Car-Rac could revamp global car movements
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by Bill Brock • A two-level, open-frame, foldflat, ISO container known as Car-Rae could revolutionise the global car transportation sector over the next decade.
There are an estimated 10million conventional containers in use worldwide. Nothing competes on price once a system is set up and running, and the car is seen as the last great cargo to be containerised.
More than 35 million cars are delivered from manufacturers to dealers around the world every year, using a succession of specialised transporters. Because of this it has been estimated that the average car door is opened up to 15 times during delivery, presenting obvious opportunities for damage.
But once a car is loaded into the Car-Rac container it needs no further handling until it arrives at its destination, because the container is compatible with sea, road and rail movements. Car-Racs can be stacked up to six high, increasing storage capacity from 220 to 4.0(X) vehicles per acre.
A standard 40ft (12.2m)-long, 9ft din (2.89m)-high Car-Rac• container will accommodate small or four large ears; they can be loaded from ground level. Lashing down reduces the height by 60min, Cars of various heights can be mixed to a combined kerb height of 2.88m (post extenders can increase this to 3.2m).
Car-Rac was designed by Clive Smith Associates (CSA) of Leek Wootton, Warks, a leading designer of collapsible flat-rack containers. Ssales of its products. made under licence, topped £40m last year. The prototype was built with an angled top deck but for production models CSA has moved to a level top deck which is raised evenly from the loading position using hydraulic rams before being blocked into position for the lower level to he filled.
Top deck
The lower deck has a drivethrough width of 2.1m; the top deck is 1.95m wide. If the total length of the cargo is longer than the 12.19m internal length the airs can project through the end gates. However representatives from Ford. Rover and Volkswagen who were present at a demonstration were not keen on this solution. Buyers could specify 45ft or 48ft CarRacs, but these might not integrate easily with standard.
length containers in transit.
The bottom deck has a gooseneck tunnel which is required for Japan and US markets. Individual cars, or all three on the same deck, can be shrinkwrapped for about £10 each, providing extra security and weather protection.
Transfer from one mode of transport to another is greatly speeded up when six cars are moved at a time. A hydraulic ramp, which adds 1.3m to the overall load length, can be attached to the rear of the CarRac container for unloading individual vehicles from road transporters at the final destination. Car-Racs returned empty can be collapsed and stacked five high in the space of one 40ft ISO module with a weight of about 20 tonnes.
Containerisation allows transport of any number of cars to any convenient container port as part of a mixed cargo. By comparison conventional RO-RO vessels have to be specially built and are not so convenient for just-in-time deliveries.
Car-Racs are expected to cost around £5,500, or they can be leased for a dollar per car per day. The containers will be built abroad, probably in India where labour rates are cheaper than in the UK. Each container has a projected service life of about 20 years so it looks ideal for deep sea trades. UKK, which operates the biggest car carrying fleet in the world, has expressed an interest.
Car transport
Intermodal operator Freightliner intends to enter the car transport business next year using standard road transport equipment and is already conducting trials with CAT UK, the import agents for Renault.
Car-Rae will also appear at Intermodal 98, on 1-3 December at the Ahoy Centre in Rotterdam, after which Ford will be conducting service trials.