Auto Transportation

Posts Tagged ‘direction’

Shopping for the right auto transport company is intimidating for most people. It’s not a service that people use very often so it is difficult to know what features to look for. Although there are a number of decisions to make, let’s focus on the types of trucks and trailers that could be used.

Truck Types

Auto transport is carried out by one of two types of trucks: tractor trailers or hotshots. A hotshot is a small truck similar to a pickup.

Because hotshots are small they transport only one vehicle at a time. This means they are available faster because the shipper doesn’t have to find other customers to fill the empty slots. On the other hand, that means all costs of operation are shouldered by the one vehicle being transported so they are more expensive. Their small size means residential street navigation is easy and they deliver your car right to your door.

Tractor trailers transport anywhere from three to twelve vehicles at a time depending on the size of the attached trailer. The more cars, the cheaper the transport fee because costs of operation are spread among several customers. To be economical, the trucks need to run as near to capacity as possible. That means the auto transport company needs a significant lead time between a customer’s call and the shipping date so that they can find several vehicles headed in the same direction.

Another downside to tractor trailers is that they may not be able to travel in some residential areas because of the tight streets. You may need to meet the vehicle at a nearby parking lot to pick up your car rather than having it delivered to your door.

Trailer Types

The first decision about trailers is single-vehicle vs. multiple-vehicle. This decision isn’t made by the customer but rather dictated by the truck. Hotshots have single trailers; semis have multiple.

There can be cases where a semi transports a single vehicle, such as a vehicle won’t fit on a typical trailer due to size, modifications, or other characteristics. In this case it has to be shipped on a flatbed along with whatever other cargo the driver picks up. This is one of the more expensive ways to ship but may be necessary depending in your vehicle.

When shipping on a multiple vehicle trailer, there is a lot of debate about whether it is better to request a position on the upper deck or the lower deck. Cars on the upper deck are more exposed to the environment while the lower deck may get oil or other fluids dripping from above. In the end, it seems to be about the same.

Another option is a closed trailer. Most car shipping is done in open trailers, leaving the vehicle exposed to the elements. This is fine for most cars but if you have an expensive or collectable vehicle, it might be worth the extra expense of a covered trailer.

With the big three already deep in the doo doo, is the Chevy Volt the answer to General Motors problems or will it prove to be the final nail in the manufacturers coffin.

Much has been made of the Chevy Volt, a plug-in electric hybrid. GM sees this idea as the saviour of its company. The only problem may be that the technology is already out of date by the time it is launched. Battery power may indeed prove to be a viable alternative to the internal combustion engine in the short term, but with limited mileage on a full charge and hours needed to recharge, the hydrogen fuel cell looks, on the face of it, a much better long term solution.

Enter the Honda FCX Clarity. Powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, the Clarity has been hailed as the most important car launched this century. Creating electricity by combining hydrogen that is stored in a fuel tank on board the vehicle, with oxygen from the air, the only bi products produced are heat and water. Giving us the first truly eco friendly car, that is, if you ignore how the hydrogen is produced (currently from electricity generated from fossil fuels).

With a top speed of one hundred miles per hour and a claimed range of 280 miles, the Honda Clarity does not need to be recharged and does not need a conventionalinternal combustion engine to top up its charge, it is simply filled with gaseous hydrogen at suitable filling stations. These stations may be limited at the moment, but as demand grows for these vehicles more stations will no doubt follow.

Currently available on a six hundred dollar a month three year lease, the Clarity will no doubt already have a host of celebrities lining up to confirm their green credentials and as it is only available in southern California (probably the most environmentally aware location in the States) the allocation has already been filled. This area has been chosen for the trials purely and simply because it has at least got a few of the hydrogen filling stations needed to refill the Clarity.

So, with General Motors announcing that it will delay the completion of the factory that will produce the engines for the Volt, even though it has been held up as the symbol of their future. It is looking more and more as if the hydrogen car may overtake the electric / hybrid plug in before it even makes it into the showrooms. GM hope to launch the Volt in 2010, but Honda will have no doubt ironed out any glitches with the Clarity by then, giving them a clear advantage over others, just as Toyota did with the Prius.

With technology moving towards cars that produce zero emissions General Motors may be pinning their hopes on a car that has a very limited shelf life. Historically, it has been very late in realising that its customers needs have changed. In its haste to catch up, has it once again misjudged the direction in which the market is moving? If it has, then theChevy Volt could very well prove to be the final nail in the coffin for General Motors.