No matter what your business does, a move may be necessary. If cars are your business, the ability to transport your product or your fleet efficiently is critical to your bottom line. The tips below can help you stay prepared and reduce the rush.
Maintain Your Parking Spots
One of the big no-nos for shipping a car is dripping. The simplest way to track which car or truck is leaking is to assign parking spots and check them regularly. If you notice a drip, take the vehicle in for an assessment to determine the source of the leak and get a quote on fixing it.
To clean up an oil stain or some other fluid leak in your parking area, start with an absorbent product such as kitty litter to soak up any standing fluid. A degreasing soap will loosen anything that has soaked in, and you may need to pressure wash the spot to move completely to get rid of the mark. Once the concrete is clean, consider sealing it.
If your parking spots are asphalt, keep an eye out for large pieces of cardboard or put down an old sheet under the van to see where the leak is coming from. This may seem like overkill, but one leaking vehicle can create a hazard and may drip onto the other vehicles you’re loading on this truck. Fix those leaks first.
Carefully Monitor What Lives In Your Vehicles
When it comes time to ship your company car via truck, rail, or cargo ship, it needs to be as empty as possible. Check out the work vans or trucks that your employees use and keep an eye out for
- trash
- extra tools that don’t need to travel
- excess product
- small animals or bugs
When it comes time to ship that vehicle, it will have to be emptied. A daily clean-up or weekly inspection will reduce the scramble prior to loading your vehicles for shipment.
Maintain By The Calendar
Do your best to maintain your vehicles by the calendar to avoid seal wear and tear that can lead to leaks. Even if it is cheaper to change oil and top off fluids by mileage, the risk of missing a change is just too great. If possible, maintain your fleet by the calendar first and use the mileage check as a backup.
Because your vehicles may be exposed to extreme temperatures and conditions, you will want to get those maintenance processes done seasonally rather than by the miles. For example, you may need different grades of oil if things get extremely cold in your area. Lubricants with a high heat tolerance can get quite sludgy when the temperature drops and sludgy oil means that your engine is unprotected during the start-up.
Seals and diaphragms can also wear while sitting in your vehicle lot during extreme temperatures or during very dry conditions. A regular check-up by the calendar can protect your drivers from dangerous failures as well as leaks in the transport process.
Rely On Your Mechanic For Diagnostics
Having a trustworthy mechanic on your team is critical when you need to ship vehicles on a regular basis. Every vehicle that you need to send out via truck, train, or on a ship needs to be in good enough shape that it doesn’t leak and can tolerate the conditions on the road. Getting a detailed assessment of what it will cost to repair a vehicle in comparison to the value of the vehicle is always an important consideration if you’re shipping vehicles regularly.
A mechanic should be aware of several vehicle maintenance procedures that you don’t want to miss. A knowledgeable mechanic can also give you information when you’re planning a fleet upgrade. For example, your mechanic can notify you of service bulletins and challenges that any particular make or model is facing. If you’ve always used a particular make, your mechanic can also line you with the best after-market parts as your service vehicles get older.
If you need to upgrade your service fleet to haul larger or heavier products but you don’t plan to have to ship that particular vehicle, work with your mechanic to find something used that they can also service and maintain. The ability to rely on one shop for all your repairs, whether you’re selling the vehicle or using the vehicle, can save you a lot of time and effort.
Start Shipping Early
Carefully review the loading schedule for your chosen shipper. Many shippers offer a locked holding lot but require that you have the vehicle dropped off several days in advance. If you can’t reserve your spot in line and it’s first come first serve to get the best price, you may need to have those vehicles dropped off up to a week ahead of time.
If you need to transport a vehicle that you’ve sold and the buyer is in a rush, you may not be able to use a traditional shipper. In such cases, having access to a flatbed transport company to make those rush deliveries can add a great deal of credibility to your customer service and good name. As long as the distance is not onerous, connecting with one quality shipping company for those rush deliveries is a terrific relationship to invest in.
For those car dealerships that handle high-end vehicles or those that are a bit less common on the road, having your own flatbed hauling truck may become important at a point in the future. Of course, with each increase in your capacity you will have an increase in your liability; discuss such a fleet upgrade with your insurance agent and attorney.
No matter the distance you need to cover with the vehicle that you’re shipping, do your best to be easy to work with. Follow the rules about how much fuel you can have in the vehicle. Be very aware of the leak risk. Keep your paperwork as tidy as possible in the shipping process so there are no hiccups in the loading and off-loading. Finally, set up logical drop-off times for vehicles that you plan to ship.