as consumers. You can read more about that on this page, but for now, let’s look at some of the options.
Open Air Transport: As the name suggests, this is when the fleet of vehicles is shipped without any covering to protect them from the elements. Of course, they’re still kept secured, but there’s a potential for weather damage. This is cost-effective for many customers, though.
Enclosed Transport: Of course, this is the opposite of the last entry. With this, the fleet of cars will be transported in covered trailers, which will shield them from the weather and any potential damage. The trade-off is that it’s more expensive.
Terminal-to-Terminal Transport: With a traditional car shipping experience, customers pick between door-to-door or terminal-to-terminal. However, with fleet shipping, it is more than likely you’ll be going with this option. Thankfully, it’s still fairly convenient.
Perks of Fleet Shipping
Still wondering what the real benefits of fleet transport are? We’ve got you covered. Let’s explore some of the meaningful benefits involved.
Convenience: Out of all of the reasons, this is probably the biggest one. Generally speaking, it can be pretty difficult to transport an entire fleet of vehicles. Shipping options can make it much less of a hassle – and most carriers will be more than happy to work with you no matter what the size of the shipment ends up being.
Cost Efficiency: To some, this may seem a bit strange to mention. How is spending money cost-effective, right? At first glance, this is a valid concern. However, keep in mind that it can be much more expensive to individually ship a fleet of vehicles.
Additionally, if you intend to hire drivers instead, then you also need to factor in money for gas, for hotel stays along the road, and more – overall, it’s almost definitely cheaper to transport all of them at once with a carrier.
Reduced Wear and Tear: Every time that we take a car out onto the roads, no matter how nice those roads are, there’s inevitably going to be wear and tear on the vehicle. You can prevent this from happening to your fleet by transporting them with a carrier instead.
Security: On a final note for today, it’s also worth mentioning that fleet shipping helps keep each individual car safe and secure. You’ll know exactly where they are during the process!