Top Three Questions to Ask a Vehicle Logistics Partner Before You Go All-in

So, you’re ready to partner with a vehicle logistics company, but how do you identify the right fit for your business? 

With so many automotive logistics providers available — and so many challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and its many impacts on the overall auto supply chain — finding the right partner to meet the specific needs of your unique business may seem like a daunting task.  

Therefore, we’re outlining three important questions you should ask before you go all in with a specific vehicle-service provider. 

Is it clear that safety is a top priority?  

With auto industry concerns over cleanliness and safety at an all-time high amid the spread of the coronavirus, you need to know your team members, your customers and your assets are being properly protected. Therefore, it’s critical the automotive logistics provider you select works diligently to ensure a thorough and CDC-guided sanitization on all points of contact, for all relevant transports and logistics services. 

ACERTUS has actually taken steps to offer dealers a full sanitization and cleaning of all their vehicles, at all possible touchpoints throughout the process. Additionally, ACERTUS’ team members are dressed in the correct PPE gear, and both drivers and carriers wear masks and gloves whenever appropriate, ensuring everyone they come into contact with is kept safe. 

Beyond these crucial steps to secure hygiene and safety, ACERTUS has adjusted its regular transport-and-logistics offerings to include completely remote and contact-free options. To keep all respective parties – including your customers – safe, ACERTUS’ carriers and drivers can pick up and deliver vehicles without ever requiring human-to-human contact, if that’s what your customer prefers.  

Showing is more powerful than telling. Before you consider an auto logistics provider, determine what level of visibility they will provide to your vehicles in motion. New advancements in technology enable customers to track the status of their vehicles – so, at any given point, you know where your vehicles are and can properly schedule any additional services. Such tracking technology should take the guesswork out of the equation and provide useful, real-time data that you can use. 

When you consider a vehicle logistics provider, find out if it utilizes such technology. If so, what level of asset and information visibility will the company provide? Are there real-time status updates and nightly updates, as well as well as a portal where you can access this data?  

ACERTUS drivers, carriers and customers are enabled through VINlocity, a powerful, proprietary transportation-management system, to operate at the highest level of efficiency and receive full, around-the-clock visibility. With its car-haul and drive-away services, customers get insights into status and access to a breadcrumb-trail style of tracking for driveaway deliveries, receiving crucial and up-to-date information at every touchpoint — from pickup to storage and delivery. Both car-haul and drive-away customers simply log into the VINlocity portal to receive real-time status updates, nightly status reports, actionable insights and robust analytics. 

Simplifying existing processes, a forward-thinking provider will leverage new-age technology to help streamline auto-shipping and logistics operations. Features like instant quotes and real-time visibility matter to customers, who want to be kept up-to-date on all relevant shipments, costs and claims. 

Key things to look for include: 

Is the company competitive on price? 

With inventory shortages as the new normal, price and overall value have become even more pressing issues facing dealerships across North America. Dealers need to know they’re getting the best value for each one of their investments, and that certainly includes vehicle transports. And while transportation does not specifically add to your bottom line, without reliable transports, you could sacrifice speed, efficiencies or – even worse – damage to your crucial vehicle assets. Therefore, when it comes to moving your vehicles, you don’t want the cheapest option, but you do want a strong value for your investment. 

Ultimately, the overall value comes down to far more than just a price tag – it pertains to spend and how that compares to the total benefits and services a provider delivers, the time that is required and any estimated risks. The best auto-logistics companies prioritize efficiency, offer comprehensive services and guarantee that, as soon as a vehicle is delivered, it’s ready to hit the road.  

When you’re ready to entrust a logistics provider with your assets, maximizing value is key. ACERTUS prides itself on vehicle-service multitasking. By efficiently handling multiple services at once, even while vehicles are in transit, the company’s benefits largely outweigh any associated costs. In addition to pickup and delivery, ACERTUS offers in–storage auto detailing, car washing, oil changes, maintenance and repairs, inspections, in–transit registration renewal, compliance services, storage and more — saving you crucial time and resources. 

While there are some minimal associated costs, comprehensive services like these ensure your vehicles can generate revenue as quickly as possible.