Transporting vehicles in the shipping trucks as well as in the enclosed trailers was first introduced by Malcom McLean. Since 1956, several people have started practicing this method of shipping their valuable gears for domestic and cross country shipments. Shipping containers are considered to be the safest vehicle transportation procedure.
Because of the widend development of online marketplace business, both the vehicle buyers and sellers are interested in dealing with each other virtually. Therefore, you can buy vehicles from any corner of the country or even from the foreign countries too. But the problem arises when you need to ship them from its selling place to its owner’s place. Nothing could be the better option than container shipping for the same.
Though, container shipping is the best way to ship your buddy gear, yet there are few important steps to keep your vehicle secured inside the shipping containers. But, before that we need to know about the two basic methods of shipping vehicles in a container and how they work to settle the vehicles inside the container along with the specific protections that ensure a damage free delivery of your vehicle.
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Conventional container shipping
In the normal or traditional way of container shipping, the transporters settle down different sizes of vehicles in a large shipping container and arrange the same by building sturdy wooden racks by following proper safety measures.
Transporters try their best to maintain an adequate security system while shipping vehicles to different places and also satisfy customers’ additional requests with some extra charges.
Because of the enormous sizes of the containers, it is not possible to load the vehicles into the container by using regular ramps. Therefore, it is required to be built multiple sizes of temporary ramps according to the sizes and weights of the vehicles. After loading into the container, the shippers secure each and every vehicle separately from different sides, so that they won’t tremble during movement. The associates of the certain shipping service also receive the vehicles at the destination port and handover the vehicle to the owner safely.
Improved version of container shipping
In the year 2011, CFR Dickens introduced a totally new model of container shipping which is known as R-racking technology. This process is innovative and progressive yet simple to perform.
This is a modernised vehicle racking system that is also removable if needed. By using this technique, shippers can containerise multiple vehicles of different sizes and weights with ease. Not necessary that the vehicle must be car only, R-racking system allows shipping bikes also along with the car as well. Additionally, R-racking technology minimises the time requirement of loading and unloading period. There is a need to make multiple ramps for loading or unloading distinctive features of vehicles like the traditional way as any type of vehicle easily fits in the customised racks and the process is more safer than the traditional way.
Prepare the vehicle to ship
Before loading your vehicle in a shipping container, make sure that your vehicle is clean from inside and outside as well. Remove all the detachable elements from your car’s belly or if you want to keep anything inside then pack them in a plastic bag and tie them with the car’s seat belt.. Empty your car trunk also. In order to get a damage free delivery, clean the outside of your car and take pictures of previous wounds, so that the shippers can’t ditch you.
Securing vehicles
Securing vehicles inside a container is the integral part of shipping. To resist the vehicle’s wheel from rolling, you must use wooden blocks or metal chocks and nail those chocks in front of each wheel. To tie down the vehicle equally from every side use ratchet straps or turnbuckles. Lock your vehicle’s each door including the trunk with some extra security. Ask your shipper to lock the container door with special security lock code and copy the same to the bill of lading.
Make sure that the shipper will provide you insurance coverage in case any damage happens in transit. Inquire and request your shipper to secure the vehicle container with GPS tracking technology, so that you get connected to the container truck’s driver and know your vehicle’s whereabouts.
Vehicle’s security depends on the truck drivers to some extent. They can do the work more carefully if they park the container truck in a well-lit area.
Additionally, the shipping containers can be more secured by electronic fencing, theft alarm system, high security controlled additional storage place etc.