How to transport cars and other vehicles across the ocean

Logistics is one of those topics that attracts the attention only of the few. However, once it attracts that interest, it sparks lively and heated discussions among its enthusiasts. For example, one of such interesting topics is delivering wheeled cargo over the seas and oceans. There are two main methods of delivering cargo that are used. It may appear to be boring but I have never seen a person who would be bored by it once they saw how the actual process of transporting goods across oceans looks like. I cannot show it to you, but I can try to describe it as best as I can.

One of these two methods is the traditional container shipping, also known as cargo freight. You probably know what it is – big, rectangular containers holding the cargo inside of them. In case of vehicles, it’s usually on per container, unless the size of a vehicle is rather small. OK, we have our cargo in containers, now what? Well, we will need a ship that will be able to carry it. A cargo freighter is definitely able to do that. It can carry thousands of such containers, both in its holds and on its deck, reaching insane tonnage. Sure, but such containers are pretty heavy, and the ship is incredibly tall, how to load them onto it? In every bigger seaport there are a couple of gigantic cranes with strong magnets that are able to easily lift such containers onto the ship. So it looks like we have everything: we have our cargo in containers, we have a ship, and we can load the cargo on the ship. Once the ship reaches the destination, the process is reversed. But there is one problem – this process takes too much of the precious time, making the bill much more prohibitive. Normally, it is unavoidable, but in case of wheeled vehicles, it is.

How? Well, the ancients already knew that a simple wheel plus a ramp can work wonders. It’s funny how much time it took to reinvent this simple solution. Thanks to the RORO method (roll-on, roll-off) the cargo can be loaded straight onto the ship, without the help of containers and cranes. What it does it not only renders containers and other packages unnecessary but it also greatly reduces load and unload time. Thanks to that, the cost of the cargo transport is significantly reduces.

It can be noted, that RORO shipping is a simple, yet very innovative method that makes importing and exporting cars and other vehicles extremely profitable. You get tons of savings on the delivering your cargo, and you sell the product for its normal price. So you can see that logistics can teach you not only something about business, but something about life as well.

The new face of the US car industry

This is a guest post by NetroStar Marcin Ladowski

Having endured a major slump following the banking crisis, the US car industry seems to be bouncing back. The US government that invested billions of bucks in bailing the automotive business out is looking at hefty returns and those employed in design studios, factories and showrooms around the country have reasons to rejoice. The industry is in the black again and if nothing disastrous happens to it in the near future, it will remain so for years to come.

Car makers are now leaner, with less powerful unions and smaller burden of social security and retirement-related payments. Innovation is back as America looks towards more ecological, smaller and smarter vehicles after decades of living big. Toyota and Volkswagen are sure to feel the pressure of the US auto industry in the coming years.

Below is the infographic that breaks the state of the car business in 2012, after its recent shakeup:

Personal Finance Image from Mint.com

How to protect the interior of your car

Taking proper care of a car does not mean fixing mechanical failures only. Through all the years you drive it, almost every element wears out. Even though it seems obvious, most people fail to see the fact that any damages in the car’s interior need fixing too.

 

Do you realize that the floor of your car is in danger? Believe it or not, it is the part that is subject to any wear even after a few months of your using the car. The car’s floor is the first element that is most exposed to any weather changes. For instance, if the weather outside is very bad, you will usually track lots of dirt into the car’s interior. Even though you might be dusting off the shoes, some dirt will end up on the car’s floor anyway. In case it is snowing outside, the snow will surely melt and soak into the material the floor is made of. It’s only a matter of hours when all the water will cause some stains to come out. The thing is, such stains are extremely hard to remove. It takes lots of time and even money to get rid of them. To make things worse, it won’t guarantee that they will disappear totally. Try to imagine the floor of your car after driving it for a few years. It won’t look great, would it?

 

Apart from the esthetics issue, there is also some other problem that the stains might cause. This is the case especially during low temperatures. The water that was previously absorbed by the material the floor is made of, will surely start to evaporate. As a result, the car’s windows would certainly start to fog up. The implications for driving safety are obvious. The visibility will be severely affected and you will need to stop every few miles in order to clean the windshield. However, this won’t guarantee that the fog will not come out again.

 

There is, however, some great solution for you. You will no longer need to worry about the floor of your car being destroyed or the windows getting fogged up. Just buy floor mats! These rugs are cheap and absorb the water dripping from your shoes. You won’t need to spend hours on cleaning the car’s floor. Instead, you will just take the rug out and dust it off, which takes up to 10 seconds!

 

In addition, Dodge Ram floor mats will greatly help you keep the car’s interior in order. If you often have children occupying the back seat, this part of your car is surely cluttered with lots of dirt and crumbs. The whole drama of the thing is, these things usually land in places that are hardly reachable with a vacuum cleaner. However, Dodge Ram floor mats will help you keep these away. Please note that such a rug takes up lots of space under the occupant’s legs. This means, there would be hardly any possibility that your kids leave any mess in there. You will just take the rugs out and clean them, which is much easier than having to clean the whole upholstery with a vacuum cleaner.  

Concept cars

There is quite a lot of buzz around Peugeot Ex1, the latest concept car from the French car producer that has been designed to mark the company’s 200th anniversary. The idea behind it was to combine a motorcycle with a sports car in one piece for a stunning, luxurious look.

It does incredibly well on that front. In hundreds of comments that the vehicle has drawn in Designboom.com and other websites, there are comparisons to futuristic designs we remember from Tron and other science fiction blockbusters.

With no top but up to 340 horsepower, it has not been scheduled for production but any car lover would gladly test its performance. In fact, prototypes have gotten rave reviews.

It is the side view that strikes as the most impressive and it is where it resembles a powerful motorcycle the most. Top view and elevation are no less fascinating, even if a tad more conventional.

There is something visionary about concept cars despite the fact that most of them never make it beyond the prototype stage. In some ways, what has been achieved during their design and development trickles to mass-market models and makes. though.

What is this blog’s mission

This blog was born out of passion. Passion for motor vehicles in all shapes and guises. I hope I’ll be able to share it with the community.